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[STEMO]

Finally got hold of the reinforcement frame to tick another item off the list on The Proper Car.

How much is this project going to cost you, and how much do you think it will be worth at the end?

[STEMO]

I mean, I know it's your hobby and you'll end up with a really nice car, but is it really worth throwing all this money at? If it were mine, I think I'd be shitting myself about now.
If the unthinkable were to happen, what would the insurance payout be like?

[Doctor Gollum]

Finally got hold of the reinforcement frame to tick another item off the list on The Proper Car.

How much is this project going to cost you, and how much do you think it will be worth at the end?

Less than I paid for the car, and more than I paid for it. In that order.

Although it's a moot point, as the doing of it is reason in itself to do it. Arguably, it's only been possible because I have been able to do it... it would have made even less sense to pay someone else to do the work.

It's true I could have leased a new Astra for £3,279 down and 47 x £379... So using some spectacular man maths, the 30 months I have had the car for would have cost me £14,649 for the new Astra. I have spent ~£13,300 on the The Proper Car (cost to change, retrofits and maintenance, including the gearbox replacement), so I am still ahead and I own the car

Put another way, some people spend every weekend chasing a football team (from a place they have no actual connection to) around the country/Europe on the off chance they win something just because their mate at primary school supported a rival team and did so 'because their dad did'...

I've had someone drive into the side of a £100 car the day it passed its MoT having spent £400 on welding for the MoT. Shit happens and sometimes it sucks.

Life's far too short to get that depressed

[Viral_Jim]

I mean, I know it's your hobby and you'll end up with a really nice car, but is it really worth throwing all this money at? If it were mine, I think I'd be shitting myself about now.
If the unthinkable were to happen, what would the insurance payout be like?

In DG's shoes I'd definitely want an agreed value insurance policy that's for sure!

It's true I could have leased a new Astra for £3,279 down and 47 x £379... So using some spectacular man maths, the 30 months I have had the car for would have cost me £14,649 for the new Astra. I have spent ~£13,300 on the The Proper Car (cost to change, retrofits and maintenance, including the gearbox replacement), so I am still ahead and I own the car

When you put it like that 

[TheBoy]

I mean, I know it's your hobby and you'll end up with a really nice car, but is it really worth throwing all this money at? If it were mine, I think I'd be shitting myself about now.
If the unthinkable were to happen, what would the insurance payout be like?

For me, that wouldn't be an issue, in that I wouldn't be borrowing money to do the upgrades, and I'm sure DG is the same.  And once the money is spent, well, it's spent and not worth considering.

I would be more clenched had I borrowed a lot of money on an expensive, and generally less reliable, 15-20yr old car, worrying that major trouble could make the car worthless.  Not that I would ever buy a post 1980s Merc. Ever.

As to DG's comments about leasing/HP, as I've said loads of times before, it will work for some people.  Company schemes often make it a no brainer - like tunnie's EV tax avoidance scheme, or Mrs TB's old scheme when she was at Rover.  But even non company schemes are beneficial, as bro found out 3 or 4 times, when he HAD to have brand new S Classes every couple of years.  Before he too, rightly, said he'd never have another Merc. Ever.

[Doctor Gollum]

It could, not unreasonably, be argued that the type of person leasing a brand new Astra wouldn't dream about owning a twenty year old anything Not that it feels like a twenty year old car...

I've owned less reliable new cars, but I think if I had to deal with the main dealer/manufacturer interface on a regular basis, I would be seriously considering my life choices.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

There was a leasing deal on Leapmotor,s a few months ago, which was three year lease at £200pcm, with one month deposit, and 10,000 miles a year.
No doubt a loss leader just to  achieve market penetration, but if I had known at the time, i might have been tempted.
Would still have kept the Omega as a second car though, just as it is now.

As for your Merc - no point trying to make economic sense of it. Its your hobby that gives you pleasure and thats all there is to it.
Some people spend disposable income on golf bats, for reasons better known to themselves, people like us choose to spend it on cars. 

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Just fitted a set of dials / clocks / instruments (call them what you like) to Sons Civic .
Long story but after me messing around with them due to an airbag light that wouldnt go out, just before the MOT, they werent working properly anymore.
Disappointed to find that the replacement set have 30,000 more miles on than the original set, despite being advertised as having almost exactly the same mileage. 
Got to fit an exhaust rear box to it at the weekend.
Hoping to fix its various little issues before decent weather arrives so I cand start into the list of various *little issues on my own two cars.

* C1 needs a replacement steering column due to knackered PAS motor, which requires the removal of the  complete dash assembly before starting the actual swap over.
If it gets too much, or doesnt solve the problem, then it will be down the weighbridge, and replaced by a cheap milk float, aka Nissan Leaf.

[Doctor Gollum]

There was a leasing deal on Leapmotor,s a few months ago, which was three year lease at £200pcm, with one month deposit, and 10,000 miles a year.
No doubt a loss leader just to  achieve market penetration, but if I had known at the time, i might have been tempted.
Would still have kept the Omega as a second car though, just as it is now.

As for your Merc - no point trying to make economic sense of it. Its your hobby that gives you pleasure and thats all there is to it.
Some people spend disposable income on golf bats, for reasons better known to themselves, people like us choose to spend it on cars. 

There's nothing economically sensible about a big V8 saloon, there never was even if you could afford a new one

You could do alot worse than a Bini for hacking to/from work. Although if you can get an early Leaf cheaply enough, there's a strong case to be made, just don't expect it to manage much more that your commuting though, battery degredation on them is something to behold

[TheBoy]

I've owned less reliable new cars, but I think if I had to deal with the main dealer/manufacturer interface on a regular basis, I would be seriously considering my life choices.

Some people like that hand holding and warm feeling of a franchised dealer - not that most know they are just franchised.  Whether or not you get the support you need from a dealer when problems arise is debatable.

Additionally, most of us are likely to get to a point where working on cars becomes less practical, and have to start relying on "professionals", which can again swing the maths on old v new.

Modern cars - including our "old" ones - are horribly complex and can break down due to minor issues.  Gone are the ways when a simple toolkit and a can of WD40 would at least get you home.

[TheBoy]

You could do alot worse than a Bini for hacking to/from work. Although if you can get an early Leaf cheaply enough, there's a strong case to be made, just don't expect it to manage much more that your commuting though, battery degredation on them is something to behold

I think there are way better banger cars than the rather crap BMW Mini.  They still command a premium, even at the snotter end, and are full of German engineering solutions to simple design issues.

The Leaf has nothing to like about it.  With no battery management technology on them, there aren't many that can easily do 20 miles between charges.  On the upside, refurbed batteries are fairly cheap by EV standards, just not cheap enough to make such a venture worthwhile.

[Doctor Gollum]

The code reader has become the new WD40 and 15 piece socket set.

I only suggest the Bini as a B road hoot. You're not wrong about cheap shitters. You really have to suffer the depths of Faceachebook market place to find anything sub £500 that is complete.

Which is bizarre because noone will pay reasonable money for a working car with a years MoT, especially as the same people will throw a perfectly good car away for the want of a decent service 

Mond boggling when you consider the reliability/life expectancy of new cars.

[YZ250]

…………….
As to DG's comments about leasing/HP, as I've said loads of times before, it will work for some people.  Company schemes often make it a no brainer - like tunnie's EV tax avoidance scheme, or Mrs TB's old scheme when she was at Rover. ………..

It worked great for us for quite a few years.    No deposit, no tax or insurance to worry about, just chuck fuel in it. The price was reasonable and as I changed cars every nine months, I could work my way through the model’s catalogue.     My main stipulation was a big engine and black leather, as big engines went hand in hand with more toys. 
I’m certain that it annoyed some managers that a shop floor pleb was allowed to have a BMW X5 M50 and park next to the management 3 Series.    Anyway, they eventually reduced the choice of vehicles for non-management, as well as the prices going through the roof, so I decided to purchase them, using my company discount. I could buy a vehicle with discount, and sell it eleven months later for what I’d paid for it (we had to wait eleven months due to tax implications if we sold before the eleven months was up). Car traders get to recognise your number and phone you to discuss what spec sells well, so moving them on was never a problem. It worked ok but was obviously more hassle than leasing, plus you have to have the initial costs available for the first purchase.

As for new cars versus older models, we recently visited several dealerships (mainly BMW and Audi) with a view to replacing one of ours. I can honestly say that nothing took my fancy, and I never thought I’d ever say that. Ridiculous dashboards that extended to the passenger side and looking tacky did nothing for us, and most exteriors have gone weird, so I’m sticking with what I’ve got.