Repair Or Sell

[SaveOurSouls]

Hi,

I have been a long time viewer of the forums which have proven to be a valuable resource in regards to information. I own a 2004 1.8 Avensis with 92k miles which has a few problems which are as follows:

1. Worn clutch (RPM goes up much quicker than acceleration)

2. High oil consumption (known design flaw of engine)

3. Water leaking into the boot

Other issues are a faulty petrol cap and electric window but I have lived with these issues and have not seen the need to repair them. A clutch replacement I understand to cost between £250 - £100 but the flywheel could also require replacement as I have driven the car on a worn clutch for about a year.

In regards to the oil consumption I have read that using higher octane fuel along with topping the oil up an extra 12mm reduced the consumption quire drastically, I have switched fuel today and topped the oil up so will need to keep an eye on this. In the 7 years I have owned the car it has had no major issues and has been failry inexpensive so I'm now wondering with the above issues in mind as to whether or not it is worth repairing given that the value of the car is now only around £1000 or part exchanging before further issues hit that come with age.

[TomdeGuerre]

Get rid of it. 12 years old and 92,000 miles it's going to be a money pit. Every year at MOT time you'll be wondering how much it's going to cost you and I know I wouldn't be very keen on taking a car like that for any form of high speed motorway journey. It's been a good and faithful servant but time has come to upgrade.

[SaveOurSouls]

Thank you for the input Tomde. I'm on the fence at the moment but like you say could be more hassle than it's worth.

I'm considering a Yaris or Auris as a next car up to 5 years old and with mileage up to 40k considering that the Avensis has been reliable for the time I have owned it I feel I should get a few good years out of another toyota.

[TomdeGuerre]

Thank you for the input Tomde. I'm on the fence at the moment but like you say could be more hassle than it's worth.

I'm considering a Yaris or Auris as a next car up to 5 years old and with mileage up to 40k considering that the Avensis has been reliable for the time I have owned it I feel I should get a few good years out of another toyota.

Yaris or Auris are both good choices, must say Toyota's about as good as what's out there. I do like the Ford Focus mind you, it's a better car to drive. Fiesta seems like quite a good car too.

Never mind what they say about Ford, it ain't true.

[SaveOurSouls]

I must admit I have never owned a Ford due to buying into the stereotype of them being unreliable but a Fiesta could be a good choice with them being so inexpensive. They certainly seem to be well loved by the general public.

My first consideration is budget then relaibillity and Toyota tick both of those boxes.

[Heidfirst]

Never mind what they say about Ford, it ain't true.

Having owned a Focus (& several other Fords, Vauxhalls etc.) they all have their good & bad points & it pays to research the particular car & engine/transmission that you are interested in (owners forums are usually very helpful).

If you plan to use a franchised dealer for maintenance it's always worth researching user's opinions of that particular dealer. In my experience (& I am aware that others may vary) most Toyota dealers tend to be better these days than most Ford/Vauxhall (possibly because they tend to be smaller so still more personal).

[TomdeGuerre]

Never mind what they say about Ford, it ain't true.

Having owned a Focus (& several other Fords, Vauxhalls etc.) they all have their good & bad points & it pays to research the particular car & engine/transmission that you are interested in (owners forums are usually very helpful).

If you plan to use a franchised dealer for maintenance it's always worth researching user's opinions of that particular dealer. In my experience (& I am aware that others may vary) most Toyota dealers tend to be better these days than most Ford/Vauxhall (possibly because they tend to be smaller so still more personal).

I'd have another Ford any day of the week no problem, it would be great to have one now with the Clearview front screen. Why can't other car manufacturers start fitting them now that Ford's patent has expired.

I chose Fords sometimes for my company car when i was living abroad and it was the Taurus i chose. Great cars and had great service out of them although sometimes PITA dealers but hey ho. Never could understand how they punted the Camry and the Accord as rivals, my first Taurus seated 6 and had a 3 litre V6 engine - the five seater four bangers just didn't compare. My wife and i were going to Vancouver once so we flew into Seattle airport and picked up a Mercury Sable - posh version of the Taurus - to go across the border. Lovely car, electric seat pedal adjustment (and this was in the 90's) and way in advance of the aforementioned Oriental stuff.

[Heidfirst]

I'd have another Ford any day of the week no problem, it would be great to have one now with the Clearview front screen. Why can't other car manufacturers start fitting them now that Ford's patent has expired.

They do e.g. Skoda. Probably the 1 thing that I miss from the Focus.

[fastbob72]

It all. depends on you outlook at attitude towards cars on general.I have an 02 1.8 vvti with 98,530 on the clock and have had to do a number of jobs for the last MOT.

Full exhaust,brakes rebuilt all round,broken front spring,small plate needed welded on the boot floor, since then a new radiator and a rear wheel bearing.

Have always fixed my own cars so it's no great disaster doing the repairs although I'd rather not have to obviously. I think doing all the work myself it feels like I have something more personal invested in the car andbam loathe to even entertain the idea of getting rid.

Mine has an oil issue aswell but I've traced mine to mostly oil weeping from behind the timing cover, possibly from the chain tensioner itself but certainly fr that area. It's impossible to see from above and it was only when I had the wheel and liners removed when doing the radiator that I spotted the leak, it's never been enough to leave stains or pools of oil on the tarmac when parked up so I initially thought I was suffering from dreaded vvt-i syndrome too but not so.

Do you know for a fact yours is burning oil because if you change your oil or are regularly topping up it's not going to be thick black oil your leaking but thinner,golden brown oil and almost impossible to see of you aren't looking out for it.

Apart from the repairs I've done modifications and improvements so have no desire to 'trade up'. I don't believe I would be trading up going for a newer car anyway for a number of reasons.

Of course, if your car is primarily transport then keeping an older car may not be a preferable move I grant you.

I've been particularly a Ford and Vauxhall man for most my driving career and can say with complete conviction of experience that by the time the facelifted Sierra were being sold Ford was fully on top of it's game building eminently reliable, tough cars that you can fully expect to start, run and NOT breakdown on you unlike the cars of the 70s and 80s which were the age of cars I was owning for my first 10 years driving at least.

At age 19 or 20 I honestly would not have bet a weeks wages that my Fiesta would start without fail on a cold morning, between the dodgy ignition temperamental auto choke and weak electrics there was no such thing as a certainty when it came to starting om cold mornings but the old mk1 1300S and XR2 were such fun cars that it somehow felt worth putting up with back then lol.

Vauxhall are a better thought out design, more reliable and better put together though by the early 90s there wasn't such a big difference but the thing about Vauxhall is their engines are always a cut above the rest :)

I have a 1ZZ-FE and not afraid to use it :)

[Heidfirst]

Fords & Opel/Vauxhalls are fine to run whilst in warranty (as are most cars ;) ) albeit their warranties aren't as good as Toyota's & both tend to be better drives than Toyotas.

However, if you read the likes of HonestJohn or the various annual reliability polls you will see that they definitely have their issues. My Scorpio blew a core plug in the overtaking lane of a motorway (fun!) and both my Carlton & Omega had electrical gremlins. Currently Ford seem to have been having issues with clutch slave cylinders causing premature clutch wear. I was thinking about buying an Insignia until I talked to an owner ...

[SaveOurSouls]

Some great input thanks. I can do some work myself but I'm no mechanic and need time to learn many of the possible issues and repairs, time is not on my side I'm afraid. With working full time and having my son full time there's really no room for failure or surprises in regards to finances. I need something that is reliable above all else and second to that cheap to run.

I'm heavily leaning towards getting a 62 Yaris either the 1.0 or 1.33 (1.0 cost wise is attractive but I have read that the 1.33 is better suited) I'm mainly only driving to work with the occasional motorway journey, the main thing is that it gets me there without any headaches. There's quite a few around the 5.5k - 6k mark with low to average mileage. I have looked into other cars but I cannot find any at the same price point which are as reliable cheap and practical.

My next consideration is as to how best finance the vehicle, with PCP as to reduce monthly repayments or loan as to own the car outright.