been thrown a curve ball in my search for a car

gonzo127

ok i am just after some thoughts on this, but first a little bit of background info for those for can’t remember any of my previous posts

basically i have been looking for a small economical car for a couple of grand narrowed it down to a few cars (clio, C3, C2, fiesta and 206 all diesels) although i did look into the suggestions posted here when looking at the figures of a bigger car i just couldn’t afford to run one for much more than a year or 2

anyways i have been looking around and so far haven’t seen anything that meets my approval (usually too high millage with no service history) which doesn’t surprise me as i am a stickler with my wants and will not part with my money until i am happy.

so my curve ball, my mother and father in law took their car to our normal garage for their MOT (one of the guys there is a friend of the family and has been doing their cars for years) so they happened to mention to him that i was looking for a small diesel car and he turned around and said well i know someone who might be able to help.

so it turns out that a guy who he also helps out has currently got a Clio diesel 05 plate which used to be a driver instructors car, however he has also got another Clio which has been written off but only has 30k on the clock (been told it was a back ender) so basically he said he would put the engine and gear box from the write off into the other Clio so i could have a 05 clio with a engine and gear box which has only done 30k for just over 2k

now although i trust the mechanic i just don’t know the ins and outs of things such as how a 'new' engine would affect the insurance, would it change how the car is looked on by the DVLA, so basically the pro's and con's which could arise from this situation so i would appreciate any thoughts or information you could provide to allow me consider this idea objectively

maninthestreet

The change of engine number would have to be reported to the DVLA. Is the 30K engine the same capacity and power output as the exisiting engine??

gonzo127

as i understand it yes, i havent actually been to see the car yet as i was looking around another last night and didnt find out about this other potential car till about 7 o'clock when they had closed, but as i understand it they are both 1.5 dci Clio's, although unsure on the BHP of each engine since i know they do the 1.5 dci in 3 different power outputs, 65 80 and 106 i believe, hm i guess thats something to ask about

birkee

Modest mileage engine, in a car that has done a lot of miles?
There is more to a car than the engine.
Brakes, steering, suspension etc etc. All abused by learners. Kerbing on 3 point turns, emergency stop practice, and so on.

I wouldn't touch it!

Horizon81

Sounds like trouble. And clios are renowned for electrical faults so an engine swap is unlikely to help matters.

Incyder

I won't be owning a french car. I did try it once.

DaveF327

birkee wrote: »

Brakes, steering, suspension etc etc. All abused by learners. Kerbing on 3 point turns, emergency stop practice, and so on.

I wouldn't touch it!

..and the rest The most tortured parts of a learner car will be the clutch and handbrake cable. While the new engine and gearbox sounds a godsend after a lifetime of learners stalling / labouring the engine violently and crunching reverse at high speeds, there is so much more that will be dropping off the car on a 05 plate, especially if the instructor was crap.

Wig

If it's a straight swap, same engine for same engine it won't need to be reported as a modification. Won't affect value or anything, although you could (not sure about should) report to the DVLA change of engine no. But I didn't when I changed my engine and I'm sure most people wouldn't bother either.

If it's a different engine it's a modification which would have to be reported to insurers every time you change insurers and can cause hassle getting online quotes.

forgotmyname

The engine may be from the same model same year etc but manufacturers make little changes during production
which makes swapping major parts a nightmare.

I would rather buy a car thats done 100,000+ miles than ones thats had the engine changed. Also be careful with the
insurance, They may want an engineers report to check the engines fitted properly.

Incyder

Repeat: I won't be owning a french car. I did try it once. :rotfl:

Kilty_2

Incyder wrote: »

Repeat: I won't be owning a french car. I did try it once. :rotfl:

1.5 diesel Clios that haven't been abused and aren't on their 2nd engine aren't actually bad cars.