General Keep it or swap it?

[Cal Culater]

One of the first, a 2006 55 reg GP 1.4 Active Sport, purchased as a demonstrator when 3 months old with 1700 miles, now covered 50k miles, just passed MOT at 5 yrs old.

Faults so far:-
Boot lock (under warranty)
New heater unit (under warranty)
N/S strut top bearing (7/09)
MAP sensor (1/10)
Breather hose (twice, last 5/10)
Broken O/S front coil spring (1/11)
We ignore the overtemperature warning when cold as I know it's only a software bug.

We love it and seem to have been reasonably lucky reliability-wise so far. It is driven gently and covers 30 miles most weekdays with a 100 mile motorway run most weeks. It being off the road for an odd day is not an issue.

I realise that reading these forums mostly only highlights cars that go wrong and that there will be many more that have little or no trouble. I am weighing up whether it's time to swap it now, or, recognising that it will depreciate more slowly from now on, risk the bills that will be incurred keeping it for say 3-5 more years. It's Michelin tyres will cover the next 30k.

It seems inevitable that I will need a battery before too long (although it was fine in the cold of Nov/Dec last year) and consumables such as front brakes and wiper blades. These things are predictable and don't concern me over much. Neither do things that cost say £100 to fix to pass an MOT. I'm factoring in a timing belt at the 54k service given its age, and changing the brake fluid.

What does concern me is unpredictable large bills which involve dealer visits (I live a long way from any).

1. I have read about the power steering and would give myself about a 50:50 chance of incurring an £850 bill for this. Do people agree?

2. Is there anything else on this scale that is likely to happen?

3. Any advice for preventing problems if we do keep it?


AND MAINLY

4. Do people think we should keep it or swap it?

 

[Booth]

We need pictures! haha

 

[Mozarella]

There are few/plenty of arguments either way. You've hit on some of the expensive items, the question is, do you sell it and get back some residual value, or run it into the ground? There are plenty of the older Puntos around where I live (not Grandes though) and almost any car will need new batteries, tyres, clutches and cambelts as they head toward middle age. I usually manage things so that the MOT coincides with the annual service which lessens the hassle, so even that isn't a chore, and you've just had one done.

One possible consideration if you're thinking of a change is to look at some of the great trade-in offers around at the moment, not just on the FIAT site. January often brings good price breaks as the market is slow, especially if you're prepared to haggle.

Otherwsie, the car is worth around £2500 or so. What to do?

I traded my six-year old VW in for a GP Sound, the new car cost me just £2500. I still don't know whether it was a good move, but nothing has broken on the Fiat yet. The Golf was out of warranty and there were worries about £1400 turbocharger bills.

At five years + old, clutches, brake disks, shocks and cat-convertors (rare) can need replacement. As the car ages, further the bills will usually increase.

Treat yourself or keep the car?

 

[Magic Johnson]

Coming from someone who has had the misery of owning a car older than 5 years old three times now:

SELL IT!

This GP is the newest car I've had (3 years) and I plan on keeping it until it's 5 years old.

 

[Cal Culater]

There are few/plenty of arguments either way. You've hit on some of the expensive items, the question is, do you sell it and get back some residual value, or run it into the ground? There are plenty of the older Puntos around where I live (not Grandes though) and almost any car will need new batteries, tyres, clutches and cambelts as they head toward middle age. I usually manage things so that the MOT coincides with the annual service which lessens the hassle, so even that isn't a chore, and you've just had one done.

One possible consideration if you're thinking of a change is to look at some of the great trade-in offers around at the moment, not just on the FIAT site. January often brings good price breaks as the market is slow, especially if you're prepared to haggle.

Otherwsie, the car is worth around £2500 or so. What to do?

I traded my six-year old VW in for a GP Sound, the new car cost me just £2500. I still don't know whether it was a good move, but nothing has broken on the Fiat yet. The Golf was out of warranty and there were worries about £1400 turbocharger bills.

At five years + old, clutches, brake disks, shocks and cat-convertors (rare) can need replacement. As the car ages, further the bills will usually increase.

Treat yourself or keep the car?

As always, it's depreciation that's the killer. If I keep the car the max it will cost in depreciation for the next 3 to 5 years is a bit over £2000 assuming it's worth a little something at the end.

But if I swap it for something costing say £10k I am definitely going to lose more than that, £2.5k - £3k, as soon as I drive it away and probably £5.5k - £6.5k in the next 3 years. The difference pays an awful lot of potential maintenance and repair bills.

So even though I am certainly in for close to £500 in the near future for a timing belt and service, the economics are still telling me to keep it for quite a while and take the risk of an odd big bill.

 

[Magic Johnson]

Then buy a nearly new car? Let someone else take the hit.

 

[GrandeGuy]

The two sides of it is. .

1,Keep it, it owes you nothing and take out extended warranty
2,trade it while it's worth something and finance but nothing to worry about just service costs.

I had a 57reg Sporting that i had paid off but just had a baby so needed a bigger car and got good discount, or i would of got extended warranty and kept it till it was 5 years old,

either way it's cars you lose money on them,
Unless you know someone who is eligible for "employee discount" and you'll be surprised at the amount of people who qualifies through their work and don't realise!

But you know the car it's done low miles,
IMO i'd keep it+extended warranty.

 

[focus]

Unless you fancy a change I would keep the car and get an extended warranty as GrandeGuy suggests.

By getting a new car you would be exchanging the possibility of garage bills for the certainty of monthly repayments or having to fund the cost of the car in the first place.

 

[Magic Johnson]

So you'd rather keep an older car on the road half the time (other half in the garage) whilst paying for ongoing maintenance as well as things that go wrong with age?

I'd rather pay off a newer car and be worry free.

 

[Mozarella]

It's a funny thread, this one. I get bored with cars after a couple of years, then I moan and agitate, and convince myself paying £300 a year for an extended warranty is ludicrous. So I go out and pay the £1500 VAT on a new car and take a hit on immediate de-valuation. Ignore me, I'm clearly nuts.

A used Merc though, in a couple of years time, I think

 

[Cal Culater]

Thanks people for all the replies. Appreciate your interest.

Well the consensus seems to be to keep it, which is in line with my instincts, taking the risk out to some extent with an extended warranty.

So I looked that up briefly. Warranty Direct Extracare is £380 for a year plus a month free, and even then it still doesn't cover the clutch and probably lots of other potentially expensive things.

I am not averse to a bit of DIY for some things mentioned like brakes, electric windows, and so on, but of course it's going to be the things that I either don't want to or can't do that will be expensive. The fact that there is still no Haynes manual for this car doesn't help. Sometimes even jobs that I could do I often leave to my local independent garage 'cos he charges £40 an hour, respects my knowledge, and often gets parts cheaper than I can.

Buying nearly new rather than brand new certainly makes sense - we bought this one 5 years ago from a main dealer as a demonstrator and saved £1k even though it was a brand new model at the time.

However, with depreciation being so much on even nearly new and VAT now influencing prices even more, I am inclined to just carry on and chance it, reviewing the situation each year. If my big bill doesn't happen until at least the second year from now the extended warranty premiums I didn't pay should about cover it.

You're not nuts Mozzarella. There must be lots of petrol GPs that have covered 100k miles by now mustn't there? And we're only half way there.

(touch wood )

 

[JTD_Liam]

As it's proven pretty reliable so far, i'd keep it. Yes something like the power steering might break, but there's nothing to say the same wouldn't happen on a newer car that you bought. Many faults are not age related on modern cars.

At least if something goes wrong on this one from now on, you'll be losing less money on depreciation than you would be on a newer car, so in effect that offsets some of the cost of potential repairs.

 

[kramer81]

I have the same dilemna and I think I'm coming to the same conclusion. Arnold Clark are selling brand new old-style GPs for 6988 which was quite tempting. But I'd probably only get 2500-2750 trade in which would be galling since i paid £5000 16 months ago!

 

[Mozarella]

I looked at extended waranties for my G*lf. I figured being charged £380 a year for my own fears about a six year old was a bit salty. Tesco did a 'good' car warranty until last year for about £300, but closed the scheme for reasons unknown. What to do?

The finances of car-ownership were never sensible, but having a tame local mechanic should be a big help. It was only greed which made me swap for the GP. Two grand off a new car proved irresistable. Fear of being marooned, you see.

I note from a pal in Sheffield, of the perils of public transport. He works in London and stays there during the week. Wakes up late on Monday, misses his train and is charged £81 for a ticket for the next one. Who who be without a car?

 

[Cal Culater]

Out of interest I have just got the bill for my recent broken front spring episode from my star of a local garage.

His price to me for OEM quality spring £34.22 inc VAT (it might even have been made in Brum rather than China, you never know).

Compare Shop4parts current price £59.87 inc VAT (Fiatforum discount to come off this admittedly but then it's plus delivery)

But another example of it not being worth my while doing DIY as he gets parts cheaper than I readily can.

Oh, and for an even bigger saving, he never even suggested replacing both front springs when just one broke, either, like many places would have done.

 

[Mozarella]

you mechanic's value seems to above that of rubies. Are you going to recommend him to the forum, or must we hunt him down, and fire frozen alternators at him when we do?

 

[johnlummis]

The thing is,at some point in the future you are going to have to spend on your present car and when you've spent it,your car will still only be worth the same as it is now.
With a new car,whatever make it is, you will have a new warranty and more importantly,piece of mind.a lot of manufacturers now provide a warranty that is much better than Fiats,which is,compared to some rival warranties, pathetic.
I recently changed to Toyota,which has a 5 year,100,000 mile warranty,the car is a lot cheaper to service as well and by reputation is more reliable and parts cheaper.Thats only an example. one manufacturer,can't remember which,has a 7 year,100,000 mile warranty.
I changed my Fiat for the same reason you are contemplating,so the question is, should you throw money at an ever depreciating car,or spend that money on a new car,with a better warranty and piece of mind.
The toyota concearned,was a yaris TR,it should have been £11950,it was on ebay, registered 3 weeks previously ,10 miles on the clock, 60 plate, from main dealer, at £8450, they even fitted dual controls (£420) free.
There are great deals to be had ,people, its just finding them.

 

[Magic Johnson]

Vauxhalldo a lifetime/100,000 warranty.

 

[bladecs_04]

kia or hyundai are doing the 7yr warranty