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argh, can't make my mind up here. Our 2000 mk1 Focus with 120k and a sizeable dent in the front wing needs:
- clutch
- wheel bearing
- discs + pads
- aux belt + tensioner
The last two I can do myself, but the first two are quite pricey. 420 is the best quote (other than Mr Clutch) I can find for both.
It seems wrong spending more than its worth on repairs, but on the other hand, it's just gone through its MOT with no advisories, its depreciation free and it's easy to service at home. I think it'll solider on for a good while yet if its got a new clutch.
The alternative is buying another car for < 4k and getting shot of the Focus.
Can someone make my mind up for me? 🙂
What do you want to do - spend £400 or £4000?
If you spent £4000 on a newer focus could you afford to £400 on a new clutch for it a week later?
My focus is getting on a bit too (88k), and will probably need it's value in spare parts over the next 18-24months (disks + pads, clutch, possibly CV's) I'm of the opinion that I know what's on the list, if I sold it and bought another of similar value it would likely have a similar but unknown list, and if I sold it and bought another £4k-£5k car I'd lose that much in depreciation over the same 18-24months (but could reasonably expect trouble free motoring).
So in conclusion, if I had £5k I might buy a newer car, but I don't, so it's death by a thousand cuts for the next couple of years and keep telling myself it's cheaper.
On the downside, you/I have to drive round in a old car and don't get that 'new car' feeling. Someone got in my car saturday night and commented that it had a dank smell to it 🙁
I think its a distraction to judge the cost of the repair against the value of the vehicle. A lot of people tend to think of buying the car as and investment and the cost of running it a sort of penalty. I think its the other way round - the capital cost isn't an investment - its a depreciating asset - servicing and repair costs - those are the investments, those are the things that actually make the thing useful
The value of the car is irrelevant. The question is whether you'd be happy with the value you'll get from the repair - so thats whether you want to keep the car for any amount of time.
You're talking about replacing the car with something pretty much identical so theres not any real imperative to sell the car you've got in terms of your needs or wants having changed. If a £400 clutch gives you a years motoring in a car you want then that seems pretty good value, if fact I can't think of a better use of £400 - it seems better value than a years depreciation of an otherwise identical car. Either car could require a further expensive repair in that timeframe its just that one will be leaking money and the other won't
If you are happy with the car, do it. If you want to change it's the perfect excuse.
I personally would do it if I was happy to keep the car
What engine is it, and if it's one with known big bills, have they already happened? Also, bear in mind that if you plan to keep it, it'll be worth doing other work at the same time- clutch slave and flywheel. Which skews things a lot because not doing it is generally a false economy but doing it hikes the price.
I had a 1.8tddi mk1, worth probably about £800- the clutch slave popped, I sold it as a nonrunner for still a pretty reasonable sum. Correct decision for me, but I was already getting itchy car feet.If you like and trust the car then the price of a new clutch + the price you'll get selling it clutchless is definitely less than the price of another car to do the same, which could shit the bed tomorrow.
Same boat here Horatio....My 54 Diesel Seat is on 105k. Just had new pads and discs fitted last month which was pricey and now got a noise coming from the car last week. Anyhow its clutch and flywheel knackered so facing a £500 bill. I'm then thinking its only worth a grand, flog it. But like others have said on here, you could buy a second hand one that's less miles and newer and then fork out again for the same repairs within a short time. £500 to me gets it on the road again. I've had it years and it now owes me nowt.
I'd keep your focus and keep it running.
I've just dropped a new motor in my 15 year old Golf GTI when I blew the top end on the last one (don't ask!). The replacement motor has less than half the mileage of my last one, so I reckon it should be good for another 100k
Because I really like the car, and if I didn't fix it I'd have to go out and find another car. Which could also go wrong. And quite frankly I can't be arsed
I/we kept our car running for longer than was sensible, really - some slightly optimistic MOTs helped this 🙁
I was happy enough paying the cars worth (£500 tops) annually in maintenance, but latterly the bills got higher and next MOT (different garage) it bombed on a nuclear scale. I *did* think the steering was a little wobbly..
We did a bit of fix up repairs in between MOTs but really we should have got a phantom MOT done at intervals.
I was of the opinion that vale of car was not too big a deal if you knew the repair state - but you must have a plan B. We didn't 🙁
Its a 1.6 petrol so no big bills ezpected like dpf dmf turbo etc... I think i'll just get it fixed. Its not needed anything for the last two years.
Get it fixed. Wheelbearings are cheap, as you buy them fitted in the drum, so you just swop the drum and bearing over , unless you have a mate with a hydraulic press and it cost a tenner for the bearing 😉
Clutch kit is £125 at eurocarparts including slave cylinder , so 3 hrs labour should see it done.