should i carry on with this car?

split_second

hi all had a nasty surprise with mot:
2 tyres gone, 2 close to going, suspension spring gone and centre exhaust gone.
£340 to get through test and sort 2 tyres on their way out asap

already done work to anti roll bar and a suspension spring in last 12 months, car is a 2002 fiat stilo 1.2 owned by myself since 2004, currently has 53k miles on it

is it worth sticking with it?

flashg67

I would class tyres & possibly exhausts as normal wear & tear that you'll end up replacing at some point on any car you own.

The Stilo is under-rated imo and probably isn't worth much unfortunately. £340 for a years motoring is cheap unless you can afford something much newer which has little/no chacve of costing you in repairs. The engines are a pretty old, well tried design, and if it's mechanically sound, worth keeping - but that's only my opinion!

scheming_gypsy

Has it ever had its cambelt changed? obviously nothing to do with the work that needs doing to get it through its MOT, but it's coming up to 10 years old and possible change time. So if it hasn't been done, it might be worth factoring that cost into your decision.

mcjordi

tyres are wear and tear
id stick with it.. £340 for a years motoring is cheap..

patman99

Coil springs are a common MOT failure. Something to do with the 3rd-world state of our roads. Cost about £100 for parts and fitting. Exhaust and tyres, both wear and tear items.

split_second

its a second car, i needed one as where i work (or in an hours time, worked, past tense, on my last shift tonight) was late nights and i was single so no way of getting home.

if its all maintenence stuff thats fine, i've texted my mechanic and asked to go ahead

TrickyWicky

Doesn't sound like much if you ask me. I think the real question is this:

Is it better the devil you know or the devil you don't?

You also need to decide if you want another car and whether you want a new or used one etc.

epninety

OP, I don't mean to be rude, but "2 tyres gone, 2 close to going" should not be a nasty surprise at the MoT. That's just neglect.

Maybe it's not worth sticking with it, using the bus might be a safer option?

As I said - I'm not trying to be rude, but basic safety checks shouldn't be an annual thing. Checking the condition of your tyres takes a couple of minutes at most.

I'm going to stop now before I start ranting about poorly maintained vehicles....

pendulum

HANG ON...

Four new tyres. New suspension spring. New exhaust. Female driver...

This sounds like a KwikSh1t MoT! You didn't take it to KwikSh1t or another Fast Fit rip off center did you?

richardvc

Cambelt should have been changed at 6 years or 72k and if it hasn't..........change it quick !!

Notmyrealname

£1000 buys you a banger. Until your car becomes a banger its better to spend up to £1000 a year to fix it.