Help! Garage have sold my car without my consent!

lisyloo

So it makes more sense to just throw it away?

In a lot of cases it unfortunately does.
Have you ever tried getting your spectable lenses fitted in a new frame?
It's more expensive than buying news one and at your own risk if anything goes wrong.
Lots of things are like that these days.

I suppose it's just peoples unwillingness to learn basic mechanics which stops them?

That and econoomics yes.
I'm not willing or particularly able to do mechanics (my hands are quite weak and feable and quite often I can't unsrew an oil cap). I also have trouble with which way to turn things (I have a degree but not very good at practical things).
I think you have to accept it's not everybodies cup of tea and not everyone has the inclonation and/or ability.

Why would you wan to dispose of a car that was otherwise sound just because one part had broken? If you can get en engine swapped cheaply enough why not?

But also if you put a new engine in a 10 year old car, it's not a new car.
All the other bits - suspension, clutch, gear box, steering etc. is all 10 years old, so it's nowhere near equivalent. You have to factor this in.
I recently scrapped a 19 year old car.
But there were literally dozens of parts that could have needed replacement, so just fixing one, still leaves you with a knackered old banger.
T-reg isn't quite as old, but same principle still applies.

The most money saving thing you can do is drive a cheap old car and service it yourself.

Ah, I have a better money saving idea.
I don't have a car anymore. It's much cheaper without one and a lot less hassle.
No MOT, insurance, tax, parking charges, etc.

goosemc

housesitter wrote: »

So it makes more sense to just throw it away?
So much for recycling and green credentials.
I suppose it's just peoples unwillingness to learn basic mechanics which stops them?

Cars are very cheap in this country compared to many others which I suppose is partly why there is a throw away attitude.

Why would you wan to dispose of a car that was otherwise sound just because one part had broken? If you can get en engine swapped cheaply enough why not?

The most money saving thing you can do is drive a cheap old car and service it yourself.

I do realise its an old car. But I love that car. It was bought for me by my mum with money she got from my grandfathers will. It was the nicest car I've ever owned. I know I've had it for nearly 11 years, but I still love it as much as the first day I got it.
I trusted the garageman, he had done work for me for free before and always seemed so nice. He told me that a new engine would be too expensive for the car's value, so was trying to find a recon good one... or so I thought. I completely trusted him.

I did search on the internet and found several engines of a good price, but he advised me against buying from the internet and told me to "leave it with him, it might take months but it's no problem"
I asked him "if ever its in the way, or you just want rid of it out of the garage then please just let me know"

That was the last contact I had until this DVLA letter on friday.

housesitter

I'm not arguing with you goosemc !!
Sentimental reasons is often why people choose to keep an older car.

lisyloo: I supose it's willing and able and perhaps time.
I guess I'm of the mindset of make do and mend. perhaps I should have been born a few decades ago whenthe odd job man was able to make a living.

Most of the white goods in our house are recycled through freecyle and friend's cast offs.
People thrown things out because they can't be bothered to fix or they wnat something shiney.
For a few coats of paint or a little bit of repair I've had cars, fridges, hoovers, TV's, all sorts that people just throw away.
Steptoe or Womble. Not quite sure yet

I've got 3 cars.
15, 20, and 26 years old.

The newest one is the daily car and it still costs less to service DIY than if I had a much newer car and was still DIY servicing it, and it runs on recycled veg oil so it's fairly cheap to run

Parts for mass volume older cars are generally very cheap. Full set of shocks for 50quid for example for me.

If an old car is reliable and still working, I don't get why people still resist taking them to the garage and geting them serviced when in all reality it's cheaper to do that as there is no depreciation, parts are cheaper, servicing is faster thus cheaper.

Back street garage hourly rate is also MUCH less than dealers.


I've converted more than one person to sell their relatively new car and buy something a lot older and none of them have gone back yet to "modern" cars.

robredz

It can be cheaper to run an old motor that is well maintained, and even be more green. The scrappage scheme has claimed several "classic" cars and dealers have told people to sell them on privately and match the scrappage discount for no part ex rather than take them in to be crushed. I'll wager a certain troll would weigh in a Maserati Ghilbi under scrappage.

The OP is in the right and should get the car back. I bet she is willins to pay for the engine anyway.

roddydogs

Course it makes more sense to throw it away, its only worth about £500 top wack, a proper replacement engine plus clutch fitting, oil etc will cost £1000, youve then got a car worth about £700.

robredz

roddydogs wrote: »

Course it makes more sense to throw it away, its only worth about £500 top wack, a proper replacement engine plus clutch fitting, oil etc will cost £1000, youve then got a car worth about £700.

If she got it back it's still worth 2k as scrappage

Anihilator

robredz wrote: »

If she got it back it's still worth 2k as scrappage

Not legally as this is not the market value of the car. Anyone valuing the car for legal purposes would use market value.

nickj_2

housesitter wrote: »

So it makes more sense to just throw it away?
So much for recycling and green credentials.
I suppose it's just peoples unwillingness to learn basic mechanics which stops them?

Cars are very cheap in this country compared to many others which I suppose is partly why there is a throw away attitude.

Why would you wan to dispose of a car that was otherwise sound just because one part had broken? If you can get en engine swapped cheaply enough why not?

The most money saving thing you can do is drive a cheap old car and service it yourself.

a used engine on ebay - around £300 + labour fitting it
a same age car on autotrader £590

nickj_2

housesitter wrote: »

People thrown things out because they can't be bothered to fix or they wnat something shiney..

i would have thought most people get rid of things that are uneconomical to fix
by the time you've paid for parts and labour it works out as much as a new one

justcat

Anihilator wrote: »

Not legally as this is not the market value of the car. Anyone valuing the car for legal purposes would use market value.

I think the point they were trying to make there is they could have used the Tigra to get 2k off the price of a new car. Now there is no car - no 2k scrappage