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Repair or replace?

lostinrates
Posts: 55,283 Forumite

in Motoring
Caveat, I know zilch about cars! I do my oil, tyres and water stuff, but leave the rest to the garage 
I have had my current car since 2002, bought nearly new
but with high milage. It has been reliable between services but cost a lot two years ago and again a month ago when a water pipe burst. It went to th same garage as always and cost over £1000 in rpairs, and the guy said it was 'practically rebuilt' when I asked would it rliably get me through another 18 months-2 years. Today it went for MOT (TAx due today) and can pass that rasonably cheaply but the head gasket went while there. So, it will cost me a further £800 to get through.
This has been my car while I was young, free and single. Its not big but its nippy. Now however I'm aging rapidly and married. And I have a biggish dog. The car is getting towards being outgrown, but we were hoping to rely on it till 2010 (whn the next stage of our life plan starts).
I just don't know whther having commited £1000 to repairs a month ago to pay the £800 quid and try and keep it going or whether to call it quits and replace now. Its fair to say I fel th condition of the car means it has negligable worth.:(
(we were hoping in 2 years time greener options would be more widely available: I don't lik cars much but need one, so we are not into keping up with technology rather being as green as possible and reliable driving!)
All advice welcome.

I have had my current car since 2002, bought nearly new

This has been my car while I was young, free and single. Its not big but its nippy. Now however I'm aging rapidly and married. And I have a biggish dog. The car is getting towards being outgrown, but we were hoping to rely on it till 2010 (whn the next stage of our life plan starts).
I just don't know whther having commited £1000 to repairs a month ago to pay the £800 quid and try and keep it going or whether to call it quits and replace now. Its fair to say I fel th condition of the car means it has negligable worth.:(
(we were hoping in 2 years time greener options would be more widely available: I don't lik cars much but need one, so we are not into keping up with technology rather being as green as possible and reliable driving!)
All advice welcome.
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Comments
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changing your drivnig style is much better than writing off a car for whatever reason
what do you class as high mileage
what car is it0 -
What car is it how many miles on it?0
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Its a Ford Puma. Also, I bought in 2001 not 2002 (oops)
I drive reasonably prudently. I tend to under rather than over the speed limit these days. Unfortunately I do a few short trips with heavy loads (feed sacks) and I also do quite heavy motorway miles fairly regularly. It had a year off - hnc prvious large bill, I was ill and unable to drive. But has also been to Italy and back a few times.
I'm not 100% sur of milage, but it has near enough 200k on the clock
Other issues. DH is a new driver (always lived in cities before, so never neded to drive) at age 29 this pushes up our insuranc on this car. We live very rurally, but also occasionally drive into (congestion charge) London.
If it were a larger car and we were not foreseeing outgrowing it in the nearish future we would simply go ahead and repair and keep (I love my car) but its the consideration that if we hav a child in the near future than with the dog we can't get the whole family in the car. Its also not ideal with the feed sacks) (I put thm in back seat to spread th wight more vnly, but its hard to get thm in and out.)0 -
I think it is difficult to know what to do, depends on your finances etc. If you spend the £800 you should have a reliable car (ish) you need to find out why the head has gone and get this fixed as well. Probably better than spending only £800 on a different car. The puma may be worth an extra £800 after being fixed.
The puma is clearly not the ideal car for you now but you are managing.
Any car will be expensive to insure for your husband just make sure he does not crash and at his age the price will come down quickly.0 -
Yes this is a tricky one and agree with MX5huggy. What is the car worth? Not a lot I imagine so the question is can you afford a fairly reasonable newer car or not?
If that is a struggle then get it repaired, better to have your own banger than someonelses banger.
But you need to get to the bottom as to the reason the head gasket went? Is the cooling system blocked (burst water pipe earlier?). You really need to find an expert in this particular engine who can advise preferably an independant garage and not a main dealer.
Niggling question why did gasket go whilt in for an MOT? I'm sure nothing untoward but a bit strange.0 -
might be worth looking at having the whole engine replaced0
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Seconded. For £800, I'd be expecting a reconditioned engine.0
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Really?
Th head gasket went because about three weeks ago a pipe to the radiator sprung a leak. Luckily I relised v. quickly and stopped immeadiately. The rescue servic took me to my garage and the radiator stuff was all fixed, they said at the time the head gasket was ok but could have ben at risk: obviously it was at risk and was not ok.
We are saving for a house and COULD afford a nearly new car from our savings, but we had hoped to buy a car in 2 years time because we want a greenish car, but ned more room than the current options have. There just doesn't seem to be the right car on the market for us right now.
We have a large dog (and are likly to inherit another in the future.) Also, we hav no children, but we are trying: I wouldn't want to change a car in a years time because we needed more room/a family car, I'd rather just do that now.
I looked today at a Nissan x trail, not 'green' at allbut a lower insurance class and a good size for us. Very undecided.
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lostinrates wrote: »Luckily I relised v. quickly and stopped immeadiately.
Not quickly enough.
From what you are saying though you are looking for an excuse to change, which is fine.
But you then have to decide whether the car is worth repairing. I don't know how much it would be worth (esp in current climate) if it was running ok but it might ne marginal. So do your homework and if not viable just go and buy another one.0 -
Not quickly enough.
From what you are saying though you are looking for an excuse to change, which is fine.
But you then have to decide whether the car is worth repairing. I don't know how much it would be worth (esp in current climate) if it was running ok but it might ne marginal. So do your homework and if not viable just go and buy another one.
Well, it seems not quickly enough, I agree (but the rescue man and the mechanic both thought the head gasket had been ok)
I honestly haven't made up my mind, but I am playing devil's advocate with myself: if anything I'm looking for an excus to repair a car I have had faith in. Although I'm leaning towards repair I have looked at some other cars today and I genuinely feel th perfct car for m at this time in life dosn't exist. My littl car isn't right and the future is so full of variables.:o
What I did think of was looking into leasing.Getting a car thats right for the next couple of years on lease, then reassessing situation then.
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