Help needed, emotionally and physically.....!!

[GingerMagic]

Good afternoon everybody - I am asking for some help in sorting out my lovely 406.

I have an oil leak, gearbox end, which at the moment isn't a massive issue but there is a foot square patch of oil on the road every time I park it up. To stop the leak the gearbox needs to come off, and I may as well replace the clutch and DMF while I'm there as my cars service history is a bit suspect. The parts to do this job is around £375 plus the labour costs as it isn't a job I can tackle, so the total cost will be in the region of £600... to replace a £9.95 part

I have spent lots of time on my car, and it is pretty much how I want it to be - but I am thinking this is a lot of money to spend on a car with 193K on the clock.

So, I have several options:

1) Bite the bullet, spend the money to keep the car I like
2) Buy the 2.2Hdi down the road for £450 ( I haggled a bit ) which needs the de-fap, de-egr and air-doser treatment, a replacement brake servo and alternator pulley, possibly a cam-belt in 30K. It does have excellent history and the bodywork is very good, despite the awful China Blue colour . Its 'only' done 125K too.

I would put my leather interior, 7 seats and wheels onto the replacement 406, but the Sat-Nav and heated seats would need to be retro-fitted. To do this all would still cost around £600 but I can sell my old 406 on to recoup some of the costs.

I can't decide what to do, keep my lovely car and spend £600, or replace it with an inferior looking but better maintained car in a colour I don't like very much but may grow on me ( like the current car has ) for what would work out to be around £300 at the end of the day.

Any thoughts???

Kelv.

[Doggy]

I can empathise with this one, it's so like my own 406 journey.

18 months ago I sold my lovely Dogmobile which had no real issues, in order to buy the current grandad green 406, because it had 100k less miles on the clock. Emotionally, I regret the decision, but rationally I have extended my potential period of 406 ownership for 3 - 4 years by making the swap. Since there's nothing out there at 2 or 3 times the price that I would prefer, it makes sense, (to me at least).

I believe you should do the swap. FWIW china blue is better than grandad green.

[steve_earwig]

Wtf is wrong with China blue?

[GingerMagic]

Ha ha, I thought that may raise a few eyebrows - its a very common ( some would argue ' popular ' ) colour......

I prefer the Grandad camouflage green

I forgot to mention the would-be replacement needs taxing, MOT is the same time as current car.

[steve_earwig]

There's a metallic purple bimmer round here...

[rwb]

Are you trying to rationalise buying the other one and looking for our approval?
Been there done that.

Well £450 is a bargain, so maybe a third option is to de-fap it and surely you can make £500 on it?
When you have both, you might get a better idea of whether you want to keep the new one?

[GingerMagic]

Are you trying to rationalise buying the other one and looking for our approval?
Been there done that.

Well £450 is a bargain, so maybe a third option is to de-fap it and surely you can make £500 on it?
When you have both, you might get a better idea of whether you want to keep the new one?

Yes, sort of.

I do try to convince people that buying a new car isn't the answer and you are better off sticking with what you know - now I find myself looking at a replacement car which isn't the answer.....

At the end of the day, my 193K 2.2Hdi needs some work done which I find hard to justify even though I really like the car. For the same money I could have a lower mileage and better maintained car which also needs a bit to spend on it.

Richard, are you adding a the option of getting replacement car, de-fapping etc and selling it on, then spend the profit sorting out mine..?? Space is a premium so I have to find somewhere to keep both cars when doing the work.

[rwb]

Well if you do get the new one then you'll have to have somewhere to put it while you swap bits over etc. before you get shut of the current one.

But yes: once you have both you still have some time to make up your mind.

I think you want it, so get on and do it

Maybe I shouldn't be saying owt -- if you remember what happened with the last person who I egged on to buy a 2.2 406

[GingerMagic]

Oh yes, but that wasn't your fault as a few of us on here were positively encouraging.

If the replacement car was the same colour as mine it would be a no-brainer - I'm basically finding it hard to part with the one I have now after spending hours and hours getting it up to speed, then this leak happens. Its frustrating and one of those things - I would pay to fix it if it were a bit cheaper to do so....

This is the first car I feel attached to for a long time, this is why I am looking for some other perspectives so I can ditch the rose-tinted glasses...

[rwb]

This is the first car I feel attached to for a long time

What is it about 406s?

Well: my second was definitely better than my first. Doggy is clearly happy with his decision.
Jonsowman is on his second, and IIRC Alex's 140 was his second.
...

[GingerMagic]

This is my second - I had a red Hdi90 first - the one that smelled of wet dog and disinfectant..........

3rd time lucky maybe.

[rwb]

I didn't know that.

Well you certainly seem to be getting better at picking them

[dirtydirtydiesel]

Sounds like a no brainer to me ginger ,
But then like you've said, you love the colour of your current steed, I can't fault you on that & you spent a lot of time & effort getting it just so .
So I supose I've been no help , but if you've got the space & the time it sounds like the new car could be a good move
Best of luck with you choice bud DDD.

[jonsowman]

Difficult one Kelv. I'm trying to think what I'd do, but I prefer Blue to Green Whilst £600 is a lot, I don't think it's unreasonable for a car you've worked so hard to get to where it is. 193k is nothing either, our 2.2 HDi estate (the old Dogmobile) is now at 216k and is absolutely fine

That said, for £450 it sounds like a good deal and I'm certain you can iron out all the faults. Maybe get it, fix it, drive it around for a few days, and then decide?

[Welly]

Buy the china blue one, salvage the bits you need off yours and then scrap/break it. Might sound harsh but it makes financial sense and that there pissy oil leak will be a thing of the past.