lol

I'm behind the option of sourcing a second hand engine and fitting it yourself.

I've done it a couple of times before with past cars. I sense I'm a bit like you, with getting attached to cars!

Society has it all wrong with cars. Manufacturers should stop making new cars, and instead focus on supplying parts and more cheap efficient replacement engines for old cars. The whole scrappage scheme scam drove me mad! The government played the emissions card to basically raise money for themselves. We're all such mugs in this country that we fell for it! Replacing perfectly good existing cars with newly manufactured cars is good for the environment? Retards.

I don't buy the get a new car argument. If I sold my mechanically perfect 9 year old Skoda, that gets me perfectly from A to B, I'd probably be able to buy a decent mountain bike with the money I'd get back. So it makes no sense to sell it. Literally anything that breaks can be fixed. Admittedly when the doors fall off and the body becomes a rust/steel composite, i'll let mother nature reclaim it in the back garden!

This is turning into a good rant....

Basically don't be a consumer whore, and f*c* world trade! The only way we're ever going to save this world is if we move away from our disposable culture, and start fixing/improving what we already have instead.

Save a polar bear, keep your Mk1 Octavia!

This was a party political broadcast from the "I'm Grumpy and I Drive an Old Car, and I Hate Capitalism Party"!

That's exactly my thinking.

I really really hate the webuyanycar.com adverts, and the fact that most people don't like keeping cars too long because they lose value. What does it matter? You don't trade in your 3 year old dishwasher and get a new model just to avoid depreciation do you? Why should a car be any different?

I read in the paper a while ago of a guy who put washing up liquid in his brake fluid because fixing it would cost more than the car was worth. Eh! It's life. Stuff costs money to fix. Live with it!

Did anyone see Top Gear when Seasick Steve was on? He drives a 1954 Chevy V8. Apparently it produces more CO2 to make a new car than it does to keep running the chevy.

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm, quite proud of driving an 8 year old car that is in better nick than a lot of newer metal.

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm, quite proud of driving an 8 year old car that is in better nick than a lot of newer metal.

Me too, especially as the body work is in pretty good condition. It really pains me when I see a 6 month old car which a great gash down the side or something - makes me thing that some owners just don't care.

My old girl will be getting a wash and polish later on today, bucket and sponge style - none of this poncy garage car wash machines!

Mountie66- I didn't actually realise I could legitimately claim (I can, I checked with my insurer) until someone here had mentioned it as a possibilty. I came here for the advice after all.

Sadly I don't have the time or the money to investigate the second hand engine option any further, so it's now up to my insurer.

By the way, if I end up buying a new car, it will be new to me only, and most likely a 2001 Skoda Octavia Estate

Edited 14 April, 201115 yr by Stickman_ben

To close this thread up then, reported it to the insurers who were very efficient, but as feared/expected wrote the car off. I'm now in the hunt for a replacement.

I'll be going along these lines: A nice clean Octavia MK1 Elegance Estate (A4) <100,000 mileage, 1.9TDI, 2.0 Petrol or I'd love a 1.8T 4x4. Budget is circa 2k. And not Bamboo Beige Interior ... PM me if you have anything suitable for sale in the London/Home counties area.

Thanks for all the comments and help, it's been an ordeal but we're nearly there.

Ben

Good news, we went and looked at a 2.0 Octy Elegance Estate, 80k in red with the variable boot floor and a towbar fssh and put a deposit down, shade over £2k

He got a really good price for the one they wrote off as well (more than he paid for it 2 years before!!) it would never happen that way to me lol

oh and not a sand/bamboo interior either lol