SportKa MOT advisories question - oil leak

AliceBanned

Ok good advice. I'lk phone more garages tomorrow.

AliceBanned

I can't upgrade to homestart and have it taken to a garage this time but after this is sorted I will upgrade in case of future problems. It was only about £10 a year more and I didn't do it!


I've had a quote from www.clickmechanic.com though I have no idea about the mechanics as it is a search engine really. £403 for clutch replacement by a mobile mechanic, including recovery. Seems ok.


I will phone the last garage I went to later this morning- they gave me a car for a few days whilst mine was off the road. Just not sure as I may have to get it to them.

AliceBanned

Just an aside - people say things like 'weigh up the cost of repair against value of the car'. As though the value of the car is that simple. It depends on future costs which can't be known about, it also depends on how much it saves in public transport costs as opposed to not having a car (in my case rail fares which are expensive to get to work). There are so many variables.


I also have to apply for a credit union loan to keep my car on the road or get a new one and I don't want to borrow more than £500 so I guess my best bet is to get it fixed.

AliceBanned

Feel some relief in deciding to put it on an auction life for scrap value.


Decided that motoring is too expensive for me given that I can't repay my debts. I have increased my income by getting a bit of extra work and have a job interview for a higher paid job on Mon as well. So my finances will definitely pick up, but not if I keep paying out for car repairs, high cost road tax and high fuel costs which my Ka has.


I will only get £100 for it if lucky but given that I am saving around £500 in recovery and a new clutch, that is £600 I can have towards paying off debts instead and getting more positive about the future, then looking into getting another car when in a more settled state of mind. I feel it is the right decision because there are SportKas with 12 months' MOT for the price of a new clutch.


The stress factor (which I didn't used to have with it, but have since my debts increased) is another big aspect. I just can't afford motoring and may have to reassess for a while, and then decide on where I work/live and how I travel. I will always be a driver but I don't want to be such a stressed one and I don't want to be a poor one either, it's miserable.

Joe_Horner

Sorry to hear you've got to that point with it, Alice, but you know in yourself what's for the best.

It's quite possible that it doesn't need a new clutch but finding out is going to cost more in time, energy (and money) which - having made the decision - is probably better spent elsewhere.

Still, 18 months after some were telling you to scrap it and it's not dead yet - plus you're a lot better placed in terms of knowledge when you do go for another one, which is worth its weight in gold

AliceBanned

Thanks Joe. You and many others have been a great support and yes I have learnt a lot.


I don't feel I'm losing much by scrapping it because I can put that £500 I would have had to spend (according to all my quotes) towards another car or initially towards some debt repayment so that I am less stressed. It is not so much the car as the car combined with debt that is creeping back up, that worries me. Having said that, without the debt I would probably drive a newer car at this stage as it would seem sensible. I've had the Ka for four years and an old banger Fiesta bought for £350 for 3 years before that, so not done too badly.


Feel I'm getting a bit tired of these cars at the moment and want something a tiny bit more comfortable and sensible, just for a while, when I do go to buy again. Maybe a Polo or something. Or maybe a scooter, who knows.


Oh, I've PM'd you as well.

AliceBanned

Joe_Horner wrote: »

Sorry to hear you've got to that point with it, Alice, but you know in yourself what's for the best.

It's quite possible that it doesn't need a new clutch but finding out is going to cost more in time, energy (and money) which - having made the decision - is probably better spent elsewhere.

Still, 18 months after some were telling you to scrap it and it's not dead yet - plus you're a lot better placed in terms of knowledge when you do go for another one, which is worth its weight in gold

It won't go into gear at all and the clutch goes stiff and then hits the ground. It seems like a major problem. I can't see me getting it repaired for less than £400 which is quite a lot for me at the moment. If it happened in two months' time maybe not but I can't just keep on piling on the debt, it is too upsetting.


I spoke to a debt charity today and the lady said we are under so much pressure to buy property (as this has reduced my disposable income drastically so I have lost quality of life). It's hard to know where to make the changes and I am not even thinking straight but I can't cope with one more repair bill..I won't be able to go out much in the evenings as most of my social life is a few miles away, with no public transport after 8pm and minimal at any time, but on the other hand I feel a bit liberated by not having a car. It won't last long but I'm not in a great place psychologically so the car just does my head in..

Joe_Horner

PM seen and replied, thanks

I've included a couple of quick things to check that might make it a little easier to sell if they're mentioned in the listing

AliceBanned

To quote that great kitsch song from the 1970s..She's gone.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnVXIUyshng


Not that I was attached to my Ka or anything..:p

Joe_Horner

Sad day for the thread, but for the best in the long run.

Like in any relationship there can come a point where the aggravation leaves you resenting them & it's usually better to part on good terms before that happens