Is there a mathematical formula for fixing versus repairing car for NCT?

sxt · 21-10-2016 06:02PM #1

I have a 2002 ford focus which failed on

1 brake hoses on on one side

2 track rods on on one side

3 door seal rust rear on one side

That seems to be about 3-4 hundred quid repair

That means car is not worth maybe 100 if I could sell it for parts

Im 50/50 on repairing it or not .is this a 50/50 decision. Or does the rust( structural damaged) underneath the car mean the best decision would be to scrap the car?

No idea. Would 3-4 hundred quid be deemed reasonable to keep car on road for probably it's last year?

Anyone been in a similar position?

colm_mcm · 21-10-2016 06:06PM

The real question is has the car been good to you otherwise and if there were no issues how long would you intend keeping it?

sxt · 21-10-2016 06:17PM

colm_mcm wrote: »

The real question is has the car been good to you otherwise and if there were no issues how long would you intend keeping it?

I bought the car a year and a half ago. It failed the last nct on worn ball joints, which was cheap enought fix. In the time, I had the car , I've had no other problems. I would keep the car for another year at most, that's presuming there will be loads more problems at next NCT. Plus all the tyres would need replacing if I kept it longer than next year

colm_mcm · 21-10-2016 06:25PM

sxt wrote: »

I bought the car a year and a half ago. It failed the last nct on worn ball joints, which was cheap enought fix. In the time, I had the car , I've had no other problems. I would keep the car for another year at most, that's presuming there will be loads more problems at next NCT. Plus all the tyres would need replacing if I kept it longer than next year

Car is worth next to nothing as it stands. €400 for a car that you know reasonably well isn't too bad. €400 doesn't buy you a lot of car.

mgbgt1978 · 21-10-2016 06:27PM

Is it Door Seal rust or underbody rust which caused Fail no. 3 ???
You mentioned both in your post.

If it's underbody, and anywhere near a suspension mounting, it will probably be uneconomical to repair as they will ask for a cert from a "suitably qualified person" to confirm that they did the repair to an acceptable standard.
This will cost more than the car is worth.

sxt · 21-10-2016 06:29PM

colm_mcm wrote: »

Car is worth next to nothing as it stands. €400 for a car that you know reasonably well isn't too bad. €400 doesn't buy you a lot of car.

Thanks. That's makes sense. If I fix , it has some value again!

grogi · 21-10-2016 07:10PM

sxt wrote: »

Thanks. That's makes sense. If I fix , it has some value again!

Its value is in your effort to finding a next one. Fix this one and you can use it... Don't fix it and you'll spend couple of days finding another car, which by all means will need fixes too...

unkel · 21-10-2016 11:25PM

Someone has to play the devil's advocate here. Spending €400 on your car is crazy. Scrap it. Or put it up on Donedeal honestly describing its state. You might even get €100 - €150 for it easily enough.

Look in the bangernomics thread or do your own search on donedeal for cars with a long NCT in the €500 - €800 range. There are plenty. You'll end up with a recently tested car with a long test for not a cent more than what you were about to invest in your basket case

No brainer!

unkel · 21-10-2016 11:27PM

sxt wrote: »

Thanks. That's makes sense. If I fix , it has some value again!

Yeah. Spend €400 to fix it. Then €55 for the NCT. Hopefully it passes, if so your car will be worth about €455 with a long NCT. A lot of investment for zero potential gain.

If you like your car, fix it. The rational decision however is to get another one.

Magellan Murphy · 22-10-2016 12:41AM

Time to wake up, it's a scrapper. Worth approx €25 in scrap. Put the €400 into another purchase.

Car99 · 22-10-2016 08:26AM

unkel wrote: »

Yeah. Spend €400 to fix it. Then €55 for the NCT. Hopefully it passes, if so your car will be worth about €455 with a long NCT. A lot of investment for zero potential gain.

If you like your car, fix it. The rational decision however is to get another one.

Zero potential gain? He gets the use of a car he knows well for another year at least. Saves him the hassle of buting someone else's trouble with who knows what unknown issues. I'd fix it an drive on cause you wont replace it for cheaper .

Isambard · 22-10-2016 08:34AM

i'm thinking by "door seal rust" you actually mean "sill rust".

If it's just the sills , then it isn't a huge job. Brake hoses and track rods are relatively minor jobs too.

However if you are paying someone to do these, I doubt €400 will cover it. The car would need to be otherwise in excellent condition to go ahead.

I'd buy another with a long NCT . Getting another Focus and keeping yours for spares is an option. Be prepared to throw away the new car at the end of it's NCT. I think it's the cheapest way to keep motoring, with the main problem now being insuring an older car.

Is there a mathematical formula for fixing versus repairing car for NCT?

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