Hey people.
Basically im in mixed minds about what to do with my Coupe.

I have a stupid Loan to pay off with 4 years left, which my deal has gone pear shaped with the current climate, so thats going to take a good few months to sort out...
I really don't know if i can keep the Coupe on the road in its best condition.
I don't want to run it till it breaks because i have spend over 2k on it already getting it healthy and back to standard.

The cambelt is also due and i need to sort out a steering problem (wishbones) but i cant afford that at the moment. Less important bits are the paintwork at the back, and the left overs of someone keying my car to sort out...

As this is the case, im tempted to take the Coupe off the road for 6 months and get a run around car. I would hate to have to sell the Coupe as i couldn't bare not having it and i would have lost so much money on it.

The Plan is, get some insurance money back on the Coupe...if i can?? (Payed for it annual and cost me 2k because i was 19/20) and have 5 months left. Get my tax back, and keep it at my parents under a cover, starting it now and then.

Also i will have to re-insure the Coupe in August (£1,231) get 6 months tax, MOT it in August and do the jobs list as above. May be too much for me at the moment.

If i got a runaround, i could use my insurance money to buy the car or put towards it, have much cheaper insurance and have less worries and things to go wrong.
The cars im thinking of are either a Bravo/a 1.6 ELX or 1.8HLX or a 2.0
HGT bravo.
Insurance ranges from £500 to £830 for them. But hopefully with less jobs to do on them and Full MOT's and cheaper running costs i could put some money away to spend on the Coupe when my finances are better???

Or...do i just keep the Coupe, spend the 600 quid on it and re-insure it and just hope for the best??

Last option would be to sell the Coupe for the money (really don't want to go this way though)

Sorry about the long post guys, just really need some impartial advice here.

Danny

If you can afford it, SORN the coupe, cover it up properly so the damaged bits don't go rusty and buy a cheap low insurance runaround for now

I probably sound snobbish but i dont like really small cars...but a Brava/o 1.6 ELX would be perfect(low-ish insurance) as i like the spec and look of these, and i have had one before. Im so picky with cars, and it has to be Italian

I didn't mention small cars , but a cheap runaround, such as a sheddy 1.6 Bravo would meet those criteria

I thought i'd just put that in before i get recommended one

Thanks for that Vik, if a few more people say the same thing i may do this...even though i really don't want too. (Got to have a sensible head sometimes i guess)

If I was going down the route of another car, then I'd go for a smaller engine than the 1.6, as it will also be cheaper to tax, as well as insure.

Rover 25

Cos I had to do it Dan.. you should

i am in the same boat well sort of really dont want to sell but can be doing with a van at the moment and sorting a few niggly bits out, my tax is out at end of month any ways so rather that maying £100 od quid and m,y garage bill for clutch and full service might be easier resting it a bit, so your idea is not a bad one

Techinally my idea if you ask Dan

I wouldn't. Stick with it, you could be buying into just as much hassle with something else even if it's "cheaper"

Are you also suggesting leaving un-insured at your parents?
We all know that leaving these cars to sit doesn't really work, in 6 months time we'll get another post saying "while it's been sitting....so I'm breaking it...email me for parts" and we don't want that.

Can you get a loan from your folks for 6 months to tide you over?

Do not get a 2.0 HGT Bravo - thirstiest thing I've ever experienced.

Any other option would be financially sounder than keeping one of them in fuel!

Thats not true, in normal driving my HGT gets 35mpg and gets 40mpg on the motorway at sensible speeds.

Summer's coming...get a pushbike...very cheap to run, gets one out in the fresh air and good for the thighs AFAIK, Lincolnshire is very flat, so perfect form of transport

Sheddy?! Tsk.

Instead of a 1.6, consider a 1.2. I have one and have to say it gets no-where fast but is very cheap to run.

Maybe I was just unlucky then, mine never got anywhere near that!

We have a 1.2 Bravo as well.
It is very nippy for a 1.2 and does around 45mpg in general use.


You can also get a pretty good one for £600 odd quid, and they are cheaper then Punto's year for year.

hi Dan,

lets face it if your going to sell right now you'll have to sell for less (nobody has any money at the minute) so if your car needs things doing then thats less again.

a garage round the corner from me was telling me that he is finding it hard to sell big engine cars but can push out little cars quite well.

you can buy a good 1.2 punto sporting with low miles for just a few hundred quid but if your going to spend some money on buying a new car that may be worse than what you got then surely keeping yours on the road isn't going to cost a great deal more (if i'm making sense there).

i recommend as Insy says a 1.2 'cus fiat make some good little engines

yip spoke to dan he is taking all the credit on ths one sorry lol only jokin of course.

I looked into cancelling insurance on a previous car I owned a few years back. I think I was about 7 months into the policy like you. They charge an extortionate cancellation fee which means you will hardly get any money back and and obviously you won't get the no claims so it really isn't worth it.

Have a look into it and see. Another option may be to see if you can add another car to the policy and then buy a cheap run around. I am currently driving a Clio I bought for £300 last year and I have hardly had to spend any money on it what so ever.

Just transfer the insurance to a new car if you are prepared to leave the coupe without cover

Thanks for all the replies!!

Well i have owned a 1.6 Brava and a 1.8 Bravo and they were both very good on the fuel consumption, tax and MOT wont matter as ill get one with it on already. Ill only be keeping the car for a year at the most until i get my finances sorted.
Theres a garage selling a 1.6 Brava HLX( ) for 650 quid down the road so ill be looking at that tomorrow.
I spent enough on my insurance so ill expect a bit back but i know it wont be Pro-Rata. That will go towards the Brava and then i should have no major worries for a year and i can continue to save to fix up the Coupe.

Would rather save properly and store it at my parents (very safe) then fix it perfectly instead of running it into the ground now.
Wishbones need doing soon as steering can be vague.
Cambelt is due in the next 5k and i'd rather not leave this too late, then the clutch which is light, but bites high, and again i would rather sort this than just run it till it breaks.

Ill keep the thread updated but i really wont sell the car as in my head its work 4k in car and work done on it which is crazy to other people

Iv already left the Coupe fold once...never again!!

Dan
How would you feel if you let it go, then a few weeks later you logged in only to see her;
Slammed to the ground,
Body kit,
rear spoiler,
fat wheels,
Fe*"%ri badges.

Best lock her away !

i bloody knew it, BUY A ROVER 25 hahah just done over 200miles in it over the weekend. No warning lights, no warming up, no cutting out and also didnt need to go to ONE Petrol station!

Didnt miss a beat!

I have done a K series Headgasket if you need a hand when the time comes.



Only kidding, it will probably be ok if it has made it this far.

symonh2000... i have wood in the rover! Everytime i think headgasket... i touch it!

Wont be for long though! Planning to get the coop back on the road for August 1st (Road trip to Brighton Pride )

And then probs change the 25 for something bigger and keep it as a run around and the coop for weekends.


Really missing the coop though

think im going to go the diesel route

I'm having Déjà vu!

I have had that before.

Diesels might be cheap to run, but they can be very expensive to fix

Aye, said that for a reason though!


DanDan will get my joke



Though i am abit harsh

yeah but this is a cheap diesel Matt, not a 12k Alfa Diesel

it will be fine!