Do you ever feel tied in?

[barefoot]

Me? I'd keep the thing tucked away & SORN'd & piss about in a £500 shitter...

Oh, that's what I'm doing. I have a lovely modified Beetle that hasn't turned a wheel in a decade, my gorgeous T2 that used to be my daily but is now only used for camping holidays, a SORN'd 944S that was the wife's daily and has covered 300,000 miles. It is presently taking a well earned rest. We're now tooling about in a £600 Rover 75 & a £400 Scirocco. My only problem is that although I've run the Scarecrow on a shoestring for the past decade, I've spent about £1,500 on it so far this year on things that really needed sorting properly if I planned to keep on using it.

My theory is that cars will keep running reliably for just as long as you're prepared to keep pouring money into them. The purchase price is irrelevant.

[sierraman]

It’s not just money sometimes it’s the time. I’m off next week, the in laws car has blown up, sounds like the head gasket has gone, the chain is rattling it’s tits off. A couple of hundred in parts and skimming etc could see it back on the road but that’s assuming you want to spend your recreational time piecing broken engines back together. 

[New POD]

9 minutes ago, sierraman said:

It’s not just money sometimes it’s the time. I’m off next week, the in laws car has blown up, sounds like the head gasket has gone, the chain is rattling it’s tits off. A couple of hundred in parts and skimming etc could see it back on the road but that’s assuming you want to spend your recreational time piecing broken engines back together. 

Ah, but spending time on someone else's motor.  Are they going to be decorating your house whilst you fix their car?  

[sierraman]

18 minutes ago, New POD said:

Ah, but spending time on someone else's motor.  Are they going to be decorating your house whilst you fix their car?  

No but I’m considering a new kitchen and he’s a kitchen fitter, so I’m sure some sort of exchange of skills could be arranged. 

[metroman]

Been there done that with a really early Mk2 Golf GTI, bought for similar reasons. Got over excited and paid £1500 too much for what turned out to be a car beyond crap. Probably sunk another 2.5k over a year into it to keep it alive. It had been rebuilt with loads of new parts by the previous owner but every part was shit and broke / didn't work. Clutch, gearbox, welding captive bolts for the front subframe, wheel bearings, brakes, springs, shocks, exhaust, every engine sensor, radiator, all hoses... It never lived up to expectations and sold on eBay for £800, I felt really sick until it drove off, then just relief and haven't really looked back.

If you can't easily remove the mods is it worth going the other way with it - if it isn't fun in its current guise go all out and turn it into a track car? Less comfort, more noise and more occasion may actually make it more enjoyable (if you like to suffer).  

[sierraman]

I’d say just put it down to experience and run it till it starts chewing through oil at a rate enough for Exxon to start taking on more staff. Importantly learn from it. 

[Out Run]

Don't worry about it, mate. Money comes and money goes. If it makes you feel better, I continuously spunk a lot of money on my MR2 turbo and many of those parts aren't even on the car. £800 of used, Boxster S calipers, anyone?

Makes more sense* than any ISA m8. In all seriousness though, it's just about finding the balance. Spend a bit, save a bit. Have fun and if it's not for you, learn from it and move on.

Man Maths says if you shift it on now for circa £3K, then that is £3K you didn't previously have.  I'd actually hang onto it, though if you can. It's a definite future earner.