Sell Ka to buy other car and pay uni fees?

goldentouch

Hi,

Two daughters at uni and somethings got to give. Mummy cannot pay it all, they are costing me £800 per month!

DD1 has a 2002 Ford Ka (luxury edition). She needs a car and I need money.

Our idea is to sell the Ka, buy a cheaper car and I put the rest towards fees.

Is that a reasonable idea? I'm starting to confuse myself here

tomstickland

Sell it and live without one. I went 5 years without owning one and it saves a lot of costs.
However what's it worth? £4K? That's a year's worth for one daughter, so might be worth it.

goldentouch

It's for her to use. She really needs it because she has to go on placements and has a difficult journey back to Mammy.

Difficult to decide what to do because it would be awful to sell a good car and end up with trouble.

tomstickland

"she really needs it"

Seriously, I'm not aiming to be harsh, but that's you being soft. I managed for years without. It's called trains, buses, bikes and walking.
Truth is, she can't afford to pay for it, you're paying for it, hence you can decide that it's a luxury.

elisebutt65

Trust me, she doesn't 'need ' it - she 'wants' it!!

I'm a mature student, have to do placements and field trips, get the kids to school in the morning and pick them up. I still manage with public transport and my feet. Loads of the other 'non-mature' students brag about what their parents get them and buy for them and sometimes I just want to shake the lot of them!!

vansboy

Sell the car & do without, is the best option, but....

Make sure you can get the price you want, 'cos new ones are available (entry level models) for less than £5000.

& this would also reduce the potential savings, buy selling & buying a cheaper car - you might come unstuck & buy a lot of trouble & start spending the odd £100 here & £100 there, on a less reliable vehicle.

VB

balsingh

If she really needs a car, the only options is to sell the KA and go for something much older. I know reliability then comes into it, but I have bought cars for under £1000 which have proved to be ultra-reliable. My cousin who is also a student bought a L reg Nissan Micra about 2 years ago for £600. Its been perfect ... she has kept it serviced and looked after it. It doesnt have all the luxuries like power steering or electric windows but then a student shoudl be happy to have a car at all.