Our car has died - what to do now?

mattyprice4004

I bought a 2002 diesel car with MOT and Tax for £450 - you don't need thousands to find a decent car.

Ask a car-literate mate or family member to point you in the direction of some bargains.

jase1

TrickyWicky wrote: »

If you can't afford much then an old ford mondeo would probably be a good bet - ford engines and boxes are known for being like duracell batteries. They keep going and going and going and going and...

Errr, no.

The Mazda and Yamaha engines in newer Fords are known to be long-lasting. The older Fords were a disgrace... as the OP has found out.

The Peugeot diesels are somewhere in the middle... fundamentally solid but prone to many faults along the way.

forgotmyname

MK3 mondeo. Petrol engines great, Few issues that need to be sorted before they cause problems. But after that mile after mile of trouble free motoring.

Diesels. Sometimes the same, But sometimes the minor issues cost more than its worth. Ex lease and one owner = yes. Last owner a short time or several owner changes recently = no.

Brakes are a sticky issue. Common across the range.

On the + side. They are cheap...

Destination_..._?

I'm not sure , I would spend that kind of money or advise op to do it . The reason is , op stated car no longer suited for her family and belongings to small for it. And wouldn't replace it , with a similar one . So , is it good advice for op to spend lots of money on this car . Or better , find an another car best suited to their needs now. Makes no sense repairing this if op decides later , different car required.

Catriona_P

Thanks for all the responses guys, fascinating reading as I'm not that knowledgable about cars.

We decided to go for fixing it in the end, since it was cheaper in the short term, better the devil you know etc. It's been an expensive month or so for us too (fridge packed up today for example!) so we'll keep it going until the next big thing goes on it. We've managed with it as a family unit for 2 years so a bit longer won't hurt, but we will look to replace it before too long.

mattyprice4004

Glad you got it sorted, always like a happy ending.

I needed a bigger car for my family, so picked this up yesterday:


£500, it's just had a new clutch fitted and runs like a dream. Built in sat nav is interesting too, although having a Cockney woman shouting at me all the way home for taking my own route wasn't that great.

Bargains are out there, take this as a warning to get a bit extra to one side for when it's time to upgrade.

TrickyWicky

How long ago did Rover go bust?

That spare parts mountain must be dwindling by now.