Should she get rid of the Nissan? If so, what for.

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Thu 9 Jul 2009 13:28
Should she get rid of the Nissan? If so, what for. - Sparrow
My daughter has a V reg Almera. Laff if you like but she's had it 6 years and only needed tyres, battery and a couple of shocks replaced. Until now that is. Last MOT is needed welding on the rear ends of the sills - common problem I hear, and now needs work on the brakes and other bits and pieces.
She's getting fed up with receiving bills. Any thoughts on whether its worth keeping for a bit longer.
If not, what to replace it with. She likes the way it drives, so I have half suggested she looks at a Focus or a Mazda 3. The Almera's done 100k. Personally I reckon its got life left in it for a couple of more years, especially as I'd have to lend her the cash for whatever replaces it.
The Nissan was £3.5k 6 years ago so its done pretty well.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 9 Jul 2009 13:47
Should she get rid of the Nissan? If so, what for. - oldnotbold
She needs to do the sums. Is it cheaper to sell it, upgrade, and then suffer a fast rate of depreciation, or to repair it and keep it? Do the figures over three years, and allow for more repairs of the Almera, clearly. The Almera won't go down by much from now on, clearly.

Frankly the only reasons to get rid of a car are a) it's a total money pit, b) it's totally unreliable and c) you have spare cash, and you can't think of any other use for it.

Seems to me that none of these apply to her case, and most certainly not c....

Edited by oldnotbold on 09/07/2009 at 13:50

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 9 Jul 2009 15:29
Should she get rid of the Nissan? If so, what for. - bathtub tom
Scrappage?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 9 Jul 2009 16:46
Should she get rid of the Nissan? If so, what for. - Sparrow
Registered a few months before the cutoff date.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 9 Jul 2009 20:23
Should she get rid of the Nissan? If so, what for. - NowWheels
If she does replace it, why not get another Almera?

Reliable and good to drive, and much cheaper than a Focus. Sure the Focus is better to drive if you value fine handling, but is that important to her?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 10 Jul 2009 00:02
Should she get rid of the Nissan? If so, what for. - LikedDrivingOnce
Frankly the only reasons to get rid of a car are a) it's a total
money pit b) it's totally unreliable and c) you have spare cash and you can't
think of any other use for it.


All good reasons.....but you are also forgetting:
d) You just can't stand the car any more
(e.g. has a really annoying fault or feature that you just cant get fixed, or live with anymore. )
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 9 Jul 2009 21:36
Should she get rid of the Nissan? If so, what for. - Andrew-T
Seems to me you are in danger of falling into the trap of deciding that paying one big bill is less painful than a series of small ones - ignoring the fact that your new asset is losing value steadily while you're not looking. Or else you are just tired of it, and want something newer.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 10 Jul 2009 11:47
Should she get rid of the Nissan? If so, what for. - NowWheels
Seems to me you are in danger of falling into the trap of deciding that
paying one big bill is less painful than a series of small ones - ignoring
the fact that your new asset is losing value steadily while you're not looking. Or
else you are just tired of it and want something newer.


If the OP was thinking of buying a brand new car instead, that would be a very sound approach. But the current Almera cost only £3500 at about 3.5 years old, so over six years it has cost only £600 a year depreciation. A similar-age Almera is now available for similar money.

So if the repairs are costing over £600 a year, a replacement would be more cost-effective.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 10 Jul 2009 12:42
Should she get rid of the Nissan? If so, what for. - oldnotbold
You have to decide what are repairs and what are running costs you'd get doing the same mileage in the newer vehicle. Welding clearly is specific to the older car, but pads/discs, exhausts etc will need doing on old/new vehicles alike for the same mileage.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Will you have to pay the low emissions charge?

Use our ULEZ checker to find out if your vehicle is subject to ULEZ charges. Simply enter your number plate into the Honest John ULEZ checker to see if you will have to pay to enter the London Ultra Low Emission Zone.

Check your vehicle

If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?