For those of you who haven’t seen my thread in the Technical Notes section, I blew my head gasket on Wednesday night on the way home from work. Fortunately it wasn’t a fatal engine right-off as the gasket is only leaking under high revs.

I was quoted £590 +vat for a new gasket, skim, cam belt etc. On top of that I would need to hire a car for at least a week while the work was carried out. The cheapest car hire I could find at such short notice was £155 for the week. So, assuming nothing else was found wrong with the car and the job took no more than seven days to complete, I was looking at a cost just shy of £850.

Now the problem was I intended selling my car in August after moving house and changing jobs. The current market value for an 11 year old 16v NA is about £1200. So is it worth fixing??

I phoned the local car dealership (Village Cars) and after a lot of haggling they agreed to part exchange it in its current state for £450.

I am now the (sorry but I can’t use the word proud here) owner of 2006 Vauxhall Meriva 1.4. Why buy the Meriva I hear you ask? Well, we intend to become a one car family and with a one year old son and another baby planned, we need a sensible car. The wife likes the Meriva as it is higher up than most cars making it a lot easier when you have young children. We also needed something that was cheap to run and reliable for the next five years.

Now you would think buying a new car would fill me with joy and excitement but I just feel so sad! I went to test drive the Meriva this morning and when I got in the car my heart just sank. I was surrounded by a sea of grey plastic! My coops got more style in its petrol cap than there is style on the entire Meriva!!

Last night I limped home in the coop keeping the revs below 2000 the whole way. I just kept thinking this isn’t the way I wanted us to part. It’s like the last time you see your dieing grandmother in hospital – that’s not how you want to remember her but it is. I just wanted to put my foot down and give the old girl one last blast of fun (my car that is, not my grandmother! ). Just to rub salt in to the wounds I passed a lovely red coupe in Harlow and the bloke smiled and gave me a big wave! I thought “Who’s going to wave at me in my new car!?”

At least I know the coops going to be repaired and hopefully the next owner will have as much fun as I have had over the last three and a half years of ownership.

I would just like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped me out with technical advice over the last few years (Carlt and Neil to name but a few). I’ll definitely be sticking around as this is such a friendly happy forum!

Thanks again everyone.

PS. If you see a blue Vauxhall Meriva flashing at you in the future and there is some nutter inside it waving and smiling at you – that’ll be me!!

Man at those sorta figures you're gonna regret not just holding onto it Me heart goes out ta ya

Sorry to hear that Glenn. Understand your predicament...

After I crashed mine, I got a temporary Passat. It was just utterly utterly boring and soulless. It was transport, full stop, and nothing more.

I'm really looking forward to getting mine back and seeing how it will feel after 6 months or so away. Trouble is, I strongly suspect that I'm going to end up feeling more "connected" than in the Monaro!

Sorry to hear the trouble Glenn, it's always sad to hear a fellow 16 Valver is having to give it up.

Needs must though, you're doing the right thing I think.

It was me who waved at you and no one has ever called my Coop lovely before...brings a tear to my eye!

I've also got a Ulysee, (3 kids), so maybe we can start an MPV section. We might not be able to go fast but we can get lots of people there in comfort at least!

Keep it Glen! £850 to repair and much reduced running costs (as 2nd car) is not a big price to pay for the huge enjoyment. And it's unlikely to depreciate very much more. Check repair cost with Roger.

I'm with dazzle, I only owned mine 3 months or so and I think I would probably sell my bike quicker than get rid of my Coupe. Up to now I never thought I'd ever hear myself say that coz nothing accelerates like a bike. Nothing feels like a bike but them there coupes have a habit of gettin under your skin like no other car i ever owned.

Nah, save for a turbo!

I think we can all agree don't get rid of it you will regret it. You will then resent your partner hate your kids and leave them all live in bubble gum coupe world!!

All this hinges on your decision not to keep the Coupe or buy another!

for 450 part ex its worth keeping to break for bits. will make more that way surely

Carlt where are you ?

carls on holiday i believe.

I tend to agree with the others, for the sake ok £850, surely its worth keeping as a second car?

Problem is it would be a third car at the moment as my wife still has hers and I just don't have the space for three cars. Parking is a bit of an issue where I live. Even if I did have the space to scrap it, I'm moving in six weeks so I would then need to get it shifted.

If I was keeping it I wouldn't think twice about spending the money. Just seemed silly to spend all the money on a car that I intend selling 3 months later.

Anyway it's sold now and although I'm sad to see it go, at least I don't have the stress of having to get it fixed whilts also hoping that nothing else goes wrong with it.