Auction or not to auction

EdGasket

Avoid Auctions. Lots of threads on here about them. Just not worth the gamble or costs for a private buyer. You can't properly check them out and you can't afford to buy a dud.

sort_me_own_yard_out

Thank you for your opinions. As I said earlier out of the 7 years it is only the last 2 years it hasnt had a service the rest I have had done at a renault dealer as was the starter motor, the MOTs (until the last one) yes it has been neglected the last two years I have maintained it as far as if it needed something I fixed it. When the fan stopped working in December last year i was told it was either a quick fix or its a pig of a job aorund about £150. well the quick fix worked for a bit so its the pig of a job. so on top of the £380 for the cam belt and then what ever it will cost to sort the rattling vibration from under the car and the fuel and electric problem that is causing it to cut out in when slowing down at junctions or slow moving traffic, speed bumps etc it isnt going to be just £500 and it will be good as new. Money my dad isnt willing to put into a car that isnt worth a great deal if any more than what it will cost to fix. As for other peoples money. My dad has offered he did the same for my sister when her car got to the point of ploughing good money after bad into it stage. I have not gone cap in hand begging taking a pensioners last few pence off him.

i also stated early in the thread that i was now able to budget a set amount each month to go towards the service and MOT of a car as i did until two years ago. So whether i can persuade my dad to pay for the repairs and keep this on the road and I can start putting money away for an eventaulty or i go for the not so posh sounding PZAZ with a year warranty and 10k on the clock and keep up with that full service each year is the choice my dad will need to make.

At least I know that my original question has been answered. I wont be looking for an ex lease car at auction not when i know i can get a car with a year warranty still on it from a local dealer. It was never about my finacial siutation nor have I said that i should change my car every 6/7years nor was it about having a flash motor. I drive because I live rurally (20 mile form the supermarket, 9 mile from my oldest childs school etc) and I didnt start to drive until my marriage broke down.

Thanks for all your input

OddballJamie

What's wrong with the Sandero, it sounds perfect for your needs.
£6k brand new, then trade yours to pay for the extended warranty on it and a stereo.

sort_me_own_yard_out

OddballJamie wrote: »

What's wrong with the Sandero, it sounds perfect for your needs.
£6k brand new, then trade yours to pay for the extended warranty on it and a stereo.

if it has a boot space the same or no smaller than the megane nothing would be wrong with it what so ever and having a quick look on the website it comes with a stereo, complete with aux so i can plug an ipod into it!!

jase1

Stereos aren't exactly expensive anyway. Aldi and Lidl routinely do special deals on MP3 play everything wonders which, although tacky-looking, sound better than the vast majority of factory-fit head units, and cost £30.

OddballJamie

jase1 wrote: »

Stereos aren't exactly expensive anyway. Aldi and Lidl routinely do special deals on MP3 play everything wonders which, although tacky-looking, sound better than the vast majority of factory-fit head units, and cost £30.

Halfords had some branded ones in £29.99 so no need to buy one from a supermarket.

jase1

OddballJamie wrote: »

Halfords had some branded ones in £29.99 so no need to buy one from a supermarket.

Even better

Blackjack_Davy

sort_me_own_yard_out wrote: »

my megane has served me very well indeed. new starter motor is all that has failed on it in the past. This january it needed new tracking rods and discs and pads for its MOT. it has been a work horse. I had a dealer service each year until its last service 2 years ago. but now its starting to fall apart!

New discs and pads is hardly "falling apart"

its called Regular Maintenance.

jase1 wrote: »

Always amazes me when people start talking about 6/7 year old cars as if they are reaching end of life.

My second car is an 11 year old Mitsubishi, and I have to say that I'll be disappointed if it isn't good for another three years.

By a back-of-a-fag-packet calculation, that should mean that your Megane is only about half-way through its life. Just put the £500 or so it needs into it and stop worrying!

I have a 13 year old Fiesta with 80k on the clock! Still going strong! But then it gets regular maintenance something the OP is apparently unfamilier with.

Avoid auctions like the plague, speaking from personal experience the only reason (well, the main reason at anyrate) to sell at auction is to get rid of car that looks fine but is a junkheap under the bonnet that costs more to fix than is worth. If you buy from an dealer and its a deathtrap you go to the dealer and get it fixed or get a refund, if you buy at auction, nada, zilch, nothing. You're stuck with it. End of story.

sort_me_own_yard_out

Blackjack_Davy wrote: »

New discs and pads is hardly "falling apart"

its called Regular Maintenance.

I never said discs and pads are falling apart I said I had them done in January for my MOT along with tracking rods, It is now falling apart!

I do maintain my car other than it hasnt had a full service in 2 years. but I now have a list thats growing of the things that are failing , going wrong and the biggi the cam belt which i KNOW is stupid, i know the risks but have not had the funds to do it.

sort_me_own_yard_out

Blackjack_Davy wrote: »

I have a 13 year old Fiesta with 80k on the clock! Still going strong! But then it gets regular maintenance something the OP is apparently unfamilier with.

Avoid auctions like the plague, speaking from personal experience the only reason (well, the main reason at anyrate) to sell at auction is to get rid of car that looks fine but is a junkheap under the bonnet that costs more to fix than is worth. If you buy from an dealer and its a deathtrap you go to the dealer and get it fixed or get a refund, if you buy at auction, nada, zilch, nothing. You're stuck with it. End of story.

I am completly aware of maintaining my car had you of read you would see i have maintained it until the last two years and in them two years replaced and fixed things that i have gone wrong along the way.

You will also see that yes my car is younger than yours but I obviously do double the mileage. Yours is 13 years old at 80k average of just over 6k a year mine is 7 yr old and on 89k averaging just over 12.5k a year and now recently increased to around 15k a year.

but thanks for your advice on auctions I had decided not to go down that route