So sad - thinking I have to wave bye bye to my car

squishy_2

It's a '53 VW Passat and has been pretty reliable since I bought it 4 years ago; pretty high mileage (180k) but has been serviced pretty regularly (not quite to VW spec, but almost), new cam belt last winter. The electric motor in driver's window has gone, so window is taped up (otherwise it slips down!) and now it's in the garage - went in because of strange brake issue/intermittent light and when they took it out to test it, having fixed it, a 'clattering' started.

Long story short(er) is that due to cam belt slipping, a piston has dropped and caused pretty significant engine damage; am owing garage £250 thus far for investigation, will cost another £1500 (best guess, could be up to 2K) to fix or replace with reconditioned engine.

Not sure that's a good plan at all as with window issue I can't sell it and who knows if this would be the start of a big money pit, so now considering getting rid of and seeing if we can do on one car for a short while as we just can't afford a 'new' car (can't really afford the £2k fix, that would have to go on a card) - it's been a lovely family wagon - does it sound like I'm making the right decision to say goodbye...?

custardy

IMO a 53 plate isn't worth putting that sort of money into
No idea on the situation of giving the garage a working car and getting a broken one back though
quick scoot on eBay shows a 53 plate with 135K n the clocks for £1850 for example
looking at completed listings,they go up from £950

squishy_2

I thought that, too regarding the amount of £ in - half that and I prob would have agreed as it would have been worth it to get another 6-12 months out of it.

Someone else (a garage owner) had said that there was some fault/responsibility on their part given that we drove it in there and now it can't move, but it's a tricky one and I don't think I have the confidence/knowledge to take it further.

custardy

squishy wrote: »

I thought that, too regarding the amount of £ in - half that and I prob would have agreed as it would have been worth it to get another 6-12 months out of it.

Someone else (a garage owner) had said that there was some fault/responsibility on their part given that we drove it in there and now it can't move, but it's a tricky one and I don't think I have the confidence/knowledge to take it further.

TBH I would think you are on a lower
however,perhaps look for an angle on getting a reduction/write off on the money due?

markelock

I'm in a similar position, although the car is slightly older (51 plate), but has done 160k. Recent cambelt change, now the power steering pump has gone. At your price I'd go elsewhere. However I'm going to keep mine and run it until something more substantial happens, better the devil you know...

Tobster86

To be honest, I'd price up replacement engines and get quotes from a few garages (well, I wouldn't get the quotes as I'd be changing it myself, but...).

There are probably several vehicles that could donate as they have the same range of engines, including Audi A3, A4 and A6, VW Golf, Skoda Octavia, etc.

Failing that, at a rough guess it ought to fetch £700+ on ebay as a non-runner.

Certainly don't scrap it; you'll get no where near it's value.

Tobster86

markelock wrote: »

I'm in a similar position, although the car is slightly older (51 plate), but has done 160k. Recent cambelt change, now the power steering pump has gone. At your price I'd go elsewhere. However I'm going to keep mine and run it until something more substantial happens, better the devil you know...

A power steering pump may not be a big job to change or replace. I got a recon one for my '97 BMW 3-series from GSF for £100 and it took just under two hours to replace including fluid change.

TrickyWicky

Tobster86 wrote: »

To be honest, I'd price up replacement engines and get quotes from a few garages (well, I wouldn't get the quotes as I'd be changing it myself, but...).

That was what I was thinking too. If you have the space, crane hire from some places is about £150 per weekend BUT you can buy them on ebay for less than £200 these days which means it pretty much pays for itself with one job and you get to keep it.

Having the space to do it is the biggest problem though. If you don't have a garage or at least your own drive space you're knackered. You can save a lot of money if you DIY but you also get the hassle too.

As another poster said, better the devil you know. If you like the car, get it fixed up on the cheap. You don't need a recon engine, just a second hand 'runner'. Recons are usually second hand but sold as 'recon' for a few extra quid OR with just a new cambelt fitted.

colino

Ideally you would source a replacement engine (write off perhaps) and Haynes in hand, take a leisurely weekend with a hired crane to rejuvenate the banger. However as you haven't attempted to fix the window, I guess that low cost solution is out and I'd ebay it and hope for the best. Remember with 180k under its belt, the rest of it is pretty much worn out too.

AlexisV

The problem is at 180k, something else major could go wrong a few months after you've fixed this issue.

Knowing when to walk away can be difficult, but something like this can make your decision very easy.

Time for the big scrapyard in the sky IMO.

TrickyWicky

colino wrote: »

Remember with 180k under its belt, the rest of it is pretty much worn out too.

Seriously? :eek: For all you know it could be a minter with JUST the broken window and engine. I know its unlikely but its always possible.

I had one with 130k on it (ok, not quite as much) and it was still good for many years. The only reason I broke it up was because it had a couple of jobs I couldn't do on it and i needed the parts for another identical car that was in even better condition. In the middle of winter with no shelter to do repairs for the MOT you can see what the logic was - Stripped to the chassis within 2 months