Keep & repair or sell?

catoutthebag

I always buy 7-10 year old cars.
My civic has just had a £100+ annual service.

It needs some work doing now and in the future.

I've got rough prices from another cheaper garage I've used.

The shock absorbers are leaking and basically they all need changing even though it's the front ones. With labour and parts £280~. Clutch slipping with labour and parts to replace ~£300.

Later down thd line, the brake pads will need doing and new tyres, I'm sure that's circa £400 with decent tyres.

Car is ten years old and average miles for age. I've only had it 6 months, mot was fine apart from couple advisories.

I'm not sure whether to sell at this point and buy something else or get suspension done now and soon after the clutch.

AdrianC

All four dampers need changing, because the front ones are leaking?

They're not a well-known national fast-fit tyre chain, by any chance? Because they're 'avin' a larf on that one.

jimjames

What were the MOT advisories? Any of those items?

Brakes and tyres are consumable items and would need doing on any car you own for a number of years. If the car is running well and reliable then surely it's worth keeping it on the road

catoutthebag

No not a chain.

The expensive garage who are very good and did my service said the clutch to replace and labour near £500.

The shock absorbers and something else can t remember the name were leaking so the suspension was on its last legs, labour and parts near £500.

Total £1000

Then in a few months time add on £400 for decent new tyres and pads.

My other cheaper garage quoted around £700-800 for the 2 major bits.

Maths doesn't work out as i paid just under 2k for the car.

I've bit the bullet and bought a mk5 2004 golf with lower than average miles, smaller engine + more economical, no mot advisories.

Bonus was a £300 insurance rebate for the changes to the policy

arcon5

Sounds like you wanted a new car tbh.
As unless there was stability issues they may have lasted a long time
Still, and changing all 4 seems unnecessary.

foxy-stoat

Your Golf will need shocks, brake pads, disks and tyres in the future, as will any car. I would start a savings account for car repairs and servicing so you do not have this dilema again.

catoutthebag

At the juncture it needs ALL that, I sell. That's the point of buying cheap cars at or under 2k, so that costs don't outweigh 50% of the sale price. I'm quids in and made another great strategic move.

Ps I didn't 'want' a new car - I don't get emotionally attached to them...

BeenThroughItAll

catoutthebag wrote: »

At the juncture it needs ALL that, I sell. That's the point of buying cheap cars at or under 2k, so that costs don't outweigh 50% of the sale price. I'm quids in and made another great strategic move.

Ps I didn't 'want' a new car - I don't get emotionally attached to them...

How are you 'quids in' if you've just gone out (mysteriously quickly) and bought a replacement car? Or did they pay you to take it away?

Prothet_of_Doom

Everything that is wrong with your car is a consumable. Fix them all and you will get another 100K out of it, if you continue to service it and treat it right.
Okay the brakes might need doing in 20K maybe, but if the rest of the car is good invest in it's future.
I'm all for practicing "durable car maintenance" - If the value of the car was £10K you'd think NOTHING of fixing it up, for £1000.

As an aside, the prices are a bit erm Salty

mgbglasgow

Cheap cars n new cars wear at same rate on all these things, but u can buy cars that run cheaper ie stay away from certain cars with certain traits, like dual mass flywheel failures, turbos going pop, etc. If i see a car advertised i do some research and there is often threads full of woes that can let u know what kills these cheap cars, often these woes are the current owners reason for selling too! My last car was 100 quid, with full service history , just because the price of all the parts killed it financially for the owner , u got to love Alfa Romeos lol. All fixed now and sweet. Never paid more than 1200 for a car......