Blasted car!

At the time of retirement, we both had our own cars, but after a few years DH car was getting on a bit, like him really, so he advertised it and it was snapped up. We still are a one car household, and have managed well, although I must admit to still thinking of it as " my" car. With a bit of foreward planning we find that one is enough, and it does save on tax, insurance and fuel.

First World problem maza!

Back in the mists of time when the children were tiny we thoughtbourslvesvlucky tomhave a clapped out Simca the DH somehow got given a company car and being a 2 car family was a real luxury. How quickly we become accustomed to taking being a 2 car couple for granted.
We "downsized" to one new car (trading both other cars in) about 4 years ago and it made eminent sense at the time as DH was ready to give up driving. So it really depends on how much you need to be in different places at the same time.
Could DH not arrange lifts with friends on one or more of the golf days? Leasing obviates repair bills but is an expensive and ongoing option.
If you really must have two,how about a basic "runaround" of the type your local garage can fix when it comes to minor repairs. The bottom line is of course what can you afford?

German cars are notoriously expensive to repair and service, so best steer clear if you want to save money!
Whether you could survive on one car depends on your lifestyle. Where do you live? For example we don't need a second car because we live in the capital and public transport gets us about quicker. Apart from saving us money, we also feel we are being more environmentally friendly.

I have always had my own car and can't imagine life without it but, of course, this is a first world problem. I'm feeling vulnerable because my OH has lost his mobile and our TV is on the blink, literally. It just feels like the last straw! We will sort it out and possibly lease but I was really canvassing opinions on leasing pros and cons.

We live in a small market town in the north and we simply cannot car share with anyone else and I suppose have become used to sailing off in our separate ways. There is no way I can go off shopping or lunching with friends without my car so I suppose life is going to change radically.

We have always in the past been a two car family and I always loved the independence of being able to up and go when ever I wanted and not to have to rely on OH,we made the decision to downsize when we moved here and OH sold his bigger family car and I kept my little sporty one and if we ever need to go anywhere of some distance we will hire a bigger car for a couple of days and for the comfort factor, apart from that we save the money we would have used for insurance/tax and diesel which adds up to a decent amount over the year.

Can you not afford even a cheap second or third hand car, mazza? DH and I always had our own cars (never from new) as this is a rural area and public transport isn't good.

DD leases but I always think it's such a waste of money - none of my cars have ever required extensive or expensive repair work. Just make sure you buy from a reputable second hand car dealer. It might be worth taking out a loan.

Like you,*Ana*, we live out in the wilds with no public transport. We have to keep at least one in running condition.
In fact motor expenses are one of the biggest expenses of our budget. Only second to heating. We have a car and a van.
I don't think we could afford the option of leasing.
But luckily old cars seem to last a lot longer here. No salt on the roads.

'First World problem' So what. Different incomes and life styles different problems.

We live in a rural area. DH is still working and needs his car to get him to a variety of airports (Southampton, Stansted, Gatwick and Heathrow in the last six months) for work plus other needs. We simply could not manage without a second car. It is not how many cars you own but how often you use them.

While ignoring the OP's original thought (sorry) we don't have a car at all. I gave up driving some years ago for personal reasons and now H has had to give up due to illness. It is awful. No spontaneity and reliant on taxis which are not too expensive but need booking or waiting, not ideal,but beggars can't be choosers. We have to put up with it.

mazza you havent had a good week have you ? they say things come in 3's so lets hope better luck is on the way. Please dont go to the car leasing route, it is such a rip off. Try gumtree or ebay make sure you take someone who knows a bit about cars. Goodluck &[cupcakes]

DH and I have always bought our 'used' cars at about one year old. Mine is now 8 years old and I envisage having it for a few more years. Generally when out together we use DHs 4 year old car and mine is for my little forays on my own, I only do about 3,500 miles each year.

We would never lease, in our position a reliable used car is quite adequate. Fortunately we're in the position to not have to take out finance.

For my first car I saved and saved until I could buy a 6 year old car for cash.

I appreciate op needs a car in the near future. If it was me I'd be looking for a reliable little hatchback about 5 years old with a warranty. And then start putting money to the side for 'if and when' it needed replaced.

When we bought our last car the chap in the garage told us that we were very unusual paying in full for the car as most people either has some sort of HP or lease. In fact if we at the time took out HP for three months on a minimum of £1000 we got a sizeable amount extra off the price of the car!!! We did that as it was well worth it and no penalty for early repayment.
Our friend did the lease option for his last car and is just doing the same again - he had the option of having the servicing included etc. He found it worked well for him. It is very common in USA and DS has always done it for his car and this last time did it for the family one too. He says there you can choose the number of years you go for - he does three as he says if you go for two years all the faff deciding on what to have the next time comes round too quickly!

DH and I are scratching our heads over the OP. How old is your car?

If it was making an awful noise a few weeks ago, why did you carry on driving it? What exactly is this 'really bad fault?'

If the problem is so bad the car needs a new engine why will it take weeks and a new engine would definitely come with a guarantee so nothing will go wrong the week after.

If you are not allowed to drive the car because it could totally wreck the engine then it sounds like it's repairable which could be a cheaper option.

You need to know exactly what is wrong and get another garage to take a look.

Even putting together a new car doesn't take weeks (does it?)

I think you need to go to another garage as other posters have suggested, find out exactly what is wrong - and, I know this sounds sexist, but take your DH with you and don't be fobbed off. Some mechanics etc still think 'woman, won't know, can see her off for a few hundred pounds more'.

Getting it fixed may be a lot cheaper than buying or leasing a new car and worth it in the long run. It doesn't sound that old either.

My car went to the scrapyard January 5th this year for similar reasons, it failed it's MOT in spectacular and expensive fashion. Cannot afford to replace it so have invested in a shopping trolley from Amazon £9.49, no MOT needed. Yes I miss the car but that's how it is. The extra walking will keep me fit, although right now my shoulders and neck are hurting from pulling it. Now that I have one does that officially make me an old biddy?

At least get a second opinion on the car mazza, that make are especially expensive on spares and repairs. You need to take stock before buying a second car, the loss of some independence is offset by the money saved on initial purchase and maintenance. The money saved can be used for taxis etc. If you are not disabled at all then more walking will be beneficial.
I think probably other friends will have the same issue and you can organise car sharing between you. Try it for six months and then review the situation.

HopeHope I know how you feel about shoulders etc. aching with pulling a shopping trolley, I invested in one a little while ago, and now wish I had gone for the "push along" type, something to lean on as well as push. Seriously thinking of buying myself a small mobility scooter, just to take me a little further than a walk occasionally.

Hopehope my daughter has a trolly and she is a healthy 30 years old, i darent call her an old biddy

If I were in your position I would buy a reasonably priced used automatic runabout. I am sure you would get used to turning on your lights and wipers yourself . Used car garages sometimes offer interest free finance so you could spread the cost for no extra outlay, which would be much cheaper than leasing. Have a look in the local newspaper for places offering this option.
I hope you sort something.

We were a two car family until I retired. My car had to go as financially we cannot run two. We have a 10 year old manual runabout We are in a rural area with the occasional bus. There is simply no way we can have two cars and it has meant a reassessment of our activities. MUch planning is involved and there are times when one of us cannot go where we would like to. local hospitals are nearly 20 miles away and we have no local shops in our village. We have a good train service and manage with what we have. It is amazing how you do manage when choice is limited.

I lease my car. Would not go back to buying one. Brand new car every 3 years with all services, breakdiwn cover & part insurance paid. It is all singing all dancing & I love it. It is not a big expensive car but I have my independence. Only problem DH nicks it whenever he can. He is going to lease too when his car gets too old. Brilliant idea.

We always had two cars but when my husband sold his after his retirement we decided to try one for a few months to see how it went. It went extremely well. We both put dates on the calander when we are going to need the car. Often I run my husband or he runs me to the train which takes us to city centre in 18 mins. Could you run your hubby to his golf and pick him up when he's ready? We do that sort of thing if we both absolutely need the car at the same time. It's been a year and a half now and we replaced MY car with OUR car about a year ago. It's working well for us.

Free bus pass and a trolley for shopping??????????

I have a car but sometimes too ill to drive and even here with just 3 buses a day it is managable.

Taxis are pricey but so are cars which is something we sort of become inured to............might be worth doing a real cost comparison.

I'm sorry for the length of this post but you've asked questions so here goes. How kind of you all to give me your thoughts. We have nearly always gone for secondhand cars, this was a secondhand car which I chose, independently, insisted on it And actually my OH preferred it to his! He actually was already considering leasing for his next car which he feels would be ideal, no worries. Mine has been a bad purchase really, I acknowledge that, the garage we use actually said what an expense it has been. It has unnerved us both, I think, that you don't know what you are getting as this one has really upset me.

It appears that Mercs amongst others have a timing chain which is what's making the noise, I had no idea it was bad so carried on gaily using it! The local garage told me on Monday not to drive it in case this chain breaks and demolishes most of the engine. My DS found me someone 20 miles away, who seemed genuine, told me in great detail what he would have to do, it would be 40 hours work at £58 per hour plus parts! These parts all depend on each other so most likely end up with more than just the chain. So that's into £2-3,000! As I say I have no confidence that something else unconnected might not go wrong after that, although I would dearly love to keep the car myself.

The mechanic wouldn't allow me to try and drive it to him so recommended someone quite near us who the local garage also had recommended but he doesn't do this job, it's too big, would tie up his workshop for too long (40 hrs work plus possible waiting for parts etc) would be in the region of two weeks. He said he knew someone who might do it and he would get a price, this was yesterday morning, heard nothing up to now! I will ring round but it seems no one actually wants this job!

My OH is keen to go down the leasing route for both of us but I don't feel it's necessary. I could find another secondhand car for running about which would suit me quite easily. He is hellbent (and you will know how difficult that is) on us leasing two cars. It really isn't practical to have just one car for our circumstances although I appreciate we are lucky. I could do some things on public transport I suppose but we take and pick up our DGD to school down a country lane every day for instance. No one else to do it unless we ask people for favours which isn't practical long term.

I've been at the hospital this morning where I've had a little bad news about my blood disorder so I've been in tears about that, the car, the TV, the mobile! Can anything else go wrong?