Big Decision Coming

I can’t believe my faithful Vauxhall Zafira People Carrier is now worth nothing more than scrap value.
It just clocked 80k miles today, eight years old and drives fine
- but the dashboard is lit up like the main deck of the Starship Enterprise, and the heater hasn’t worked for a year.
Used largely for my business over the last five years, it has been serviced and sorted regularly,
but a flickering ABS light now glows permanently, and has been joined by engine management and emissions too.

Today I took it in for assessment - and it requires a new catalytic converter, new ABS pump,
new ABS sender hub/speedo/front wheel bearing assembly, etc., as well as discs and pads all round.
Repair cost including labour (parts are a huge portion) exceeds the value of the car.
Since I started driving I have always owned at least 2 or 3 vehicles at one time, but retirement has meant cutting down on expenses.
I use my Golf GTI most of the time now but with the additional costs of Road Tax and car insurance due shortly on the Zafira,
I have to make a hard decision. End of an Era, I fear.

It is a though decision... The things is that if you sell it so, with issues, the asking price will drop more... But you don't need to deal with it anymore... It also depend how much mechanically inclined you are, because if you can do some job on it, it will make save some money.

My opinion is choose the single car you enjoy the most and pool all your money into keeping that on the road.....

i know what i'd choose between a GTI and a Zafira


I know what you mean about repair bills outweighing the cost of the car .... i drive the Saab Griffin in my avatar and thats had over a thousand spent on it this year, it's worth £500..... if that..... but i enjoy the driving experience which is why its still parked outside.. lol

easy decision for me im afraid..................bin the Vauxhall! i hate GM cars

The Zaffy has been a surprisingly good car for me over the years Paul
- once was a Ford man through and through.
Regrets are : facing that I'm retired(ish) and can only afford one car
....and I can't get a pair of stepladders in a Golf Gti for that odd signwriting job!
- so also means the final end to my lifetime signwriting career.

What's the actual cost Ron?

dadooronron wrote:
....and you can't get a pair of stepladders in a Golf Gti for that odd signwriting job!
.

roof rack if its only occasional.....cheaper than a second vehicle surely







and dont call me Shirley

Cost ? : ABS pump is £460 alone.
Estimated parts come to £1083

.....and a roof rack on my Golf ? Sacrilage Shirley !

So 2 grand with labour?

That's a tough one, I'd get shot of it.

There's two brothers that have a radio show in the US (at least they used to) called "Click and Clack, the Tappet brothers". Their view is that it is always a better deal to repair a car you own than buying a replacement. You know what you've got with your used car and you have no idea if you buy someone else's used car, and a new car's value drops sharply when you drive it off the lot. Could you sell the GTI for enough that you can fix the van from the proceeds? If so then you could keep the van if you find it more useful to you.

Best of luck whatever your decision.

I'm greedy Dave, want to keep both and not change the status quo.

Yep £2,000 is about the total cost of repair, which is about what the Zafira is worth on a good day, if it was in top condition,
but the car still shines like the day I bought it, almost zero rust, with no body damage,
and with my personal license plate it could pass as an almost new car.
However the Vauxhall forums are full of cars with similar problems, and achieving a sale of more than £400 for a car on ebay with these problems and is hard to find.
There was a day when I would get down and get my hands dirty,
but cars are different now - all electronics, with no wires!
I regret selling my VW bugs - now I could fix them !......anybody got a time machine ?

Well, that's what you get for buying a Vauxhall Ron.

Seriously though, if the rest is in the condition it appears to be in, I'm with Dave. Repair it if you can afford it. Just ask yourself, how many signwriting jobs you need to cover the cost?

Although I gave up my signwriting business 18 months ago,
I still dabble keeping a few old customers happy, who are then invoiced through my son’s business
- but the occasions are now few and far between.

I have savings to pay for the repairs, but it would be like throwing away two grand.
I know what I should really do, but it is hard to accept that some things have to come to an end,
- cars and working life included.

Hard to give up any useful vehicle. I'd keep the GTI and look for a "new" used all purpose vehicle.

Klick and Klack Love those guys/ I listen to NPR for two reasons The jazz and those guys.

Sadly, like us, the Magliozzi Bros are old and have retired from their public radio show. It lives on in reruns and "best of" CDs. Their advice by radio was wacky, hilarious and surprisingly on target often. I loved them from the earliest days. Thanx!

The Zafira lives!
You may remember that my Vauxhall was doomed to the scrap heap due to the huge estimated cost of repair by the Vauxhall Dealer and specialist?
Well after a chance meeting with the guy whole helped me out with my aircooled beetles, he offered to give my car the once over.
£299 later and things are fixed, and I'm back on the road.
The heater still doesn't work, and it will need new discs and pads for the MOT in a few months time, but I'm  more than happy.
In my opinion, main dealers are not interested in anything but warranty work, and when a real problem comes along their fitters haven't a clue how to fix it.

There ya go Ron. Sorted. Well done.

one reason my i dont like main dealers..........charge a fortune for labour, only use their own expensive parts instead of generic parts (which are made in the same factory anyway mostly)

Exactly Paul, there's a saab main dealer in the next town but I use my local garage, great bunch of blokes.

As for parts....

genuine Saab front disks and pads.... 185 plus vat
Vauxhall parts.... 160 plus vat
Brembo sports disks, pads, plus new flexible pipes.... . 150 fitted!!

Go figure!

Things have changes over here, I needed a cambelt and tensioners on my Golf, the Main Dealer was the same price as a quick-fit type of place and an independant garage.

No brainer. LOL