New car on DMP, how?

beckstar1975

We fear it will be uneconomic to fix the clutch and whatever else has gone in our 14year old car, but all the ones on Red Potato (our DMP is with pay plan) are so expensive.

We need a runaround to fit a family of 5 (not needed for work just to visit disabled mother and other family, shopping, kids activities, but how does one get the money to buy one? Credit or something else?
Our dfd is about 2 years so would rather just something to tide us over til then, as then we will have far more options.

Thanks

Rebecca

xHannahx

Pop over to the motoring section and have a read through the bangernomics thread.
Lots of people with stories of how succesful their sub £1000 car has been.
Many have paid even less. A good car can be picked up for less than £500 if you know what your looking for in an older car.

beckstar1975

Thank you, will do

ReadingTim

Suggest you actually find out how much it will cost to fix the current car, rather than simply worrying about it - only after that can you decide whether you need a new one, or simply want a new one...

NorthernMonkey1

I bought a BMW 318i for £1400 2 1/2 years ago, I've done 50,000 miles on it since then.

When buying older, stay away from diesel especially french diesels, they're more complicated and expensive to fix, stay away from anything french, and stay away from anything with overly complicated electronics or french electronics. Stay away from people carriers, they are owned by families with no cash, so are maintained on the minimum budget, and only sold when something is wrong with them. Especially french people carriers.

Look for a 90-100k focus, an older beemer, a petrol golf/octavia/leon, or anything older by toyota. Get an ODBC reader for £10 from ebay, learn how to change oil, spark plugs and filters.

4 or 5 year old cars are huge money pits, they're too expensive to throw away if something expensive goes wrong, and too old to have warranty. You either need to go new or old. Since new isn't an option, go old

beckstar1975

Thanks - we do need car so I will bear NorthernMonkey1's advice in mind - we were thinking of Focus as although we've currently got a massive Galaxy we could manage with a smaller car and many more available and in better nick.

And yes, hopefully can fix what we've got but as it's old the bottom is so rusty that mechanic isn't hopefully he can do what he needs without the whole lot crumbling away and then it really would be uneconomic to fix

beckstar1975

Oh and PS garage can't fit is in until Friday week so feel it is prudent to research options now, so can find whether it's worth spending money fixing what's wrong or getting a new car

zenshi

I had to laugh at northern monkeys analogy!!! I did everything you wouldn't!

Two years ago, I bought a 1998 diesel French people carrier that had done around 170K for £400. All I've needed to spend on it is two wheel bearings and a cam belt

It's still going strong

NorthernMonkey1

zenshi wrote: »

I had to laugh at northern monkeys analogy!!! I did everything you wouldn't!

Two years ago, I bought a 1998 diesel French people carrier that had done around 170K for £400. All I've needed to spend on it is two wheel bearings and a cam belt

It's still going strong

I'm guessing it's an based on the old megane platform, which was quite reliable, if a bit dull (but hey, no one buys a people carrier for its involving drive). The newer ones based on the megane with the bum were dreadful.

The older ones are a bit rarer now, but were much simpler, so lasted a long time.

You've been lucky with the turbo, they have a habit of breaking in an expensive way

zenshi

You are spot on

I bought it to get me from A to B and it doubling as a workhorse, nothing more....... I will have a nice car, one day :rotfl:

wiltsguy_2

got to agree with northern monkey! Old beemers! i have had many an E36(3 Series 91-98). I found the 318 & 318 very underpowered and drank more fuel, 320 & 323 were much better as have the straight 6 cyclinder lump. Used to get 35mpg+ average and never let me down.