The straw that breaks the camels back

[mgmrw]

As a devout petrolhead, who enjoys a money pit or 3 I'm curious.. What makes you think, "enough it's going"?

I ask as I realise I've put 3 engines in one car, put 5-6 times a cars worth into another (in 12 months), and then others I've done zero to. Not even serviced, sold when out of ticket.

My current dilemma focuses upon the modern daily, a 2006 Saab 9-3 TiD 16v.

Had it nearly 6 years, one previous owner, started our time together at 52k now on 129k.

Its cosmetically spot on barring a bike rack dent on the boot, £50 fix.

Mechanically its safe & reliable but has niggles... To summarise, by July it'll need:

2 new front tyres (£120 each)
Gear linkage (common) looking at £200+
Service.. £150
MOT
All round discs and pads.. £150?

Then there's the rattle on the front suspension that 4 garages can't trace, and the fact that the front discs are tiny (284mm) and really it needs 314mm aero ones to help it out.

So that's another £200+


I'm at a crossroads, I could driveway fix it with dirty cheap bits and limp it on.. But I could take it to a specialist band sort the lot.

Value wise its £1500 car on a good day, so its purely a heart decision over head.


So, fellow petrolhead folk... What makes you give up, scrap it or sell it?

[skinnylew]

Meh it's always a toss up between sticking with what you know and trust (or not...) or getting something that could be amazingly reliable, terribly shonky or finding something that you fall in love with........

I had to get rid of my Seat Toledo V5 as the head gasket was going and engine mount was fudged. But it was comfy and torquey. The Skoda Octavia VRS is replaced it with was superior in every sense, super reliable, quicker, more practical but never felt as connected with it despite doing over 60,000 miles in it!

Now that's met a sticky end i am wondering if it's replacement (to be decided...... possibly Mondeo 2.5t.....5 cylinder) will tick the boxes again?

Know one on these types of forum ever expects to make money or cares about making money on their projects, that's not really the point! So long as the other half never really finds out how much you spend.........

[pauly22]

I just done the gear linkage bush on mine. It's £30 and an hours work if there the same

It's a good car.

When you spend more than a car is worth then you start looking is it worth it, you could buy another car but end up in the same position with a car you don't know. Least you know this one is reliable.

[PhoenixCapri]

When it comes to a daily, it's usually a big job that'll call time on my ownership - like a major engine failure, or some odd fault that the cause of isn't easily found.

If it's generally been a good car, then it'll get a lot of stuff to keep it going, though it'll never be kept mint.

When it's a classic/retro it's generally nothing to do with the car, rather life meaning funds are required for things like houses....

[mgmrw]

Feb 2, 2016 6:36:35 GMT pauly22 said:

I just done the gear linkage bush on mine. It's £30 and an hours work if there the same

It's a good car.

When you spend more than a car is worth then you start looking is it worth it, you could buy another car but end up in the same position with a car you don't know. Least you know this one is reliable.

1.9 TiD with 6 speed manual? If so did you use one of the refurbishment kits?


In 6 years its only ever needed routine servicing and;

Alternator at 52k (£200)
Alternator at 100k (£350 oddly)
Clutch and flywheel at 112k (£550)
Injector 3 wire repair at 120k (£15)

Rest has been wear and tear stuff. Hell, still on original exhaust, wheel bearings, turbo etc at 129k.


My heart says keep it, as I do love the thing, and always said to our lass that 250,000 was my target.

Plus I love the way it looks, even if the engine (diesel) kills its soul.

[mgmrw]

Feb 2, 2016 0:16:04 GMT skinnylew said:

Know one on these types of forum ever expects to make money or cares about making money on their projects, that's not really the point! So long as the other half never really finds out how much you spend.........

Hmmm, she wasn't impressed with me putting £15k+ into the 200SX I had.

E36 tourer she was OK with, as is the Austin 1300.

Alfa, Mondeo, Focus estate, she's hated.

The Saab, it's always been the "go to" reliable car, so she'll be happy as long as it remains so.

Plus she's got the R8 Rover GTI to focus her hate on.... Whilst I glare at her gen7 Celica and mention "oil consumption" in a quiet voice ha.

[mgmrw]

Gratuitous picture for giggles

[igor]

The way I look at this sort of thing is that I could fix the problems with the car I've got and know it's good or I could buy another curse word box with a list of problems I don't know about. That's the gamble.

[pauly22]

Feb 2, 2016 7:31:39 GMT mgmrw said:

Feb 2, 2016 6:36:35 GMT pauly22 said:

I just done the gear linkage bush on mine. It's £30 and an hours work if there the same

It's a good car.

When you spend more than a car is worth then you start looking is it worth it, you could buy another car but end up in the same position with a car you don't know. Least you know this one is reliable.

1.9 TiD with 6 speed manual? If so did you use one of the refurbishment kits?


In 6 years its only ever needed routine servicing and;

Alternator at 52k (£200)
Alternator at 100k (£350 oddly)
Clutch and flywheel at 112k (£550)
Injector 3 wire repair at 120k (£15)

Rest has been wear and tear stuff. Hell, still on original exhaust, wheel bearings, turbo etc at 129k.


My heart says keep it, as I do love the thing, and always said to our lass that 250,000 was my target.

Plus I love the way it looks, even if the engine (diesel) kills its soul.

Yeah 55 plate 1.9 tid 6 speed, I bought it from a company on eBay called xr8 or something. They do a video on you tube how to do it.

Took about an hour, just need some star shaped sockets.

Was simple really and gear change is excellent. Mine is a 150k + £800 run about.

[mgmrw]

Feb 2, 2016 8:04:26 GMT igor said:

The way I look at this sort of thing is that I could fix the problems with the car I've got and know it's good or I could buy another curse word box with a list of problems I don't know about. That's the gamble.

That's exactly how I'm starting to see it.

[mgmrw]

Pauly22 - that's the kit I'd seen. Drill out the old bushing and replace?

£29.99 from X8R website

[Ian]

I have an even bigger dilemma with my Mrs Ian's 06 Astra 1.9 CDTI it has snapped its cambelt at 195k miles, but she is very attached to it and wont let me scrap it, especially having had a gearbox rebuild 2 years ago as well as a DMF and clutch which came to almost £2k. I have since got her a 12 plate astra which she now likes but misses the estate Astra which sits on the drive taking my space away!

And my E36 BMW has sat in the garage for 4 yrs awaiting an engine swap so I cant really say much!

[mgmrw]

E36 - nikasil?

Astra - at 195k, commercial value is tiny. But if its solid, and well specd is it worth re-engining?

I've bit the bullet, ordered the linkage kit, and boomed the car in at a Saab specialist 40 miles away. They can do that and check the suspension noises all at once.

[Wilk]

I ran a clio 1.6 16v from new. It's the only new car I've ever bought. I had ALL the options, bells n whistles. It's now 13 years old and apart from routine service items has been mega reliable...... But from day 1 it's never floated my boat. Boring as hell to drive. Comfy , def yes and does what it says on the tin
For the last 8 years I've wanted to swap it but for what?? Another 2nd owner car that I don't know. The history of???
I finally bit the bullet last year and bought with my heart.... But still can't get rid of the clio so my lad now uses it for his daily. It's now done around 73k and still does what it's supposed to do. I still hate it but can't seem to break the apron strings (the car not my lad ?)

[gazzab1978]

i would say keep it and fix it, in the last few years i have sold a few cars when fixing the niggles cost over half what the cars were worth and bought something else, each time 6 - 12 months later i was in the same place with the new car. this time we have a mk4 astra cabby cost £750 8 months ago and so far spent £500 ish on a refurbed ecu, front springs, topmounts discs and pads and drop links but it now drives lovely and hopefully wont need anything doing for a while.
better the devil you know sometimes

[pauly22]

Feb 2, 2016 8:51:30 GMT mgmrw said:

Pauly22 - that's the kit I'd seen. Drill out the old bushing and replace?

£29.99 from X8R website

Yeah that's the kit.

I didn't drill it. Just used grips and squeezed the one end then knocked it out. The drill I had burnt out.

It's a simple job,

[ThePollitt]

Better the devil you know, I say.

My Mondeo ST has 176k on the clock, but I know it inside out and it's never let me down. If I sold it, I'd have about £1,500 to spend on a 'new' car which, with the best will in the world, hardly puts me in SUPA RELIABLZ WURLD. As such, I'm just going to keep chucking a few quid at the ST on wear and tear bits, then drive it until its engine falls out.

Chris

[mgmrw]

Feb 2, 2016 14:21:04 GMT Wilk said:

I ran a clio 1.6 16v from new. It's the only new car I've ever bought. I had ALL the options, bells n whistles. It's now 13 years old and apart from routine service items has been mega reliable...... But from day 1 it's never floated my boat. Boring as hell to drive. Comfy , def yes and does what it says on the tin
For the last 8 years I've wanted to swap it but for what?? Another 2nd owner car that I don't know. The history of???
I finally bit the bullet last year and bought with my heart.... But still can't get rid of the clio so my lad now uses it for his daily. It's now done around 73k and still does what it's supposed to do. I still hate it but can't seem to break the apron strings (the car not my lad ?)

Sounds familiar, a family friend bought a 1400cc almera 5dr at 2 years old, in 1997. Its the most boring thing on earth, is on 85k.. And he's still got it.

Bought an 18 month old Honda Jizz, gave that to his son.

The almera gets garaged, 11 plate Lexus CT200H sits on the drive.

[mgmrw]

Feb 2, 2016 15:47:23 GMT pauly22 said:

Feb 2, 2016 8:51:30 GMT mgmrw said:

Pauly22 - that's the kit I'd seen. Drill out the old bushing and replace?

£29.99 from X8R website

Yeah that's the kit.

I didn't drill it. Just used grips and squeezed the one end then knocked it out. The drill I had burnt out.

It's a simple job,

Happy days, the Saab geeks seem happy to fit it.

Will report back in a week.

[mgmrw]

Feb 2, 2016 15:53:09 GMT ThePollitt said:

Better the devil you know, I say.

My Mondeo ST has 176k on the clock, but I know it inside out and it's never let me down. If I sold it, I'd have about £1,500 to spend on a 'new' car which, with the best will in the world, hardly puts me in SUPA RELIABLZ WURLD. As such, I'm just going to keep chucking a few quid at the ST on wear and tear bits, then drive it until its engine falls out.

Chris

I think that's gonna be my plan. Looked at the old bus today in the work car park.. At 10 year old, still holds it's own