Think i need a new car :(

spadoosh

Hi all after a bit of advice regarding my situation.

Just put my car in for its MOT knowing full well it would fail, facct of the matter is it didnt even get that far. Its a 53 plate ford focus about 75000 miles on the clock. Anyway the crankshaft is rogered and looking like a new engine or major expenditure getting the old one out and fitting a new one. The mechanic said anything between £800 and £1400 (garage have always been fair so assuming this is). The car i think is only worth £1500 give or take so was thinking not much point in putting that much in it to find out it fails on MOT and cost another couple hundred quid.

So my plan is to get a £500 runabout taxed and tested to do me for this year while the funds are a bit short. I could afford finance but not liking the idea of paying over 3 years and chances are probably wont get interest free.

Just want to know if there are any other options available, wether im wasting my time buying a £500 car (likely to be a bit of a banger)
All advice ideas are welcome.

I probably don't need a car but will be massively inconvenienced without it and will have to get taxis to work on a few occasions everyweek due to lack of public transport. So ideally i do need a car, so to be more specific advice and ideas are welcome aslong as you dont say 'don't have a car' im aware of that option and looking to avoid it!!

jaydeeuk1

spadoosh wrote: »

Hi all after a bit of advice regarding my situation.

Just put my car in for its MOT knowing full well it would fail, facct of the matter is it didnt even get that far. Its a 53 plate ford focus about 75000 miles on the clock. Anyway the crankshaft is rogered and looking like a new engine or major expenditure getting the old one out and fitting a new one. The mechanic said anything between £800 and £1400 (garage have always been fair so assuming this is). The car i think is only worth £1500 give or take so was thinking not much point in putting that much in it to find out it fails on MOT and cost another couple hundred quid.

So my plan is to get a £500 runabout taxed and tested to do me for this year while the funds are a bit short. I could afford finance but not liking the idea of paying over 3 years and chances are probably wont get interest free.

Just want to know if there are any other options available, wether im wasting my time buying a £500 car (likely to be a bit of a banger)
All advice ideas are welcome.

I probably don't need a car but will be massively inconvenienced without it and will have to get taxis to work on a few occasions everyweek due to lack of public transport. So ideally i do need a car, so to be more specific advice and ideas are welcome aslong as you dont say 'don't have a car' im aware of that option and looking to avoid it!!

What do you get for your £800 - £1400? They recon your existing engine? Has the mechanic not suggested sourcing an engine from elsewhere and fitting that?

Its a toughie, that £500 banger could blow up 3 months down the line, leaving you in a worse position. If you can get the repairs done to your car at the £800 mark, and the mechanic believes the rest of it isn't about to fall apart, then its better value to keep existing car going. Obv no guarantees about the replacement or recon engine exploding 4 months down the line - don't garages tend to warranty recon engines for 3 months as they can't guarantee the state of it without taking it to bits?

spadoosh

Thanx for the reply

The £800 - £1400 was a ballpark figure. He said he had just done a crankshaft job on a cmax which would be a bit more in labour but similar job and it cost £1400 he mentioned a recon'd engine which ive got in my head are anything from £500 to £1500+ so thinking the very cheapest it will be is £800. Sorry worded it badly in the first post he said the £1400 max (for crankshaft) and i thought the very very cheapest a fitted recon'd engine would be £800.

Thats it there nothing to say i get all this done then something else goes on the car. Its hard to weigh up the options no matter what i decided though chances are its going to be the most costly option. Dont have a good history with cars this will be the 5th one in as many years. this was supposed to be the more reliable long term option, haha!

Think i just drive in such a way that brakes cars, maybe i shouldnt have one!!

jaydeeuk1

Get an old 80's diesel hatch next time, every problem can be fixed with a hammer, a screw driver and a can of WD40

Do you buy these cars privately or from dealers out of interest?

ColinFishwick

From my own experience and yes I use to buy cars at least 6 years old, I always had to spend money on it after a short time. It might well be devil you know then the devil you dont. Of course you might struck lucky but there is always a risk even if newish cars

spadoosh

jaydeeuk1 wrote: »

Get an old 80's diesel hatch next time, every problem can be fixed with a hammer, a screw driver and a can of WD40

Do you buy these cars privately or from dealers out of interest?

Bit of both really, the focus was from a dealer (2nd hand tho)

Would like to learn more about mechanics, knowledge is nothing at the moment but i dream to one day build a locost racer/ road legal version, so anything thats easy to tinker with would be great and help me learn a bit so long as its not too easy to screw it up.

Would like an mk1 mx-5 but think there a bit more than im hoping to pay at the moment.

colino

Don't deal much with Foci but surprised, unless its been run sump dry, that it is goosed at that mileage. Good thing about Fords though that every back-street mechanic can fix them and there are plenty of them in the breakers. I'd get an independent garage to diagnose and if the engine really is finished, get a couple of quotes, not estimates, for a second hand, turn-key replacement.

Wayne3765

I'd take the advice above and get another garage to confirm the engine is on it's way out.

I had an mot a couple of years back and the tester said my crank was gone as it was rattling like mad , I knew though that what he could hear was the bearing in the alternator belt tensioner roller.

It turned out to be a cheap and easy fix as I found one on Ebay for £15 and it took around 20 minutes to change..... lot less hastle than changing a crankshaft etc

spadoosh

Ive been going to the garage for 5 years, and theyve literally got the best reviews round here, no one has a bad word to say about them, it could be a one off so will check it out but never known them to create work. He even rang me before he did the MOT to say its probably not worth bothering with the MOT, they do seem really genuine guys.

Had a look on tinternet at a few recon'd engines and looks like you can get it for about £1000 fitted

jaydeeuk1

I presume theres more than one mech at the garage, just ask if you could have another opinion as its a lot of money to be spent. If they're as good a garage as you say, they'll have no problem with it.

Or if you do take it elsewhere, don't say the first garage reckons its xyz, just ask for a diagnosis.

TrickyWicky

jaydeeuk1 wrote: »

I presume theres more than one mech at the garage, just ask if you could have another opinion as its a lot of money to be spent. If they're as good a garage as you say, they'll have no problem with it.

I wouldn't. Thats as good as saying "I don't believe you" and that could damage the ops relationship with them.

If they're as good as the op says, the diagnosis won't be wrong and its not worth asking them to rediagnose a fault that they've already firmly diagnosed. It'll just wind them up.

@Op: You need to scout around for an engine. Save yourself the hassle of having the existing lump fixed as it's probably too far gone. Find yourself another engine, get the cambelt, water pump and rollers done and then get it installed. If you like the car keep it, if you don't.. at least be honest as to why you're selling it.

Also look on ebay aswell as the local scrapsters. It might take a while but eventually you'll find an engine at a good price.