Yaris as commuter hack

[YorkshireBloke]

Hi All,

Been a bit busy so my need for Forum Wisdom has not had chance to be released...

But a slipping cam-belt on a Mazda 626 I bought to absorb my 50 miles a day commute miles has written off the car.. . Very low compression suggests a big problem anyway, have to agree with my long-term independent garage and not spend another penny on the car.

"The First Loss Is The Best" is a little shop-keeper saying I learned long ago. if you've made an error and have to discount a product then make it a deep enough discount to sell it without "final reduction" or "reduced to clear" which look sad and desperate.

Maybe the same is true of "work-horse" cars, don't spend, then spend more : take the hit and move on!

I have been offered a petrol 1 ltr 3 door Yaris, 1999, for a modest few hundred but has 122,000 and is a bit tatty.

Selling my uncomfortable Ford Fiesta (I am HUGE ) would make that "cost neutral" fir me.

Or go for a diesel with 83,000 from a local dealer, trade in cost to change would be an extra £1200; affordable but painful what with my getting married in July ( yes, to SWIMBO. Really... ).

Thoughts?

Robert

[big t5]

Buy cheap and throw away philosophy comes to mind,my friend has had an R reg Micra for 10 years and last weeks mot cost him £100 for another year.

[tonupkid]

Like Big T5 says.
And it strikes me that going to a dealer to by a hack is just a way of giving him your money to do what you can easily do for yourself. There's thousands of old, with miles to go motors out there, for small change.
How about a Mondeo or similar. Should be more comfortable than a Yaris and probably a lot safer should the worst happen

[YorkshireBloke]

Cheers All,

For what it is worth I will keep Ford for now and search for the lower mileage car as suggested.

What led me to error this time was my addiction to LPG, I like the free revving, no-lag response and 50+ mpg (my 3.7 average consumption shows 25.2 but at 52p per litre... In Yorkshire-speak that is 50 mpg in a V8!).

Good point about the bigger car and I will think about it. Part of my Yaris attraction is the ability to do a cheeky bit of inner city free parking: big cars won't fit! . I only take A8 for a run on the early shift when I know I can park appropriately...

Cheers!

Cam-belt Robert