General Well, I was going to get rid of it...

[disgusted]

I bought our JTD ELX Multi shiny and new in May 2001.

Then, we had 4 children at home aged 10, 12, 14 & 16. Our holidays were under canvas, so I ordered roof bars to fit a big roofbox to and a towbar to pull our camping trailer with. Even Rocky our angry Jack Russell (he's still with us, he's still angry) had his own FIAT part - a genuine accessory dog guard and platform.


The children have all left home, we don't go camping any more. We don't need a Multi. I told Mrs Disgusted that I was going to get rid of it and buy a new car (I was thinking of a Citroen C3 Picasso).

Blimey, you should have heard the fuss, most people would have been excited to get a shiny new car.

So, we're keeping it. Just great. 174k miles. It needs new handbrake cables, rear drums, shoes and adjusters and the (2nd) clutch is on it's way out.

I guess that the car is worth about £1000 (optimistic), I reckon that's what it'll cost to bring up to scratch.

Sounds like dodgy economics to me...

 

[QinteQ]

Not necessarily .. .. dodgey economics that is !

- you could dump Mrs Multipla
- and get a new shiny Mrs C3 Picasso
- only to find you've bought an unreliable dog

My advice Mr Disgusted, stick with the one you love, and who loves you back .. .. good economics that is

 

[dave]

better the car you know than the car you don't

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

:yeahthat: if you've had it from new and it ain't broke why shift it?

Sounds like its got memories attached to it etc etc. Just like mums Yaris, purchased new 2 months before your multi. On 145k now, just had the first thing fail on it, and that's the exhaust needing a complete replacement. Yes we could replace it with a newer model but it's still running perfectly fine and although a few more bits may gradually start to go due to wear and tear that's to be expected. It'll still be cheaper to maintain than to replace with newer car that'll depreciate and we know it's not a dog which a replacement motor might be

 

[disgusted]

You're all right in a way I suppose.

For the sake of domestic peace, I'll keep it.

I'll invest in a new driver's door mirror. The paint has fallen off the existing one and it stopped folding a couple of years ago.

I've got a new seat height motor/assembly in the garage, I'll fit that too.

& I suppose that I'll have to wash the thing now.


Seriously, this has been quite a car. 170+k miles, apart from consumables (clutches, joints, bakes, SPRINGS), the only problem that we've ever had was a sooted-up EGR valve. That didn't stop the car though, just made it awful to drive for a few days.

Economical too. I used to check how economical (see my long-running thread on "accuracy of mpg readout"), now I do this infrequently. In town 32ish, on the run (no roofboot or trailer anymore) 42ish.

 

[umberto]

Still cheaper than buying a dodgy C3..

 

[dave]

dont just wash it, go have a read of the car care section and restor its paint to better than new with a few good products