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Topic: Break, sell or repair? (Read 880 times) |
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Sian_RK
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Siani got sick of the Scorpio's fuel consumption and replaced it with a 2CV this month. So, we have a dilemma.
The car is a 140,000 mile 2.3 Ultima Auto Estate on a 98 R, and the MOT runs out, well, tomorrow. It failed on front tyres (alignment never seems to be quite right, so eats the outside edge in about 10K), the ABS light (which comes on when it rains) and the handbrake (despite my attempts to train her, she's Canadian and basically won't use it as the car is an auto and "doesn't need it"). It's got scabby paint on the sills, doors and rear arches, but nothing really bad, and obviously didn't fail on anything rust related. Also, I hit a parking meter and cracked the front bumper - have the bits for sticking it back together... but it's not so bad.
She's spent a lot on it over the past 2.5 years - new alternator, wishbones, brakes, inlet manifold, battery, ignition relay, hoses and the like - but I can't get over how little cars are worth these days, and how much it might cost to fix the car. Tyres will be at least £130, ? ABS (I think the sensor on the nsf wheel is playing up), ? handbrake and another £45 or whatever for the MOT.
Looking at eBay prices, I could probably get £100 for the dark lights and fogs, £40 for the keyfob, £30 for the mirror, £50-100 for the interior and so forth - leaving me with an engine, box and shell to get rid of but probably getting a realistic £400 or so. Assuming the car is therefore worth about £4-500, should I try selling it for that, sans MOT (but taxed until August - had to keep using it in early March), should I fix it and sell it, or is it really worth more in bits?
I hate the idea of throwing away a perfectly good car; it starts first time nearly all the time (sometimes a long period of disuse gives a misfire and reluctance to go into reverse), is comfortable and practical, and after cleaning the MAF I got 28mpg average out of it (this car makes me feel so much better about my RX .
Open to ideas. I could probably afford to repair it next month, but I'd need to insure it again and so forth, so it's really a case of "What's the quickest route to get at least enough money to make it worth not just parking it at a car boot sale and charging people £5 a shot to have 3 minutes with a sledgehammer on it" (I'm joking. The health and safety precautions would be terrifying, and it would be wasting valuable parts I'm sure).
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mr._floppy
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Re: Break, sell or repair?
« Reply #1 on: Mar 19th, 2006, 3:04pm » |
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This may well be the MOT where the old girl finally fails on something, or a few things, that finally breaks the financial camel's back like the steering rack exhaust, Cat, or even worse, an emission test failure. 
It's galling I know, to have to accept £250 for your lovely old beauty ( the car, not the wife  ) from some ungrateful skinflint herbert when you know you've spent 5 times that amount on spares just to keep it on the road. 
The fact that you're asking this question means that you've kinda half made up your mind to get rid.
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Sian_RK
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Re: Break, sell or repair?
« Reply #2 on: Mar 19th, 2006, 4:04pm » |
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on Mar 19th, 2006, 3:04pm, mr._floppy wrote:This may well be the MOT where the old girl finally fails on something, or a few things, that finally breaks the financial camel's back like the steering rack exhaust, Cat, or even worse, an emission test failure.
It's galling I know, to have to accept £250 for your lovely old beauty ( the car, not the wife ) from some ungrateful skinflint herbert when you know you've spent 5 times that amount on spares just to keep it on the road.
The fact that you're asking this question means that you've kinda half made up your mind to get rid.
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Well, no, I know what it has failed on - that's the whole point. I've got the failure sheet, having taken it in a couple of weeks in advance, and it needs two (one, actually, to pass) tyres, handbrake and ABS 'something' sorted. Emissions, steering and so forth are all deemed to be fine.
It has to go one way or another - it's not staying, we've got four cars and she's using the 2CV for everything now (never mind costing £10 per day to commute in it - it costs £10 to fill the tank, pretty much!) - it's just a matter of how it goes.
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music_master
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I love YaBB 1G - SP1!
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Re: Break, sell or repair?
« Reply #3 on: Mar 19th, 2006, 4:16pm » |
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at the end of the day do you really want to keep the car on the road is it really gonna cost a fortune to put it back on the road yes caught in the middle i know but i would find out first how much with MOT it would cost 
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Sian_RK
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Re: Break, sell or repair?
« Reply #4 on: Mar 19th, 2006, 4:25pm » |
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on Mar 19th, 2006, 4:16pm, music_master wrote:| at the end of the day do you really want to keep the car on the road is it really gonna cost a fortune to put it back on the road yes caught in the middle i know but i would find out first how much with MOT it would cost |
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I want to sell it. What I can't decide is if the value of Scorpios - as with any 8 year old car - has fallen so much that it is worth more as parts, than as a car on the road. The difference between the value on the road (MOTd and so forth) and what I'd sell it for without an MOT is the issue; would someone with more time, inclination, better scrapyards, whatever, feel it worthwhile buying it to put back on the road, given the very minor failures. The ABS works when it is dry, so I am 80% sure it's a wiring issue with a sensor. The handbrake cables were allegedly replaced last year, so it is probably sticking calipers at the back (don't know how they work). Tyres are consumable.
IF it is worth so little on the road - say, less than a grand with a full MOT - that someone wouldn't give £500 (well, £400ish if I cashed the tax in) for it as it is now, then it looks like it would be worth pulling as many parts off as possible and selling them, then having the engine, box and shell etc dragged to a scrapyard.
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mr._floppy
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Posts: 100
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Re: Break, sell or repair?
« Reply #5 on: Mar 19th, 2006, 4:46pm » |
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Different if you have multiple cars, my Scorp is all I've got, if she don't start,
I don't get to work, and I get my wages docked , I can't take the wife's Astra or Junior's Golf.
I'm getting fed up of being sorry for a fellow poster's predicament when his Scorpio won't start and everyone offers ideas and comes together to solve the problem only to discover he has a another 5 roadworthy cars. 
Owning and keeping my Scorpio going is not a week-end hobby.
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leftofcentre
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Re: Break, sell or repair?
« Reply #6 on: Mar 19th, 2006, 5:01pm » |
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Why dont you put it on Ebay mate as seen? Its free Motors Listing weekend at the mo (So be quick).
Its quite likey that your motor will get the price of £400 you have asked for.
Just a hint, put it on there at £10 no reserve, to end next wkend. The low start price attracts attention + thats what you want.
Upto you anyway mate at end of day.
Will DEFINATELY sell on Ebay tho + saves you waiting wks with it advertised in paper.
Good luck
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Sian_RK
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Re: Break, sell or repair?
« Reply #7 on: Mar 19th, 2006, 5:23pm » |
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on Mar 19th, 2006, 4:46pm, mr._floppy wrote:Different if you have multiple cars, my Scorp is all I've got, if she don't start,
I don't get to work, and I get my wages docked , I can't take the wife's Astra or Junior's Golf.
I'm getting fed up of being sorry for a fellow poster's predicament when his Scorpio won't start and everyone offers ideas and comes together to solve the problem only to discover he has a another 5 roadworthy cars.
Owning and keeping my Scorpio going is not a week-end hobby.
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WTF are you on about? Regardless of WHY people have Scorpios - and frankly a problem with their car is a problem they should be helped with regardless of if they own one or twenty cars, it doesn't make anyone LESS likely to help you - Siani's Scorpio WAS her only car for 2.5 years. If it broke down, I had to give her a lift into work - she's not insured on my Sera or RX8 (or Beetle, as was) and doesn't want to be because they are manual cars. And the Scorpio has let her down twice in that time (as opposed to just being unpleasant to drive due to failing components) - once, when we returned from a three week holiday to find the battery had gone completely, killed the alternator, and then to make things worse, the ignition relay was shutting off after 10 minutes or so, and another time when the heater hose burst.
That car has done 30,000+ miles of commuting, pleasure and hard work, as my gf's ONLY car.
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nuttyscorp
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1998 (R) 2.3 ultima
Posts: 515
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Re: Break, sell or repair?
« Reply #8 on: Mar 19th, 2006, 5:49pm » |
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someone will by it on ebay, as LOC says, its definatley worth putting back on the road, and is financially worthwhile.
if you ebay it as it is, youll prolly get £400
if you break it, your still only looking at £400 (unless you seriously strip and store the lot)
with a years mot, probably nearer to the £1000 mark.
if you can get the mot done for £250ish........thats what i would do,
hth
Russ
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project car :- "84" mk2 granada 2.8i ghia X TURBO (rs 500 box)
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leftofcentre
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Re: Break, sell or repair?
« Reply #9 on: Mar 19th, 2006, 6:03pm » |
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EEk.
I feel an edit coming on
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david_molloy
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Re: Break, sell or repair?
« Reply #10 on: Mar 19th, 2006, 6:08pm » |
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Hello All
Can see both points of view.
Regardless.......... getting back to original post.....
I bought a "rough & bodged" Scorp. with MOT & lots of DTC's inc no 1st gear. JUST for the bits on it.
- 2 No front wishbones brand new with Motocraft tickets still on.
- 1 No cat. new with Motocraft ticket still on but obviously burnt.
- 4 No. reasonable alloys + good tyres.
Price new of above 1st 2 from FMD and e-bay for rims
Was price of car SO I've got rest of usable bits for free - headlamps are mint - no stone chips at all - not new but not original either.
So put it on e-bay & list all recent item replacement / little mileage items. I'm sure it would be worth it to someone.
Obviously I have space to park it up out of the way which makes it viable for in my situation - appreciate that others may be tight for space.
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DJWerkz
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Re: Break, sell or repair?
« Reply #11 on: Mar 19th, 2006, 8:21pm » |
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Mr brother-in-law's car has just failed the MOT and the cost of putting it right far outweighs the value of the car.
Could be very interested in buying this car from you, PM me with exactly what you are looking for to take it as it is, and also let me know where the car is located see we can determine if it's worth our while travelling to buy
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Sian_RK
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Re: Break, sell or repair?
« Reply #12 on: Mar 22nd, 2006, 11:04pm » |
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Well, i've had a few people message me about the car - I must admi that my inclinations towards the car being worth more in bits are probably biased by some extreme cyncism and the lack of parking spaces!
Pictures are here if anyone wants to see how shabby that surface rust can be!
http://web.mac.com/r.t.kilpatrick/
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DJWerkz
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Re: Break, sell or repair?
« Reply #13 on: Mar 22nd, 2006, 11:11pm » |
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My brother in law is seriously interested, we are just reviewing the pictures and looking at final travel plans then will get back to you.
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Sian_RK
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Re: Break, sell or repair?
« Reply #14 on: Mar 22nd, 2006, 11:16pm » |
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I mostly hoped to get an opinion on that rust from the pictures; if it is (as I suspect) abnormally scruffy, or actually pretty typical. You'll see the bit on the sill under the driver's door - that I am sure is due to bad jacking.
If the car goes and goes back on the road I will be much happier than if I broke it. It doesn't feel like a car due to be broken.
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