Car failed its MOT

Epburpee

Epburpee

Epburpee

Associate
Joined
25 Nov 2011
Posts
554
Location
Flat Norfolk
I can pay £800 to get a new cat and have the whole exhaust system changed.
I've been quoted this by a garage I've gone to for years, so I don't need a second opinion.
It's got a couple of other small advisories I am not concerned about.
Changed the Cam belt a couple of years ago, and it's a fair assumption that I can expect another 12 months +

This is a Peugeot 208 2011 reg. The usual costs are about £110 per month to get me to and from work and pick up groceries, plus a couple of car parking fees.
My question is about the cost-effectiveness of alternatives. This is the only car I have ever had.

I could get an electric bike or car, then I won't have to pay for fuel as well.

Does anyone rent cars or do long-term leasing? The quotes I am finding are way out of budget and clearly not cost-effective long-term.

** edit 2012 reg not 11
 
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If the car is otherwise reliable and you aren't doing 3k miles per month, or you aren't in the higher rate tax bracket with a good salary sacrifice scheme at work; the most cost effective route is to fix the car you have and keep using it.
 
Rilot said:
If the car is otherwise reliable and you aren't doing 3k miles per month, or you aren't in the higher rate tax bracket with a good salary sacrifice scheme at work; the most cost effective route is to fix the car you have and keep using it.
Click to expand...

Thanks, hadn't thought about the salary sacrifice option and work does offer it.
 
When my first car started kicking up bills like this I paid it, because I didn't really have the money for something else, and because it seemed like the car would be ok if I just fixed that one thing.

In reality, these bills meant that car cost quite a lot to keep running, it consistently kept needing more repairs, and it became very unreliable. I scrapped it.

When I see this situation, I think "jesus get rid of that hunk of junk before it costs you more money".

My options would be:
- Fix it and sell it
- Don't fix it and scrap it

Then it's a question of what is your budget and requirements for whatever you replace it with. For your short range trips I'd be thinking used EV.
 
Epburpee said:
I can pay £800 to get a new cat and have the whole exhaust system changed.
I've been quoted this by a garage I've gone to for years, so I don't need a second opinion.
It's got a couple of other small advisories I am not concerned about.
Changed the Cam belt a couple of years ago, and it's a fair assumption that I can expect another 12 months +

This is a Peugeot 208 2011 reg. The usual costs are about £110 per month to get me to and from work and pick up groceries, plus a couple of car parking fees.
My question is about the cost-effectiveness of alternatives. This is the only car I have ever had.

I could get an electric bike or car, then I won't have to pay for fuel as well.

Does anyone rent cars or do long-term leasing? The quotes I am finding are way out of budget and clearly not cost-effective long-term.
Click to expand...

With that low mileage/fuel cost, any fuel savings from going EV are unlikely to save close to what it would cost you to do so.

£800 sounds like a lot, but really it's only what, 2-3 months of lease payments?

Nasher said:
TBH even then it doesn't usually beat running an old car for cost.
Click to expand...

Indeed, although you save on tax, the monthlies on the schemes are usually inflated when compared to private lease deals, so you don't end up saving anywhere near the 20/40% you'd initially expect.

One of my mates at work got a new Niro on our SS scheme at the same time I took a private lease on a used one, and even in the 40% tax band, he's still paying £150/month more than me for the same mileage/term!
 
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throwaway4372 said:
When my first car started kicking up bills like this I paid it, because I didn't really have the money for something else, and because it seemed like the car would be ok if I just fixed that one thing.

In reality, these bills meant that car cost quite a lot to keep running, it consistently kept needing more repairs, and it became very unreliable. I scrapped it.

When I see this situation, I think "jesus get rid of that hunk of junk before it costs you more money".

My options would be:
- Fix it and sell it
- Don't fix it and scrap it

Then it's a question of what is your budget and requirements for whatever you replace it with. For your short range trips I'd be thinking used EV.
Click to expand...

It's only an exhaust, they all need replacing eventually unless it came from the factory in stainless steel.

Going and buying an EV is just throwing money away. You'll lose it many times over in depreciation.
 
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Need a new cat? What does the emissions test report actually say? If your exhaust is blowing then you'll not pass the lambda test so it's possibly nothing to do with the catalytic converter.
 
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