young driver car emergency

[mnelson]

hello first things 1st a little background info

i am 18 in three weeks and have been driving a 1.2 16v renault clio for about 3 months.
i didnt have any choice in the car (even though it was my money!) and it turned out to be a dog

long story short, there is so much wrong with it (clutch, head gasket, bent driveshaft etc.) that it is not worth repairing.

now for my questions

what is the best way to get back some of the money?

i looked at we buy any car and was offered £347 (it cost £1800 less than a year ago!) is this the only way i can sell a car in this state?

also any recommendations for what to replace it with?

i want something with a bit more oomph but also something that wont fall apart all the time and something that wont break the bank to insure

unsure of budget so say £2-£3 grand

was sorta swaying towards a seat arosa sport as only group 5 insurance, but still plenty fast, and in my opinion very cool

anyone had any experience with these?
what did it replace?
what was it replaced by?

thanks alot for your time and sorry for the multiple questions ha

[jas xjr]

if you have the time and space it might be worth a lot more as spare parts. bumpers / lights / wheels & tyres can all add up even if the engine is damaged.alternator , starter always sell. even a second hand exhaust.
just have a look at the classifieds to see what the spares might fetch.

[SteveS Cup]

Even if it's a total dog you could flog it on ebay, just be honest about what is wrong with it.

It would be worth more in parts but that is a long drawn out process requiring mechanical knowledge and ability and most of all time.

[DrTre]

Out of interest, how does a driveshaft get bent?

[FamilyDub]

Break for spare parts?

[dvs_dave]

mnelson said:

hello first things 1st a little background info

i am 18 in three weeks and have been driving a 1.2 16v renault clio for about 3 months.
i didnt have any choice in the car (even though it was my money!) and it turned out to be a dog

long story short, there is so much wrong with it (clutch, head gasket, bent driveshaft etc.) that it is not worth repairing.

now for my questions

what is the best way to get back some of the money?

i looked at we buy any car and was offered £347 (it cost £1800 less than a year ago!) is this the only way i can sell a car in this state?

also any recommendations for what to replace it with?

i want something with a bit more oomph but also something that wont fall apart all the time and something that wont break the bank to insure

unsure of budget so say £2-£3 grand

was sorta swaying towards a seat arosa sport as only group 5 insurance, but still plenty fast, and in my opinion very cool

anyone had any experience with these?
what did it replace?
what was it replaced by?

thanks alot for your time and sorry for the multiple questions ha

What condition was it in when you bought it?

Where did you buy the car from (dealer or private?)

A lot of the faults you mention can easily be attributed to an unsympathetic driving style. You're 17 you say?

Lastly,

17 year old + "more oomph" = WILL break the bank to insure, no ifs, buts or maybes.

[The Nur]

The Crack Fox said:

Kill it with fire. Good Luck

+1

[Bungleaio]

Breaking it would probably net you the most but it's quite a bit of effort and you might end up with a few awkward bits to get rid of when all the bits people want have gone.

Just out of interest why didn't you have any input into the purchase of the clio?

[Baz Tench]

It's your first car, use it as a learning curve. Buy a manual for it, invest in a tool kit and tinker with it a bit. It's very satisfying when you manage to replace/fix something yourself.

*Condescending mode*

I dunno, the 'throw away generation' eh!

[hairykrishna]

eBay. Just list everything that's wrong with it. Someone will buy it to mend it or break it, depending on how buggered it is.

[Doniger]

The Crack Fox said:

Have you looked at a Fabia ? VW feel at more sensible prices. VRs (diesel) is a hoot.

...and two to three times his budget to buy, and that's before he even tries to insure the thing at 18 years of age. Look out for a "HOW much?!?!" thread about his insurance, coming to a forum near you.

[Lionsden]

If you have the time to spare I'd recommend breaking it up yourself and selling the parts on ebay or similar, I did this to my old saxo last year a little every weekend for a few months. After being offered next to nothing for it as spare and repair, and the scrapyard offering me £100, I thought, sod it I'll break it up and sell it, I was very suprised to get back nearly a grand, which I'd have been hard pushed to get for it if it was still road worthy. Also you'll learn a lot about a car by doing this.

[mnelson]

thanks for your replies guys although i did think about breaking it up my parents wont let me as we have neither the tools or the space

fixing it, well there are alot of other things wrong ill try not to miss any out:
head gasket
driveshaft
clutch
leaky sunroof
boot pistons
passenger seat wont recline
passenger headrest wont stay up
passenger seat wont allow rear access
passenger window jams open
holes and stains on both front seats
rear seatbelts dont always click
front bumper is wonky
large dent in drivers door
rust spots and paint chips on most panels
dents in bonnet
passenger door jams closed
slit in steering wheel

but, like breaking it up, i dont have any tools, experience or space to keep it and the car i will buy at the same time (need one pretty soon)


i had no input as to what car i chose because my parents chose it for me and said 'that or nothing', basically ha

'throwaway generation' may be true but its what the mechanic advised

and ha yeh i know insurance is gonna be a bummer for a long time, what i should have said was 'i would like something a bit quicker which wont increase the insurance by more than a few hundred pounds'

once again thanks for your help, can you please give some advice as to what cars to look at for a replacement

[QuackHandle]

I'd forget about getting anything remotely quick if you're not even 18 yet.

[UncleRic]

mnelson said:

head gasket
driveshaft
clutch
leaky sunroof
boot pistons
passenger seat wont recline
passenger headrest wont stay up
passenger seat wont allow rear access
passenger window jams open
holes and stains on both front seats
rear seatbelts dont always click
front bumper is wonky
large dent in drivers door
rust spots and paint chips on most panels
dents in bonnet
passenger door jams closed
slit in steering wheel

So ALL of that happened in JUST 3 months.. or did you just not notice that it was a snotter ..AND you still paid £1,800??

Blimey.

[Baz Tench]

The first three things on that list are obviously the most serious, but not that serious on the whole.

The rest are pretty minor faults really, or at least I could live with them with it being a first car and all.

Spend your money on night classes at college doing a maintenance course. Beg, borrow and buy whatever you can tool wise and go about fixing it up. I honestly think you're being a bit too picky with it. Yes you paid too much for it in the first place. You've already learned the hard way there, stick with it though, and learn from it would be my advice.

You could be just storing up more trouble for yourself by making a big loss on this trying to move it on and then maybe spending more good money on something else which may bring its own set of problems.

[Louisa911]

UncleRic said:

So ALL of that happened in JUST 3 months.. or did you just not notice that it was a snotter ..AND you still paid £1,800??

Blimey.

My thoughts exactly

[mnelson]

no it didnt all happen in the last three months why do people assume that because im a new driver i abused the car?
all the minor flaws were already there and the three bigger ones have just developed gradually.
as i have already said (twice?) i didnt have any choice in the car and didnt see it before it was bought

as for paying for night classes for college, i already go to college 3 days a week studying civil and construction engineering, and work as a labourer the other two days. i dont have enough time as it is and need a car to get to college so i wouldnt be able to repair it as i need a car asap

can anyone suggest any cars to look into please rather than just critisizing me for being a new driver when you have never seen me drive and tbf everyone has to start somewhere

[eldar]

mnelson said:

no it didnt all happen in the last three months why do people assume that because im a new driver i abused the car?

To be fair, you appear to have paid a lot of money for a poor car, and new drivers don't have the experience to know when problems are developing. Listen to the advice you're getting. It will help you get better value in your next car.

We were all inexperienced once

[FraserLFA]

mnelson said:

head gasket
driveshaft
clutch
leaky sunroof Gaffa Tape
boot pistons Do you need the boot?
passenger seat wont recline So?
passenger headrest wont stay up So?
passenger seat wont allow rear access So?
passenger window jams open Gaffa Tape
holes and stains on both front seats So?
rear seatbelts dont always click Gaffa tape i guess
front bumper is wonky Deffinitely Gaffa Tape
large dent in drivers door So?
rust spots and paint chips on most panels So?
dents in bonnet So?
passenger door jams closed So?
slit in steering wheel So?

You're not going for a show winner here. You have 3 months driving experience. You're going to have knocks and scrapes. Keep it in a st state for a few years (Just fix the important bits) and get a new one when it dies/you crash it/ You're a more educated driver.

Don't blow more money on a new car that you're likely to ruin anyway. Replace the fault parts with bits from a scrap yard.