So after my car failing it's MOT earlier today an after a chat with the garage, it'l cost at least £500 to get it back on the road, £500 I really don't have at the moment (money has been very tight)

The temptation at the moment is to bin the car (cost me a grand little over a year ago, and the advisements from this MOT are all the discs and pads are soon to go and there's a sludge in the oil)

so, do I:

A. Bin the car, cut my losses, commute to work by bike (about a 7 mile round trip 3 days a week) save a bit of money each month on petrol and insurance and be in a better position to go halfers with my missus next year when she upgrades her suzuki

or

B. Keep the car, pay the money, fix the brakes, keep paying for petrol etc, stay fat and dry, go through all this again next year as the cars not getting any younger

opinions please

I think you have answered that yourself…

+1 surf-mat

What did it fail on? £500 should get you a lot of parts and tools to fix it yourself. After I dropped my 205 into a field and snapped the back axle, bend the front suspension, wrapped the radiator around the block and smashed two alloys, I repaired the lot for under £250, including new brakes on the rear.

We are a one car family… I would give my left bollock to get rid of the car but Mrs Yunki won't listen..

Go for it… lucky fella

I'll be honest, as much as i like mechanics and getting my hands dirty, there's no way I could do it myself, needs suspension arms and brake pipes and what not

c. get it through its MOT, if getting it through will mean you can sell it for more than scrapping it. Then cycle to work.

cycle to work. 7 mile round trip 3 times a week? Easy.

That is a seriously easy commute, on an MTB, even in winter.

Innit? No way id drive a 3.5 mile each way commute, id rather walk if i didnt need to carry anything heavy,,

I can't believe someone who owns a decent bike would be even thinking of driving 3.5 miles to work!

I cycle a 25 mile round trip, get a grip fella!

I'm with mol on this one – 3.5 miles is a no brainer, even with a car I'd cycle it. But brake pipes and suspension arms are easy. If you'd said gearbox repairs or a crank replacement I'd have accepted it was a bit tough!

That's not even a cycle commute, that's a brisk walk….

Suspension arms, is that the same as wishbones? I was quoted about £400 to get mine replaced after they failed the MOT, found another garage who did it for about £100 by replacing the bushings in the existing arms rather than buying new ones.

Sludge in the oil would just be from a serious lack of servicing or wrong oil and could be solved by flushing out/removing sump to clean?

I would seriously consider repairing it, then riding to work anyway which will pay for the work. If you really don't need the car for anything else then flog it on ebay listing the faults, it will probably still sell.

Either was you can cycle to work and save money on fuel.

If fixing it is going to mean you can sell it for more than the fixing is going to cost I'd get it repaired (and try a different garage to see what they quote you!) and then sell it on. There are many people (e.g. students, new drivers etc) that would like to drive a cheap and old car.

But if it won't be economical to fix, or you just can't be bothered with the hassle scrap the car or sell it as a spares/ repair on ebay / autotrader and then you're sorted 🙂

think you need to post up the car, and the failure details for us to do a 'garage is ripping you off' analysis. Its not a national chain of garages is it?

Do you really drive 3.5 miles? Wow. You might be able to cycle, could be tough though, better be careful.
I don't think I know anyone that feels the need to drive such a short distance to work.

As others have said, I can't believe you even need to ask. Ditch the car and pedal you numpty!

think i needed that swift kick to the head to see how lazy i'm being, pretty much 95% convinced the bike is the way to go

I'm soon to be in a very similar position, car is on the way out & it can only be a matter of time before I'm hit with a huge bill for something. I'll struggle to justify the expense when it comes.

Next MOT is in December, I've been commuting the 5 or 6 miles by bike most days for the last 2+ years – saved a fair bit in diesel.

As long as the car keeps going then I'll keep it for the convenience, but I'm considering going carless after this one finally dies. I'm insured on my gf's car, so won't be totally lost if I need access to one. We can share the costs of one between us in the future.

It does seem the obvious thing to do 🙂

If you have access to a car for shopping or weekends etc, then it's an absolute no brainer. Bike all the way.

RIDE THE BIKE.

Wish that was my option as 48 miler round trip for me but seriously considering when on overnight sleep in shifts as will save me a tenner a time in running costs etc .
The only prob is its the coast road which is hell on a bike due to local numptys n lorries or the back way adding about 4 more miles.
WALES just love it ….

got the wifes car for weekends and shopping so it's not like we don't have one

To be fair to the OP there are probably plenty of people who commute 3.5 miles in their cars.

Don't think many of them post on mountain biking forums though!

To be fair to the OP there are probably plenty of people who commute 3.5 miles in their cars.

Most of the women I employ live in the town that's a nice 2.5 mile walk away through pleasant countryside, a babbling stream, picturesque little village, horses in fields, quiet country lanes…I'm the only person that walks…Go figure.

I have the same dilema and am angling to get rid of the car to leave us with just the one. I cycle 5 days a week 7 mile each way and it's pretty good with the odd exception when it's lashing down….so do it man and dont look back….you can always dredge these quotes back up if it turns into a major hassle…which it wont.

We sold our car over 2 years ago, and haven't missed it.
Well, not much after the first month.
I work from home and hire cars for assignments or holidays as neccesary, and Mrs B has all of a 4 mile commute to work by bike, which she now really enjoys, whatever the weather. Shops, gym etc are an 8 mile round trip, but even a big sho and a trip to the gym, combined with an 8 mile ride isn't so bad…
The feeling of superiority you get from whizzing past everyone trying to do the same journey in their cars, as they sit in traffic in first gear, more than makes up for it!

3.5 miles each way? How I dream of of 3.5 miles each way!

34 mile round trip for me. Takes an hour each way on the bike, or 25 mins each way in the car. One costs me (almost) nothing, keeps me fit and stops me getting fat. The other costs me a fortune, keeps me fat and stops me getting fit.

Like Fausto Coppi said: ride a bike, ride a bike, ride a bike.

pretty much 95% convinced the bike is the way to go

Only 95%?
Think once, think twice, think bike.

Id go for the bike anytime! I do a 140 mile round trip daily but would dump the car and go back to the bike if it is feasible. Love to only have one car in the family but it isnt possible where we live (my commute is so long and the Mrs tried public transport – 2 mile walk, 15 min train ride, 3 buses and another mile walk and she can get to work and it costs the best part of £15 for a 17 mile drive!) Aside from the costs I felt so much more energy riding to work as I was so much more active!

140 mile round trip! The solution is move house or change jobs.

To the OP if you have access to a car for other trips it's a no brainer. People forget how much of a cost a car is to run.

On the short driving commute stories, a guy at my girlfriends work drives about a mile. He is in his mid 20s and looks a strange combination of weedy and chubby. Nice guy but I find it sad that someone of that age looks in such poor physical shape.

140 mile round trip! The solution is move house or change job

Its not every day so when I work from home I have no commute.

I live about a mile from work but do occasionally drive…some mornings I just can't motivate myself to pedal 😛 (although most of the time I look forward it!)

Have you considered a canoe?

If I lived a mile from work I'd walk, no questions. Bike if I was late.