Can I sell a car with a blown head gasket?

koselur

Hi all

Looking for advice as I know little to nothing about cars!

Bit of background first - I have a Y reg Vauxhall Agila - paid £475 for it last year and it has been brilliant. Took it in for a service about 6 weeks ago and mechanic broke the sad news that the head gasket is blown. Didn't bother with costly repairs as mechanic said it would make more sense to put the money towards a new car. It still runs (and to be honest I can't tell the difference...) and I have been driving it around town with no issues - but haven't taken it on any longer journeys as per mechanics advice.

My OH who I share the car with is going on tour with his band in a few weeks so the time has come to replace the car as it isn't reliable enough to drive all over Scotland! Think we will be getting another Agila as we love it so much.

My question is - can I sell the old car and if so how? It has about 60k on the clock and cosmetically a few dings etc but nothing major. Tyres are in good nick but we were thinking of probably switching them with the new car if it's worthwhile to do so.

Edited to add: in case it isn't clear I'm not trying to rip anyone off, I would be clear that the car is broken! Am more thinking someone who knows their stuff could get it going again or strip it for parts maybe?

colino

You really should get the car looked over by another garage, cars with HGF tend not to be able to driven for 6 weeks without problems.

Dan-Dan

6 weeks driven with a blown head gasket?

Strider590

Forget market value, the car is worth what it would cost to replace....

Still think it's not worth getting fixed?

If it's in otherwise good condition and reliable, another car could potentially end up racking up huge repair bills.

koselur

colino wrote: »

You really should get the car looked over by another garage, cars with HGF tend not to be able to driven for 6 weeks without problems.

Really?!?! The plot thickens!

koselur

Strider590 wrote: »

Forget market value, the car is worth what it would cost to replace....

Still think it's not worth getting fixed?

If it's in otherwise good condition and reliable, another car could potentially end up racking up huge repair bills.

Well the repairs would end up costing more than I paid for it.... but I do see your point. The mechanic advised me not to bother with getting it fixed (he quoted me around £700 to replace the head gasket and fix some related problems).

But if the good people of MSE think it could be saved then I will look into it! I love the car so would be really sad to see it go... Just thought this kind of thing was a death sentence on an old car (shows what I know!)

Dan-Dan

You need a second opinion , its unlikely you can drive around a car with a blown head gasket for 6 weeks , without knowing about it

koselur

Dan-Dan wrote: »

You need a second opinion , its unlikely you can drive around a car with a blown head gasket for 6 weeks , without knowing about it

Will do - thanks so much for the advice I'll post back once I've found out.

Strider590

koselur wrote: »

Just thought this kind of thing was a death sentence on an old car (shows what I know!)

You have to be sensible, but really it's only a "death sentence" if you subscribe to consumerism and "throw away society".

Another car of a similar age will most likely need expensive repairs too, while a new(ish) car will either cost you capital/savings or (on finance) it'll add £150-£300 a month to your normal bills...... So you have to look at what the current car is costing you, my guess it's costing nothing beyond normal running costs.

Most of the time "it's not worth repairing" roughly translates to "I need an excuse to buy another car".

But like I say, you have to be realistic and sensible. Take into consideration all the facts and then make the right decision for you.

Dan-Dan

strider590 wrote: »

you have to be sensible, but really it's only a "death sentence" if you subscribe to consumerism and "throw away society".

Another car of a similar age will most likely need expensive repairs too, while a new(ish) car will either cost you capital/savings or (on finance) it'll add £150-£300 a month to your normal bills...... So you have to look at what the current car is costing you, my guess it's costing nothing beyond normal running costs.

most of the time "it's not worth repairing" roughly translates to "i need an excuse to buy another car".

but like i say, you have to be realistic and sensible. Take into consideration all the facts and then make the right decision for you.

absolutely spot on!!!

koselur

Strider590 wrote: »

You have to be sensible, but really it's only a "death sentence" if you subscribe to consumerism and "throw away society".

Another car of a similar age will most likely need expensive repairs too, while a new(ish) car will either cost you capital/savings or (on finance) it'll add £150-£300 a month to your normal bills...... So you have to look at what the current car is costing you, my guess it's costing nothing beyond normal running costs.

Most of the time "it's not worth repairing" roughly translates to "I need an excuse to buy another car".

But like I say, you have to be realistic and sensible. Take into consideration all the facts and then make the right decision for you.

Thanks for the advice! I don't think I'm looking for an excuse to buy a new car (athough maybe subconsciously....) but you're right in thinking I would be getting another one of similar age (ok, maybe a bit newer, but probably no more recent than 06). I've not got much savings and I'm trying to get debt-free so anything newer is not an option!

I'm glad I posted on here as like I said I really know very little/nothing about cars and just listen to the advice of my mechanic (yes I know I'm a sucker) or my dad.

I will get a second opinion and re-think getting the repairs done.

Is it likely that once repaired the car will be just as reliable as another one of comparable age/mileage? Or will there be other related problems down the line?