What do you do with an aging model? (NLC)

[cla5h]

My second car, with 80k mls and a value no more than £2k, needs the clutch slave cylinder replaced, which requires removal of gearbox to change. Timing belts are also due.

The tyres are looking a bit ropey, as is the exhaust backbox, and the front wishbone ball-joints are on their way out (requires dropping sub-frame and changing wishbones complete). Car is MOTd until end of year - it's debatable whether any/all of these items would qualify for a pass come re-test time.

Apart from all of the above the car is fine(!) and I'd be happy to keep it. However, if I was to get all of that done, I'd be spending nearly the value of the car, so what would you recommend:

- Do nothing, and scrap it
- Get only the clutch cylinder replaced and trade in against something else.
- Get the clutch cylinder replaced and timing belts done and sell privately.
- As above plus new clutch whilst the gearbox is out, but keep car, pay for whatever needs done at MOT and hope (pray?) I get another year out of it.

[mwmackenzie]

What kind of car is it?

[tut]

A wreck.................

tut

[cla5h]

Alfa

[mwmackenzie]

Alfa

Model/spec?

[DDtB]

Noooooooooooooooooo!!!! It can't be the Alfa super-shed you're thinking about 'sending to the farm'.....

[cla5h]

I'm afraid so Dave. I've had it 2 and a half years, and it hasn't given me too many problems up till now.

As I mentioned it is still a great car, and I'd happily keep it if I thought I'd get another year out of it. My concern is shelling out a shed-load is no guarantee that something else won't go wrong with it. My quandry is that it's going to cost more to buy another, newer, car so either way it's going to cost.

Mark - 156 - 2.0 JTS.

[mwmackenzie]

When I was in a similar situation the other year I went with, better the devil you know and sorted it at a cost of almost the value of the car thinking that's everything that can go wrong changed in my ownership.... put new engine in, then another and another and then cv joints suspension, gearbox etc... was a bit of a money pit but it was all sorted when I sold it... That wasn't my Elise although that is also on engine number 3 too... 3 must be my lucky number hahaha

I guess if you like it fix it, if your sick of it chop it in or fix the obvious most pressing probs and flog it?

[Andy G]

hot hatch day then scrappy?

[j2 lot]

Clutch cylinder and trade in.

[mckeann]

trade it in without fixing slave cyclinder. they wont drive it before they offer you a sh*t trade in.

[jen]

Kinda same situation I was in when I traded in the Clio for the Mini. Mot was due and I would have had to have spent a couple of hundred pounds to get it through and wouldnt have made that money back if I sold it privately.

In the end, I just traded it in. The salesman drove it so still picked up on the numerous faults it had developed which needed fixed for Mot (caused by a few sessions at KH last year!) but still gave me £2,100 (I paid £2,500 for it over a year ago) There was no way I would have got a better deal selling it privately after spending £300-400 to get through its Mot, and the hassle of advertising it, keeping it clean when people came to look at it and finding the right next car for me didn't have to happen, so I was happy.

Jen

[Fluoxetine]

You'll get offered peanuts for it, as a trade in - Looked at trading my 2001 156 SW two years back... 70k, FSH, Veloce kit (leather / bodykit / big wheels), fairly tidy with no known faults...Dealer offered £800...

(Sold it privately for over twice that! )

Great car, but over the two years I had it, it needed:

New clutch / release bearing
Variator / Cambelt
Suspension work (x2 new dampers, upper arms / front wishbones)
Fronts discs and pads
3 tyres
2 rear electric window motors
1 rear wiper motor (was a Sportwagon)
New ABS sensor (£160!)

And it was a very well looked after car, prior to my purchase (my friend's brother owned it for 5 years).

Having owned various cars, from brand spanking new, to 170k+ mile sheds, I've never had a car which needed £2.5k+ on maintenance spent on it over 2 years...(!)

Hate to say it, but I'd look at replacing the slave cylinder as cheaply as possible, and selling privately for a very tempting price...You'll be lucky if a stealer offers much more than £1200 for the car!

[Scotty C]

will you not get £2k salvage for it if you trade it, or do you have to buy a new car?

[thinfourth]

How bad is the slave cylinder?

If only mildly fooked and a separate reservoir replace fluid with thick gear oil and sell quickly, very quickly