Owning a car - Vicious circle of debt - need advice

hedgesparrow

I deliberated over which forum section to put this in but decided the problem is more on the debt side than the motoring side!

I have always had cheap cars (£400 is the most I've ever paid) but I am in a recurring rut of trying to save up for a better one but end up paying for expensive garage bills that rob my car fund.

I'm in debt and trying to get out of it so really don't want a car loan. There is no public transport that can get me to my 9 to 5 job before 1pm in the area I live, no-one in my small workplace lives where I live. In between cars I tried cycling for 6 months but I got ill and a 20 mile cycle round trip (up hills) when you're ill is no joke. Also, that was over the summer and am worried if I ever had to do it in the dark I would get crushed like a bug. Also my work mentioned it in my performance review about me being tired from cycling each day and basically hinted loudly they weren't happy about it.

I know I'm moaning but I also know that all my debt repayments will be reversed in October when my car fails it's MOT and I have to choose whether to pay up for repairs or buy another cheap car.

I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this problem. Anyone know a way out of the vicious circle?

ghostmadlittlemiss

I've PMed you with an idea.
Kayleigh

dancingfairy

It sounds like you're doing the right sort of things to be honest. At least you are not adding to your debt. Are you getting the cars checked over before you buy them to check they are not likely to need loads of repairs (well as much as you can?).
Are you getting the repairs done in a reputable (but hopefully cheap) place?
Is there anything that you can do to help cut the repair bills? ie checking tyre pressue when getting fuel, checking water leves in radiator etc etc? Any repairs you can do at home with a basic car maintenance book?
Not sure there's much else you can do but keep plodding.
Best of Luck
df

tonyE1

If it was me I would get a small moped. They can do up to 100 mpg, cheap to insure/tax and maintain. I'm sure you would save enough to be able to buy a nice car sooner than you think.

hedgesparrow

Thanks for the responses everyone.

Hmm... the moped is an interesting idea. I quite like the sound of that. I have never ridden one but might see if I can find any aquaintance who has one so I can try it out and see if I could cope with it. Would I need to take a motorcycle test to drive one of these?

dancing fairy - we have a reliable garage but they are not particularly cheap. Most people in this rural area use them. I probably could take better care of my cars - it's something I need to build into my routine. Welding seems to be the main issue with every car I have owned.

ILW

I would second the moped idea.
You will need a CBT but that takes a day and costs around £100.00

YORKSHIRELASS

I feel for you. We are in the same position - no public transport and so a car is essential. We did borrow some money to get a reasonably decent car in the end but this car has got to last us at least another 2 years so that we can get the loan paid off.

I had a moped when I was in my late teens and it was great. It cost hardly anything to run and gave me the freedom to go to friends and work without relying on my parents. It was very easy to handle too. Not sure about the licence situation but its definitely worth doing some research.

Paige_Turner

I am in a very similar predicament and I still don't have a solution other than praying nothing else goes wrong with my car

Unfortunately I have to do an 80 mile round trip to work every day and my little old car is really struggling now. I have enough existing debt and really don't want any more, but my car is costing me far more than it's worth to keep getting it repaired (and adding to my credit card debt)

I have recently started a car share, but the agreement is we take week about and I still have a 40 mile round trip to get to my car sharer's hoouse (en route to work) so my car isn't getting that much of a rest.

I would consider a moped, but I'm not sure they are built for such mileage on a day to day basis?

JennyJenJen

Have you thought about moving closer to work or changing jobs to be closer to home? Easier said than done I know but worth considering!

DragonAK

Hi there,

Being a mechanic, car maintenance costs have never been a real worry for me.

While I can't see an easy option out of your problem, one thing that stuck out to me was "Welding seems to be the main issue with every car I have owned."

Assuming you are talking about rust, this is not something that happens suddenly and I'm pretty confident you could have forseen it at the time of purchase. Along with other things. There are some really good buying guides about on the net, but if you want any advice or pointers, feel free to PM me.

I have always bought a car with a solid/rust free shell over one that needs engine work, as I do not like chasing rust.

I needed a car urgently at the end of last year for around £500. I got a BMW 316 from a trader (I don't usually like to buy from traders) and it has been perfect ever since. Had a years MOT, and a couple of owners from new.

Mileage is a factor, but I also think about original value and build quality. a 1991 BMW 3 series was built to last, brand new probably costs between £20,000-£30,000 and was intended to do big miles. Whereas an old hatchback like a clio or something similar were never designed as motorway cars and probably cost £14,000 new.

You may find a clio with lower miles, but chances are it wont last as long. It is all relative.

There is only so much you can look for when buying second hand cars. A lot of it is luck, but you can make informed decisions. Always take someone else with you. Make sure it is someone who can talk you out of buying the car, if they know you are letting your heart decide over your head.

hedgesparrow

Thank you to everyone for your input.

ILW thanks for the CBT info - I will do some more research.

Yorkshire Lass - Good to hear more positives for the moped idea. I am going to be looking at this one in depth. I feel your pain regarding the general situation - I just wish public transport was better - I wouldn't need a car at all then!

Paige - Gosh, your journey sounds horrid, poor you! I wouldn't want to do that mileage on a moped either!

Jenny - I wasn't sure whether you were talking to me or Paige but for me, moving closer isn't an option. The area where I work is very expensive to buy houses (we are talking £300,000 for derelict 2 bed cottages with no electrics or windows!). The only reason I was able to buy a house as close as this was because of the recession and our mortgage is still pretty high. I love my job and don't want to change it. It is pretty specialised so I moved here for the job.

DragonAK - I definately DO need to find someone to come with me when I next buy anything. My husband and parents don't have a clue about cars but my friends husband might be able to help me. I have no idea how you can tell if there is rust hidden underneath. My current car looks like it has no rust (but it does!!) The reason I chose my last car was because it was a diesel. It is very fuel efficient compared to the previous one but the insurance is higher. I need to take all these things into consideration don't I!