Nice people thread part 5 - nicely does it

SingleSue

When I was still married but towards the last part of the marriage, we got into the habit of having newer cars than we had at the beginning of the marriage. This obviously coincided with our financial status being a fair bit healthier than when we started to have children.

It lasted two cars, the first my beloved Passat, my very first diesel car. It was built like a tank, drove like a tank but sailed through the MOT every single time (4 years running), she was about 6 years old or so and had just over 60k on the clock when we got her and we paid £2400.

3 years later we got our Audi A4 which always failed the MOT, was a complete heap of manure, had similar mileage and age to the Passat when we got it and cost us £3600. Hubby drove the Audi for a year or so until he got a company car and I kept the Passat (it had been a bone of contention originally as the Audi was supposed to replace the Passat but hubby was already going a bit eek and decided he was having it for himself instead of the cheap little run around he had for commuting the short distance to work. My commute was 10 miles compared to his 2 miles and I also had to have space for the boys and their various bits of equipment, hence me having the big car and him the small one).

I got the heap of manure in the divorce where it promptly died of cambelt failure (the cambelt was only 10k miles and 6 months old) and was then relegated to going right back to the beginning in cheap as chips cars and hoping they lasted.

Still regret selling the old Passat, great car she was.

PasturesNew

vivatifosi wrote: »

...important ...diary of events ...refer to them later down the line...

When it's come to the olds in the past year, after every interaction/event/phone call I've emailed my siblings a full note. Who called, why, their name, what they said, etc. And a good clear title to the email.

These have become invaluable now as several complaints have been put in and my sibling dealing with all of that had proper notes/dates - and even discovered stuff they'd forgotten about.

I created the emails to create a trail, as well as to inform siblings what was going on.

PasturesNew

I'd like to buy cheap bangers and drive them into the ground, but as I am a small, vulnerable, hopeless female, it's not practical to suddenly become stranded god knows where. I was travelling 200 miles each way to/from work, along motorways when I stopped buying bangers.

If you're driving fairly local to where you live, have somebody you can call to help you, bangers are an option. If you have to rely solely on yourself and what you can do, you have to invest a bit more cash in trying to get from A to B without breaking down in the p155ing rain and dark and force 7-9 gales

GDB2222

PasturesNew wrote: »

When it's come to the olds in the past year, after every interaction/event/phone call I've emailed my siblings a full note. Who called, why, their name, what they said, etc. And a good clear title to the email.

These have become invaluable now as several complaints have been put in and my sibling dealing with all of that had proper notes/dates - and even discovered stuff they'd forgotten about.

I created the emails to create a trail, as well as to inform siblings what was going on.

Did you get your mum to make a lasting power of attorney, or is she still fit enough mentally to do that?

PasturesNew

GDB2222 wrote: »

Did you get your mum to make a lasting power of attorney, or is she still fit enough mentally to do that?

Did it all. Took her in when we did the wills, also needed a Deed of Variation on the Land Registry. All that lot was sorted out just prior to all the marbles falling to the floor.

So I have full, registered status etc and my own cheque book and card.

It also looks like I've somehow managed to be the sole signatory for the house sale, although no idea how that's happened... I just do what the solicitor tells me.

The old now fluctuates between knowing what's going on - and hallucinating - and has weekly health issues, and some falls. The old can't actually even choose food now.... or make any decisions.

Wheezy_2

In my 27 year driving 'career', I had 6 cars, none of them were new, and paid approx. £21K for them. I think that's very MSE

Of those 6,
- crashed one (total loss)
- one got stolen
- three came to the point where they needed major expense, and were wheeled off to the car cemetery.

SingleSue

In my 21 year driving career, I have had 8 cars, none new and paid £7761 for them.

Of those 8

3 sold on (Sierra, Cavalier and Passat)
1 scrapped to a local garage as too expensive to repair (Audi)
3 scrapped to a local scrappy, one as unecomical to repair, one multiple fuel leaks and the other complete non runner (Renault, Astra and Lada)
And one still being driven (Astra)

Worst purchase ever? The Lada, £100 and we did the grand total of 10 miles in it before it refused to run ever again.

Best purchase? Toss up between my very first car, the Renault, the Passat and my current car. The Renault went absolutely miles and was so comfortable to sit in but we did do a fair bit of repairs on it and we only had it for 2 years (did about 40k+ miles in it though in that time, not bad for £150!). The Passat cost us very little in repairs, sailed through the MOT every time, drove it for 4+ years but the initial purchase price was quite high in comparison. The Astra, well £461, 5 years motoring but not the most comfortable of seating.

zagubov

Best car was a nissan micra that I got almost 20 years ago; turned on a sixpence, very nippy, created a whole extra lane. it was very economical, and like Dr Who's TARDIS.

Seemed bigger inside than out (carried fireplaces to the tip, fridge freezers, etc.) It only sipped the petrol; never seemed to be refueling it (I reckoned when the tank was empty you'd get another 50 miles from the fumes of an oily rag waved over the engine).

Could park it in small spaces too very important living/working in London.
Oh yeah and not such a smart-looking car that anyone would want to nick it either.

Downside was how everybody thought they should overtake it on the motorway, no matter how fast it was going.

mystic_trev

silvercar wrote: »

In theory I buy nearly new ex-demo's and trade them in after say 5years with really low mileage.

In practice there never seens to be an ex-demo available and twice I have been tempted to buy new having fallen for the car.

After a couple of expensive new Mercs, I saw the MSE light! My current car is an ex Motability Peugeot 307 I bought it at a BCA Auction in 2008. Ten months old and under 8,000 miles and bought for less than half the new price, plus it had over two years warranty remaining. It only needs servicing every two years,has cost me very little apart from one major service and new tyres. :j

lostinrates

I miss my 2cv. I loved it. In retrospect i don't know how my parenta let me out in a car made of tin foil...but....it was superb and i would love another! Which i hadn't let it go, they are worth a small fortune now!

Do not love nor hate the freelander. Gives me more hassle than i would like and is more fuel hungry than the old defender...which was a shock, for a newer less powerful car. Cruising revs are high, and yet has little ooomph. Would not buy another, but only other if we could find something more suitable. Dh said at the weekend next time, between defender and freelander he would go defender no hesitation........i suggested something non landrover and a bit more lux if we still need a big car.

Really, our needs are so disparate that two cars would be better. Soon i will have the freedom to nip in to Town with a capitol T again...but the freelander is not a nip in to london type car.....