Can't Afford Car?? Help

dj9928

I'll explain my situation first, I'm married, have 1 child and the other half is just about to pop again any day now.

I'm on min wage, the other half only works a few hours, we have a total income of about £370 pw. By the time we pay payplan and shopping we are lucky if we have £30 between us.

We never have any treats, I had been saving for a PC, I was doing well, had £250 saved, and that took a good 2-3 months to save, The wife then tells me she owes her brother £600 on finance on her car, We had to get it under her brothers name as neither me or her would get credit,

Now I don't drive, and the main reason is, I've never been able to afford lessons and I couldn't afford a car anyway, She pays the car, I pay the rest of the bills, but I now have to bale her out and it kills me as I had my heart set on a PC, My wife has no shame, Debts all well and good, but something I've learned from being in debt since 18 was, don't play so close to home.

We couldn't get money gathered up to buy a car at say £1000, and anyway the main problem is, we've had 3 cars in 3 years, once its up for MOT we can't afford to pay it so it goes back and we get another car, but we can't do this anymore as we've had to many cars.

It obvious we can not afford a car, but no car means no work as we live in the country, I'd have to set of at say 4am to walk the 10 mile to work.

What can we do?? My heads wrecked thinking about it.

black-saturn

Get rid of the car. I've been car free for years and I'm on an income half the size of yours with 2 children. Believe me you don't need it. It's amazing what you can do without one. Life won't stop and you will still get to all the places you need to go. The only difference is that you will have to forward plan a bit.

dj9928

black-saturn wrote: »

Get rid of the car. I've been car free for years and I'm on an income half the size of yours with 2 children. Believe me you don't need it. It's amazing what you can do without one. Life won't stop and you will still get to all the places you need to go. The only difference is that you will have to forward plan a bit.

I can't get to work without it, neither car she, Theres no one from work going my way, Believe me I have thought about it, but its not practical.

SSB

Ohhh, tricky. It's not ideal but could you get a bicycle from freecycle?

gingeremmie

Get a moped. That's what I've done. £15 tax a year. £2.50 fills the tank. Mine cost £300 from the free ads and it's an 05 reg so no MOT til next year either. Also cheap to fix if something goes wrong. Not much good for shopping but can get shopping delivered, but handy for work and you can beat all the queues.

You will have to do a CBT test first though unless you passed before 2001 I think it is when you can ride up to 50cc without a CBT. 50cc is a bit rubbish though, you'd be better with 125cc which you will need a CBT for. Think they're about 60 quid with your own bike, about 90-100 without.

black-saturn

In that case get a moped, push bike or get a lift.

chevalier

A bit extreme perhaps but can you move closer to work?
Are you getting working tax credit if you are on a low wage?
Could you or other half retrain to get a better job?

Have you posted a Statement of Affairs to see if there is any where you can cut back on. See southernscousers sticky at the top of the forum
chev

Andy_Edinburgh

Here's a well-put-together site about motoring on a budget:

http://bangernomics.tripod.com/

System

We bought a 'banger' for £500 with 12 months MOT and that is the key, to get the car with 12 months MOT. They are out there and mechanically it should be sound. My plan is to get 12 months out of it without having to spend any money on it.

milkydrink

If you don't drive it, but you do get lifts in it, you gotta help her pay for it.
You would have to help her anyway shes your wife, money is both of yours.
Now you both need a car for work (I live in the country, so I know what you mean).
The car you have, there is £600 left to pay?
Is it all due now?
Whens the MOT up?
Have you thought of getting the MOT at a council centre, I'm getting mine done there in a couple of weeks, no making up a list of repairs!!!
A car is more important than a PC, a PC won't give you a lift to work & allow you to earn a living:D .
Are you entitled to any benefits or tax credits?
Things will improve:D , its hard when kids are small & your wife cant work many hours & they need loads of stuff, but it will get easier:D

dj9928

kimevans wrote: »

If you don't drive it, but you do get lifts in it, you gotta help her pay for it.
You would have to help her anyway shes your wife, money is both of yours.
Now you both need a car for work (I live in the country, so I know what you mean).
The car you have, there is £600 left to pay?
Is it all due now?
Whens the MOT up?
Have you thought of getting the MOT at a council centre, I'm getting mine done there in a couple of weeks, no making up a list of repairs!!!
A car is more important than a PC, a PC won't give you a lift to work & allow you to earn a living:D .
Are you entitled to any benefits or tax credits?
Things will improve:D , its hard when kids are small & your wife cant work many hours & they need loads of stuff, but it will get easier:D

£600 behind, its £200 a month with 3 years left to pay. As for MOT her father is a mechanic so he does all the work for nothing, we get parts which we can't afford, its up for MOT in June, it has a chip in the windscreen so thats snookering us for a start.

She getting all the benefits she can get, she could work more hours but then she losses tax credit and we have child minders to pay, 6 or 1 half a dozen of the other.

A car may be more important than a PC but when I already pay all the bills (Including her debt) she could keep her part of the deal, but if I mention it, it ends in a fight so no point,

I've not treated myself to so much as a small chip from the chippy in3 months, everyone needs a some form of a treat now and again, (Hell this PC is a Pentium 1 over 11 years old)