Problems with car

stephg20

AdrianC wrote: »

There is the option of entering into a lease or finance agreement, of course.

Apart from that, you are just going to have to accept that older cars cost money to keep healthy. It's always been the case, it will always be the case. There is an old adage that there is no such thing as a cheap car - and it's as true now as it's ever been.

I know that an older car will cost more money. Its just when do you know when to stop ploughing money into it or get the next thing fixed and hope that will be it. I wasn't complaining about what happened, its just getting to the point where I'm using credit to cover the repairs and then something else is going wrong and I'm worried I'm digging myself a bit of a hole.

Then again if I decide enough is enough and scrap it and buy another one will I have the same problems?

Its a difficult one but I've got some good advice. Think I might try and sell it as spares and repairs and look for something a bit younger.

LandyAndy

stephg20 wrote: »

I know that an older car will cost more money. Its just when do you know when to stop ploughing money into it or get the next thing fixed and hope that will be it. I wasn't complaining about what happened, its just getting to the point where I'm using credit to cover the repairs and then something else is going wrong and I'm worried I'm digging myself a bit of a hole.

Then again if I decide enough is enough and scrap it and buy another one will I have the same problems?

Its a difficult one but I've got some good advice. Think I might try and sell it as spares and repairs and look for something a bit younger.

Maybe you simply don't have enough earnings/savings to own a car at all?


What did you do for transport before you bought it? can you go back to that?

stephg20

LandyAndy wrote: »

Maybe you simply don't have enough earnings/savings to own a car at all?


What did you do for transport before you bought it? can you go back to that?

I got the bus but I work in the NHS so with the shift work it was getting difficult to get the bus back at certain times and I had to get taxis which was very expensive.

Also I'm a single mother so when I'm at work in the evenings and weekends my parents look after her and in the car I can be back in 20 mins, on a bus because where I work is quite secluded it could take 90mins - 2hrs sometimes which put extra strain on my parents. My dad would come and pick me up sometimes and take me shopping etc which was more petrol for him and more hassle.

Things are just tight atm because I got the loan for 3 years to buy this car I thought this car would be fine for 3 years and then when I'm not paying the loan anymore I could get a credit agreement to get a younger car. With me still having 2+ years of this loan left and its looking like I'm going to have to replace this car its going to be difficult. If i had to I'd go back to buses but its much easier for everyone if I can drive. I don't like putting the extra pressure on my parents because they already do so much for me I'm just in a lose lose position really.

iolanthe07

Have you thought about an electric bike or a regular moped or scooter? If your commute is too far, this might be a way forward.

EdGasketTheSecond

iolanthe07 wrote: »

Have you thought about an electric bike or a regular moped or scooter? If your commute is too far, this might be a way forward.

Not very safe for a mum to be using regularly in my opinion. Think Steph was unlucky with the car; all my cars have been under a grand and most have been pretty good for at least a few years though I do know what to look for and can maintain them.

System

stephg20 wrote: »

I know that an older car will cost more money. Its just when do you know when to stop ploughing money into it or get the next thing fixed and hope that will be it.

When the bodywork has failed because of corrosion to the point it has big holes in or has structural failure. Until that point its always worth repairing, even if you have to spend £1000 on a replacement engine or a gearbox quite simply because the only way you can really guarantee to have fault free motoring is to buy new or nearly new and the depreciation of your nearly new or new car will be measured in £1000s a year. So because of the cost of depreciation alone there is almost no point it isn't worth repairing your existing car. And once you've done those big bill repairs you're very unlikely to need to do them again in the lifetime of the car.

In the USA they recognise this which is why they'll quite happily sink a couple of thousand dollars into a 15 year old car for a replacement gearbox for example.

its just getting to the point where I'm using credit to cover the repairs and then something else is going wrong and I'm worried I'm digging myself a bit of a hole.

And you think getting £5000-£10000 of credit is going to be a better thing to do and not be digging yourself a bigger hole? I bet you've not had to do those repairs you've had done again have you? And you're not likely to for the lifetime of the car unless its things like brake pads, discs, tyres etc which you'd end up having to do on any car as they're consumable items.

stephg20

Tarambor wrote: »

When the bodywork has failed because of corrosion to the point it has big holes in or has structural failure. Until that point its always worth repairing, even if you have to spend £1000 on a replacement engine or a gearbox quite simply because the only way you can really guarantee to have fault free motoring is to buy new or nearly new and the depreciation of your nearly new or new car will be measured in £1000s a year. So because of the cost of depreciation alone there is almost no point it isn't worth repairing your existing car. And once you've done those big bill repairs you're very unlikely to need to do them again in the lifetime of the car.

In the USA they recognise this which is why they'll quite happily sink a couple of thousand dollars into a 15 year old car for a replacement gearbox for example.


And you think getting £5000-£10000 of credit is going to be a better thing to do and not be digging yourself a bigger hole? I bet you've not had to do those repairs you've had done again have you? And you're not likely to for the lifetime of the car unless its things like brake pads, discs, tyres etc which you'd end up having to do on any car as they're consumable items.

I had five oil leaks fixed on the car back last November and the car is either still leaking or burning oil. I haven't had to have anything 'big' fixed on it don't get me wrong buts its the fact it keeps breaking down and I'm being late for work because of it.

I'm not thinking of getting a new car, I'm just thinking about getting another second hand car and hopefully it will be abit more reliable.

EdGasketTheSecond

Well get a Hyundai, Honda, or Toyota if you want something reliable. My Hyundai has done 175K miles and I have never needed to replace coil packs or injectors; or in fact anything apart from the clutch once as my wife uses it for health-visiting and it gets a lot of hard use around town, stop start, parking, speed bumps. Of course I have had to do usual servicing oil, filters, brake pads and front discs once.

n217970

Before you go out and spend more money on another car it may be worth trying an "Italian tune up" - essentially a right good thrashing. Take it up to the red line setting off from junctions, be a chav etc.

It might just clear the engine out a bit and fix some of the recuring problems. Might make it worse mind - do so at your own risk.

The biggest problem you have is the Vauxhall badge on the front. Years ago I had a then 10 year old Astra and it was far and away the worse car I have ever owned (and I've owned Peugeots!). Couldn't trust it to get off the drive without breaking down at one point. I suspect it was just as rubbish the day it was built. Cue a load of objections from Vauxhall owners unwilling to admit they bought the wrong car...

They key to buying old cars is buying ones that were expensive when new, although that usually means higher running costs.

Edit: Oh and you need to be prepared to write them off with little warning.