When do you decide that enough is enough?

[Bobthebeard]

So.... You buy a car that seems ok, you drive it and all seems well. Then reallity kicks in come MOT time and all is not well...

How much do you spend? Is it worth it?

[forddeliveryboy]

It should be simple sums, unless there's an emotional attachment...

[Bobthebeard]

Or man maths in my case.

[Dead_E23]

Depends how much the car 'owes' me and how stubborn I'm feeling.  

 

(Perversely, It also depends whether I have previously worked on the bit of the car that is playing up.  If I'm confident that I could fix the fault, I feel less obliged to prove it to myself.  This explains the ridiculously protracted dissembly of my Volvo's cylinder head, which is mainly to see if I've diagnosed the problem correctly.   I don't really have time or motivation for the job, so it's taking forever!).

[gordonbennet]

Its not a simple answer.

 

It all depends on if you like the car enough to keep it long term, in which case fixing it for more than its worth might be ok, but you have to stand back and take a head not heart look at it first, if i spend £500 on this £600 car will it last me another 2 years and do i want it another 2 years or more.

[danthecapriman]

Depends on the car. If it's just some old smoker then if it's hard to fix or more than say a few hundred quid then it's off to car heaven with it.

 

If on the other hand it's something classic or older than just an old banger or I like the car then I won't give up. I'm a stubborn idiot like that with old cars and just can't let them go!

The Mercury had serious problems - I got that sorted in the end.

Capri probably should have been turned into bean tins years ago but I wouldn't let it go.

Granada was utterly rotten and shouldn't really of been saved...

I don't know why but I get really attached to cars! I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with doing this of course but you've got to want to do it and/or be willing to spend the cash to see it through. Not always easy.

[hairnet]

if its something that needs fixing for the price you bought it for then no

 

if you add the price of the repairs to the cost of the car - can you buy another one the same

 

or cheaper then its a no brainer

[eddyramrod]

I will usually call time if I'm having to pay for work to be repeated because the same thing has failed again.  Since I don't tend to keep cars long-term that shouldn't happen often, but surprisingly, it does.

Which is how BTB got the Mercury...

[155V6]

My MG had hgf earlier in the year,the 2nd time since I've had it.However,there was more to it,the liners had moved,meaning it cost me around £700 to have the engine rebuilt.I'd had it back about 2 days when I crashed it,bending the rear beam & front bodywork.It was written off(Cat D),but I bought it back as salvage,& am intending to repair it eventually as I've had it nearly 9 years & am quite attached to it.I've just bought a Rover 25 for £110 to use as a donor,but there doesn't seem to be much wrong with it so may put it in for an MOT & see what it fails on,it seems a waste to break it needlessly 

[Mally]

If you like it, spend twice as much as you would if you didn't like it.

[r.welfare]

If you're like me, you get stuck in an almost-infinite loop of:

 

A. If I sort this out, it will be spot-on

B. But I need to drive it another xx,xxx miles to amortise the repair costs

 

Sometimes also:

 

C. The last X cars I had didn't cost that much so law of averages innit mate

 

Conclusion: I would make a piss-poor judge, jury and executioner.

[320touring]

I use the fact that Davidfowler2000 owns a big yellow bus as my justification that any spend is OK by me

[sierraman]

When there's serious trouble on the horizon. Simple as that. The old Focus we had wanted clutch, steering rack and a fuel pump. Got shut whilst it still ran before i had to reach in the wallet.

[richardmorris]

I'm useless at this and spend far more on cars than any sane person would, but when I know that the writing is on the wall I'm just happy to get rid and find something new to do a deal on and enjoy.

 

The merc is coming up to five years now and if I can, will keep it as my everyday car for another decade. I had the c5 for six (utter madness), the DTR cx for five ( financial suicide). My first 2cv I had for eight, but at the time I pxed it for the DTR it needed a fair bit of welding ( read cost of the cx!).

[Snipes]

I've thrown lots of money at old projects like my Mantas and the Silvia over the years until I had to give it all to go to college and train to be an electrician. I've actually found it something of a relief not to have to deal with all the highs and lows.

 

I'd have to save up and pay-back the money family members have helped me with, half a house deposit and buy a decent mountain bike before I could justify another project car and TBH i think I'd rather go on holiday. Doesn't stop me looking at Ginetta G26s that have been off the road for >20 years on ebay though (much to my girlfriend's annoyance).

 

I'll have another fun something but no time soon. In the mean time I'll stick with cheap old smokers to get me about.

[mercrocker]

I think I have been too cautious in the past.   Sacked off my Oxford because it needed a fuckton of welding rods (the rods aren't the problem, the bloke who melts them is the dear part) which was fair enough because its a piece of string judging when welding is "finished".

 

But I did bin off a rather nice 280SE due to electrical gremlins which I have conquered many times since on our 190E and released into the wild a Bedford CF that never failed to start, proceed nor ever required any fluids added to it.  

 

That was over a wheel bearing issue (it was a 4WD) - again I have happily replaced entire axles and transmissions on other cars.   

 

The Morris 1000 has had more welding tokens spent on it than the Oxford ever did and the VW dampervan has used up Mrs Rocker's ISAs over the past ten years so I suppose it really is all about emotional level stuff.   I can't pretend the Minor is better than an Oxford and the T25 is certainly less desirable to me than a CF but I know I will never part with either vehicle easily. 

 

I nearly flung the 190E on Ebay spears and reapers after it shat the HG recently but I would probably be sat here grizzling about whatever bollocks C Class or hopeless P6 I might have replaced it with.   Its all fixed up now, back to work and I immediately discovered that Mrs R would apparently have been "heartbroken" if it went.   

 

If, like me, you abhor anything modern, financed or with high level brake lights the decision-making process gets a lot less economics-based...

[vulgalour]

When I've had enough of the ungrateful old heap.  Then I have a sit down and a bit of a cry and do it all over again until I've had enough of the ungrateful old heap.  I'm a slow learner.

[Royale80]

I always spend whatever it needs ( Sierra and Rangey ) as I do get attached to certain cars. The wifes Focus I have no attachment at all (or is that the wife?).

 

Steve

[Dave_Q]

I try to frame my car expenditure vs the mean national per capita spend on cigarettes and alcohol.

 

If the average person spends say £200 a month on booze, I don't, therefore that is fine to spend on cars even if it doesn't add anything to the value of said cars.

[Timewaster]

I've not bought a clunker for a few years now but I found buying as cheap as possible and not particularly desirable helps ease the decision to move it on / bridge.

 

If it was something you always fancied but bought a cheap shagged example it will always be harder to throw in the towel.

 

I never had the slightest sniff of concience bridging a beaten up astra that smelt of wet dog.

[Bren]

When you are having to pay far,far more to a mechanic than the car is worth.

[strangeangel]

The over-riding factor is whether I like the car or not. I have just spent well in excess of the purchase price of my brilliant old Citroen on having a new clutch fitted, and I will be very surprised if I get off scot free at the next MOT... so it goes.

 

Conversely, when the clutch packed in on a low-mileage 6YO Skoda Felicia 1.6 I once owned - on the face of it a much more viable proposition than a BX that's pushing thirty -  I had the fucker bridged, because that car was an unreliable, fundamentally unlikeable POS and I was sick of the sight of it.

[Roverageous]

I went through this when the autobox in my 75 went bang. I was ready to sack the car off, however a browse of eBay / Autotrader / Gumtree assured me there was nothing else I wanted, and if I bought another 75 what's to say something else won't go bang?

 

Decided it was better to pay the ££££ and keep the car. Since then it's had a new sill & will be going for a suspension overhaul soon.

 

Recepts for work already totalling more than the car's worth - but who cares?

[New POD]

Or man maths in my case.

 

I work on the basis of

 

a) Can I afford to fix it? Both the time and/or the Cash

 

If NO move onto how best to get rid and how to fund replacing with something that looks like it will last a year.

If YES go to b.

 

Is its scrap value plus the cost of the repair worth more than the Car once it's fixed?

 

If NO then no excuse not to fix it, from an economical point of view

If Yes go to c

 

c) Is the rest of the car so GOOD that fixing it, will probably mean you don't have to go looking for a replacement for years?

 

If YES then you are looking at long term ownership, and the cost of the repairs will pail into insignificance overtime.

If NO go to d

 

d) Are you thinking that this piece of shite, is about to be a future classic ?

 

If YES convince yourself that it's the next mk1 excort mexico, and in 15 years time will be worth as much as a new RS focus.

If No move to e

 

e) Do you have some sentimental attachment to this "part of the family"

 

If YES repair but know it's as sensible as buying flowers. (Money into the compost bin in 10 days)

If No move to f

 

F) Can you get a better car for the cost and time of the repair? Quickly, with less stress?

 

If No - Repair. 

If Yes - Flog without Fail.

 

Currently looking at the MV6 which JohnK sold me, and thinking "This needs about the same spending on it as it cost"

Looks like it only needs (the classic V6 problems) oil cooler, front wishbones, Plus discs and pads all around, to make it a decent car.  But NO time to do it myself.

 

In addition It obviously needs the Rear door undenting.

 

But I've done 4000 miles in 2 months, and it's solved the comfort problem for my wife (slipped discs). 

 

So a) Yes I can afford to fix it

"Scrap" value plus cost of repairs is greater than price of an 2.6 elite at back street dealer with warranty

c) I don't know if it will make the car last for years to come, but what I've spent on petrol in 2 months is more than car cost  so lets move to d

d) Maybe. Look at Carlton GSi prices. No depreciation, but not RS mexico appreciation. Lets move to e)

e) No sentimental Value (although wife is convinced it's the most comfortable car she ever been in)

f) If I throw money at it, it will be lower stress than looking for a replacement.

 

So basically, It comes down to the fact that I think in the medium term, there isn't a better way of getting something that does the same job as this one should.

[rml2345]

I'm rubbish at this and form ridiculous attachments to cars which turn into money pits. The current Xantia had more spent on it than it cost me about 3 weeks after purchase when it went for test but I'd already become attached to it by then.

The way I look at it is that if you like the car enough then you'll spend the money it needs on repair and maintenance. If you choose to get rid based on the cost of repair then you weren't that attached to it anyway.

[Faker]

If you restore a car to say it's former glory, you do tend to spend more (including time) than what the bloody things actually worth. Restos are for the love of the heap!

 

A cheap old beater is a cheap old beater. When it starts costing heaps... move on...

 

Or... if you can't bring yourself to get shot of said vehicle... seek solice with alcohol!

[doobietoo]

I don't really understand the question.....

[omegod]

I'm balls deep into my Rover after it's recent MOT fail and after 3 weekends on the trot working in the freezing cold it's got a slim chance of passing tomorrow, why? because it's not just any Rover that's why....It's the A/S bike 220 goddamit I!!!!

[Split_Pin]

This question does not belong on Autoshite. Rational automotive judgements are something that I left behind after I sorely regretted the last one I made by scrapping my old Vectra.

[forddeliveryboy]

It should be simple sums, unless there's an emotional attachment...

 

but in my case it's often when I've bought something else and have run out of space, err,

 

Beer is a great truth drug!