MOT, or cut my losses?

mcsharbo

Hi all

I was wondering if I could get some opinions on what others would do in my situation.

I have a 17 year old Ford Fiesta with 75k on the clock and the MOT is due on the 30th June. I had an exhaust check this week and the entire thing needs replacing at a cost of £140. There are also a few other bits that need doing (a slight fuel leak, will need new tyres in the near future and potentially the brakes might need looking at)

I am considering not having the MOT done and selling it for spares/repair and looking for something else however, I have a holiday booked for 9 weeks time so I am unable to afford anything else just yet.

I live close to a main bus route so I am considering relying on that for now for the sake of 9 weeks and looking for something when I get back. OR, do I just get the work done (even though it will more than likely cost more than the car is worth) and run the car for another year whilst looking for something else?

Any helpful opinions are appreciated!

roonaldo

I would get rid, your car is a banger now and it wont be cost effective to repair.

Joe_Horner

First question, who did the exhaust check? If it was a place with an interest in selling exhausts then it may not be quite as urgent as they suggest.

Tyres are going to come up on anything you buy and at least with new ones on your existing car you know they haven't been run underinflated / curbed within an inch of their lives, or had 20 million puncture repairs each.

Brakes likewise - they're service items and there's absolutely no guarantee that a "new" car will be in any better position than yours for them.

You also have lots of potential new problems with any replacement - just have a look on here for the number of "I bought a car and..." threads. If you're confident in your existing one apart from the issues you've raised then that's a big plus for it regardless of its book value.

So I'd suggest that the decision really comes down to just how bad is the exhaust? For an MOT it's fine as long as it's not falling off, there are no major leaks (bandaging them is allowed) and it's not clearly louder than expected for the type of car (never known one fail on that).

[Deleted User]

£140 is not much, and the new exhaust should last years. I wouldn't risk getting a new car that could easily have much more expensive work needed.


I would take it for its MOT at a council run MOT centre (as recommended on this website).


A slight fuel leak isn't a big deal if it's not enough to need topping up constantly, but check the oil level regularly.


Do you know when the cam/timing belt was last replaced (it's often around 75k)? This can be an expensive job on some cars, so may be worth ditching if it's due replacement soon - on the other hand, you could just not change the timing belt and be ready to scrap the car when it does go - it could last another 20k miles - you never know.

mcsharbo

I have it booked in with the council on Monday, I'm just deciding whether or not to go ahead with it. The exhaust check was done by a reputable local garage so no real interest in just flogging exhausts. The exhaust was bandaged last MOT and I was told it could last anywhere between 6 months and a few years and just to keep an eye on it.

I've had the car for 6 years and the cam/timing belt hasn't been done within that time.

I'm wondering if the best thing to do is put it through the MOT and see what the damage is and maybe weigh it up from there.

colino

Well done for keeping it on the road for so long. It has a list of things that need attention that you cannot do simply and cheaply yourself, so frankly unless you are very emotionally attached to it don't waste money on an MOT, real or council, get it on gumtree, or alternatively, don't weigh it up, weigh it in.

forgotmyname

A much newer car may need an exhaust, tyres and brake also.

Standard wear and tear items.

75k is nothing. Well serviced it should do that again.

MX5huggy

mcsharbo wrote: »

I'm wondering if the best thing to do is put it through the MOT and see what the damage is and maybe weigh it up from there.

That's what I would do, at the moment you don't really know what is wrong for £50 or so you will know and can make proper decisions.

espresso

mcsharbo wrote: »

I have it booked in with the council on Monday, I'm just deciding whether or not to go ahead with it. The exhaust check was done by a reputable local garage so no real interest in just flogging exhausts. The exhaust was bandaged last MOT and I was told it could last anywhere between 6 months and a few years and just to keep an eye on it.

I've had the car for 6 years and the cam/timing belt hasn't been done within that time.

I'm wondering if the best thing to do is put it through the MOT and see what the damage is and maybe weigh it up from there.

Because it hasn't got one, so one thing less to worry about.

colino

Why would you guess what engine is in this Fiesta, just as likely to have a zetec in it at that age? Great advice.

[Deleted User]

If you trust the garage I would get the exhaust done then take it for the MOT - obviously check all the lights, wipers, windscreen first (the stuff you can check yourself), and maybe take it to kwik-fit for their free brake check too. Check as many MOT things as you can for free before taking it there.


One thing you've not really gone into, is what you plan to replace this car with? Brand new and you'll lose far more than £140 in the 1st months depreciation, less than 3 years old and you'll lose way more in the first year of ownership. A 6 year old car is likely to have similar mileage and be due a new exhaust at some point, and you won't know it's history.


Seriously, I'd MOT the fiesta and then decide. If it's going to cost more than it's worth to fix, then scrap it and look for a £500 car with 6 months+ MOT left, or even consider keeping it and fixing if you trust the car.