car failed MOT HORRENDOUSLY- what now?

Quinny_2

Cut your losses,and scrap it,but if you do,make sure that you notify the DVLA,via your log book,that it's been scrapped.

Ken.

epz_2

dump it fast and dont look back, its a kick in the teeth but you live and learn, at least you wernt in an accident.

if you are concerend with safty or durability you are better steering away from dinky little motors wich will sit the engine on your lap in a headon, for £1300 you could have had an old e-class or bmw 5 series, even a 7 series if you have the space to park .

encap can do what they want physics and watching the 5th gear test proved to me that in a smash a big saloon car with 6 foot of bonnet is a much preferable place to be, the big brute would smack into cars rideup and deform the bonet a bit but most could drive away with no cabin deformation, the golfs etc were basicly crushed to the point of goodby all passengers.

if you give me your anyual milage, replacement budget, number of noclaims, family requirements etc ill be happy to tell you the type of car i would recomend. i cant say im the most sensible[1] but i can certianly stear you away from some obvious dogs you may consider.

[1] i used to commute to work on a 1liter 2 wheeled death machine and regard most modern car gadgets with discust but know a bit about good older cars.

dook_2

Hi epz,

I'm 21 so can't afford big engines/expensive insurance. I really want an old mini but now I'm a bit more concerned about safety so unsure. I'm not sure how much money I'll have to spend but it won't be a lot at all. 10,000 miles a year. Just me so no family requirements! Would like something small and as cheap as possible to run.

Any ideas? Thankyou.

epz_2

old minis are sylish but lethal, they wernt safe 30 years ago, add the effects of 100,000+ odd miles on an old chassie and the fact the average suv could probaly drive over it like a speedbump and i would rather have a sodding moped.

21 might be an issue but if you have had your licence over 2 years you can get classic insurance, i only had mine 1 year (im 27 though) but got offered £400 on my renewal, if i had been driving 2 years it would be £230 and thats on a 2liter mercedes 190e. i also got offered £400 for a 3000 mile limited policy on a 5.6 liter merc sec which is an autmotive work of art.

ill be honest, for low money the best deals are all on big saloons since younger poorer kids will always buy 15 year old corsas and sometimes pay more than bigger cars?

i grant you dinky little cars are better on petrol but the gradual saving on petrol and insurance is eaten by depreciation and the fact they fall to bits and need to be replaced earlyier.

it may be a no-go but i would get an autotrader and call round a whole buch of companies to see if its possible, dont be put off if the first few are high i was orignally quoted £1700 buy the first few agents.

at the £500 level you could get a saab 900 or merc 190e, the merc guzzels a bit more petrol but i love mine to bits, try for the 2 liter versions of both.

at the £750 mark you are getting to audi a6 teritory and possibly merc E classes, £1000 and you can find merc CE's and good eclasses/ 5series. the pillerless CE is way cool and all these big old german lumps of metal are immortal and my 17 year old merc is higher speced than my folks new car and just as reliable.

look at some photos of those models and tell me you seriously would prefer a more modern bland, dinky and dull cars.

KrisPringle

Dont get a mini if your concerned about safety, they are deathtraps.
For your budget i would recommend a Vauxhall Corsa 1.5 TD.
They are cheap to buy and run. They have an isuzu sourced turbo diesel engine which is highly reliable (mine had 149k on it when i sold it, i saw the car a year later still on the road). You could probably get a facelift one with the colour coded bumpers, airbags etc... for a shade over a grand.
Either that or maybe a seat ibiza. Both reliable cheap to buy/run cars.
Hope this is of help

Kris

GunJack

18 months ago I paid £450 for a P reg Seat Ibiza, last sep it cleared it's MoT no probs, 40+ to the galon, cheap tax and insurance.....wouldn't spend much more than that on a car ever...

blue_haddock

Even if you sell the vehicle to a scrap merchant they may well still sell the vehicle on as salvage - ie to be repaired and put back on the road so there is little point in you actually scrapping it. I do think that ebay as spares or repair is the best way forward to get a decent amount of cash for it.

As for the replacement this is where things get more difficult. I would totally disregard an old mini as if you thought your KA rusted badly you don't want to think about how badly mini's rust.

I wouldn't personally recommend an old BMW or Mercedes - yes you get a big car for not much cash but if anything goes wrong (and it will) you are looking at serious amounts of cash to sort it out.

When buying cars at this sort of price it is best not to get too fixed on one particular make or model - it is much better to have an idea of what you want and then just have a good lok round for something to come up that is suitable. As you don't really appear to be too clued up on cars and what to look for you really do need to take along somone with some mechanical knowledge to check it over.

dook_2

Now I know wanting a Mini is a bit ridiculous and it is the safety thing that's putting me off at the moment. But I am in love with them and a big fan of the design. I don't really travel long distances so it would just be for running around really. I think I'm trying to convince myself now.

I'll try sticking the car on ebay then, I was going to put all the things it failed on then anyone who takes it on would be fully aware of it's state, I'm hoping that's right.

epz- I like the saab, but I'm worried those big cars will just cost too much (repairs and petrol) especially as I travel lots of short distances. I have nearly 2 years no claims.

Blue haddock- I am definately taking someone with me this time. And I think your advice is sensible about looking for a good car that's suitable rather than a particular make or model.

Thankyou all for helping me, I am everso grateful.

oldbuffer

Just be thankful the MOT man found the problem BEFORE you had an accident in it.

highguyuk

dook wrote: »

I'll try sticking the car on ebay then, I was going to put all the things it failed on then anyone who takes it on would be fully aware of it's state, I'm hoping that's right.

I'd just put MOT failure to be honest - and then if anyone asks let them know.