Spend money or bin?

[sierraman]

Mrs sierraman has a fiesta mk4, going to want the following doing soon - by myself albeit

 

Tyres x 2 £80

Radiator - fitted £20

Brakes - £30

CV boot £10

a spare wheel and cradle £15

 

Question is should I bin it or should I spend the money and get it done?

 

Its done 116K, the body is OK, the sills have been welded in about 3 places, the arches have seen a bit of gobo but I've seen much worse. Oh and the sump nut is seized on by the cack handed previous owner. So running on 3 year old oil...

 

What ought I do?

[eddyramrod]

How much MoT is left on it?  If it's measurable with a stopwatch, fling it.  This is Autoshite, someone will have something you can take on that'll be much more fun.  If the ticket runs into next year, and she still likes driving it, do the jobs, then go and get a secondhand sump and bin the old one. 

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

That doesn't seem like a big repair list. You could always get one of those oil suckers if you care enough to change the oil. 

[sierraman]

MOT runs out March '14. My concern is going to be the welding by that point, we had the sills welded up at last test and the inners are on their way out.

 

Forgot the drop link wants doing as well, but that's neither here nor there in terms of cost...

[Cavcraft]

£80 for two tyres? Get some part worns for a tenner each or whatever and save a few quid. 

[fordperv]

_{that doesn't seem an exhaustive list, as with the sump nut have you tried rounded nut removers??? (that's if it has been rounded off trying to remove) also if its an old pushrod engine the sumps are pennies new (I paid bout £30 the last one I bought) and a very easy job}

[purplebargeken]

Sump plug.... weld a bigger nut over it, unbolt and sorted. Possibly. Unless it all explodes and I will deny ever mentioning anything like that sort of thing. The rest of it is piddly. Second hand tyres for a tenner each is the way to go. I've had a few bloody good tyres for that kind of price or at worst £15 each. C'mon, autoshite up man and get it sorted.

[hairnet]

part worns all itll all be done for 75 quid

 

keep it if its not too rusty

[Station]

Use stilson wrench on sump nut. They're the plumbers ones, never failed to remove seized or rounded nut.

[meggersdog]

Part worns then it's what £75-100 for another eight months motoring

[Sigmund Fraud]

Difficult decision, I think.

 

If it has test until next March, it should fetch at least £200 on the 'Bay. It sounds you are estimating £100 on parts for the immediately needed repairs.

 

So the question is, can you buy a car for your missus that is in similar or better condition than the Fiesta for £300 ?

[Morgan84]

If it's been a reliable car and she's happy with it, drive it to death and then weigh it in afterwards; you could easily spend £1500 on a replacement bigger headache.

 

Better the devil you know

[Mr_Bo11ox]

spend the money then bin it, best of both worlds

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

spend the money then bin it, best of both worlds

 

That's it. Part-worn tyres and then scrap it if/when it fails MoT.

[sierraman]

Priced two tyres up today £36 fitted and balanced some part worns should do job. A pal is scrapping one of same year same spec. Might be tempted to offer him the scrap value and then spend hour after glorious hour dismantling it on the driveway for parts!

[Sigmund Fraud]

Priced two tyres up today £36 fitted and balanced some part worns should do job. A pal is scrapping one of same year same spec. Might be tempted to offer him the scrap value and then spend hour after glorious hour dismantling it on the driveway for parts!

 

Do it !

 

After you've pillaged the mechanical bits you need, and to achieve maximum neighbour alienation, use your angle grinder to cut any useful panels from the shell before weighing it in. Extra points if the work is carried out on a Sunday morning and accompanied by a torrent of profanity

[sierraman]

The dawn chorus of me struggling to remove the wings with an air chisel... I could just leave it on bricks, pissing oil out all over the grass. Then sell it as an 'unfinfished project' on fleabay?

[barefoot]

Sort it out, and then when the test expires, lay it up wrapped in cotton wool for fifteen years by which time it will be 'scene' as an absolute all time classic and you'll be able to sell it for eleven millionty pounds and retire.

[rainagain]

How much MoT is left on it?  If it's measurable with a stopwatch, fling it.  This is Autoshite, someone will have something you can take on that'll be much more fun.  If the ticket runs into next year, and she still likes driving it, do the jobs, then go and get a secondhand sump and bin the old one. 

I missing something where's the for sale section on this site?

[Cavcraft]

Pinned at the top of the page 'Autoshites official offered/wanted' or something like that.

 

Or just knock an advert up and put it on the general forum.

[cms206]

Before considering weighing it in, do you have a barn*, 20 years to spare and an overinflated estimated value? If so, park it up. Be sure to take pictures just now - it'll save time later and will ensure eBay 2033 bidders won't be disappointed when your immaculate barn* find turns out to just be a rotten 30-odd year old Fiesta that was in a garden with a cat piss tarp over it.