If the fuel pump is knackered it will have filled the injectors full of crap. Sell it for spares or repair that’s what I did with mine.

Also good luck getting someone to accept that much cash without putting it straight into a bank so they check the notes
I’ve never had any problems before, and I’ve paid for a lot of cars and vans in cash.
The paranoid population of STW are far from typical of the actual outside world

The difference between here and the retro car forums.

Lunchtime browsing of a forum classifieds has on several occasions seen me at the sellers door that evening with hastily withdrawn cash. Never had a problem. Flew to Manchester at 6am next morning for a VW camper. More than one of my mates has got straight on the Eurostar without going home for spare pants. 😀

However, I have acquired some utter dross this way, it’s terrible advice.

More than one of my mates has got straight on the Eurostar without going home for spare pants.

I’ve done pretty much the same. Got a flight to Berlin on a Friday after work with no luggage at all, to buy a Projekt Zwo Multivan II after waiting for the right one to come up for sale for months.
Bought it and slept in it that night, drove it back home to York next day.

The seller didn’t seem to mind €12,000 in cash. He’s obviously not an STW regular 😉

If the fuel pump is knackered it will have filled the injectors full of crap. Sell it for spares or repair that’s what I did with mine.

that’s what i was thinking. if you don’t mind me asking, how much did yours go for? is £300 realistic? i reckon that would be quite a decent deal if you were handy with a spanner…

I have a good but worthless car doing nothing, but being in Northants won’t help you much, small cars/vans are silly cheap to rent with insurance (with conditions) included. I’d be down to enterprise/whoever, but if you come properly unstuck, there’s an old Clio doing nowt here

Can I be the first to ask why you’re buying?

Have a look at the leasing websites to see if you could spend 4k over the next 2-3 years on something brand new? Might be a bargain estate out there.

Of course, this route may not suit either.

(Yes, this assumes you’ll be in a position to spend another 4k in 2-3 years, which isn’t unlikely if you’re buying a 10 y/o car now).

thought i should do the maths on this because i’ve never properly done so before (don’t really like the idea)

looking on that pistonheads thread, the cheapest thing i could see that wasn’t an Audi or a Beamer, with a 10K limit, was a Nissan Juke that worked out at £2300pa for 2 years.

My maths suggested that (after we stretched the budget a bit and decided not to go for a 10 year old car):

buying a 5K car, then covering various expenses like MOT, servicing, the fact that tax is likely to be a bit higher, a random £750 repair bill that will no doubt crop up at some point etc, then flogging it after 5 years for £1500, would equate to around £1350 a year.

So that’s 950 a year cheaper, and if you’re short of cash at the end of it (hoping to have a wean by then) then you can always try and keep it running for another year or 2.

i’ll look at it again next time tho!

You must have been tempted by a Nissan juke though, eh?

Assuming you’re a 55-year old woman with funky glasses.

OP thanks for the update, always interesting to know how these things work out

@chaka I have to admit my wife is a Nissan fan (she has a CC) and likes the Juke 😳 I am winning the “just say no” battle as there is no room in the back/boot.

You must have been tempted by a Nissan juke though, eh?

Assuming you’re a 55-year old woman with funky glasses.

😆

it’s a fair guess… but no

and barring any substantial life changes, i don’t expect to become one 😉