View Full Version : Another whats it worth thread...
Due to circumstances beyond my control (serious financial issues) I am re-evaluating my options.
One option is to reconsider the car... so how much is a mk2 black 04 plate saloon 180 worth these days?
I will be looking at other options... such as asking for a pay rise etc, but as it seems my credit rating is lower than a limbo pole and any help from a bank is out of the question (nice, when you need money they don't want to know, yet when you have money they fall over backwards offering you loans etc...) I may have no choice... I mean I have two kids to feed.
Of course if anyone has any jobs I can do remotely for cash then shout :)
With the money I earn I should not be in this situation, the country has gone to pot!
stamford
13-09-12, 07:33 PM
I feel your pain Sam, I know it isn't easy bringing young ones up, been there myself a few times. None of us probably have it easy, it may look like we do but we tend to live to our means so salary is relative.
Will selling the car be worthwhile? It sounds like a short term fix imo.
rturner
13-09-12, 07:33 PM
If its any help I paid £1.1k for my black mk2 180 54 plate hatch. Belts done but 97k. I'm sure lower mileage would be worth a few hundred more.
big_wasa
13-09-12, 07:42 PM
It really isnt going to fetch much for the job in hand. Reason, so many others are in a simlar position.
I am being shafted to the tune of 7k by my outlaws that wont pay there bills.
I was £1600 for black mk2, 96k miles, belts done, alcantara, all electric windows 8 months not, 6 months tax, still on rear tyres 16k later. This was 9 months ago or so?
I feel your pain Sam, I know it isn't easy bringing young ones up, been there myself a few times. None of us probably have it easy, it may look like we do but we tend to live to our means so salary is relative.
Will selling the car be worthwhile? It sounds like a short term fix imo.
Bringing up the children is not really an issue its just so expensive doing it on your own (their mother refuses to see them, let alone pay anything towards their upkeep). Childcare so I can work is more than my rent every month!
Your right though its a short term fix, I'll regret it as soon as its done and I've been there before with the car and been worse off for it.
I just can't see a way out of it at the moment... and don't know what to do...
stamford
13-09-12, 08:12 PM
I take it you are not entitled to any benefits then, albeit small considering you are doing the right thing in working? Sometimes it pays to be a bum and sponge off the system, beats me how some folk do this and are happy to do so, doesn't pay to have a conscience.
I take it you are not entitled to any benefits then, albeit small considering you are doing the right thing in working? Sometimes it pays to be a bum and sponge off the system, beats me how some folk do this and are happy to do so, doesn't pay to have a conscience.
I don't want to scrounge off the system...
I do however claim my full £100 a month I'm entitled to in tax credits...
M17TT180
13-09-12, 08:15 PM
First off i'd go to the citizans advice bureau, nothing better than a bit of free advise/help.
First off i'd go to the citizans advice bureau, nothing better than a bit of free advise/help.
Their advice is to get sacked (not quit) and claim benefits... yeah that's sound advice isn't it!!
M17TT180
13-09-12, 08:18 PM
if it means you are better off then why not?
I'd be the same mate, I'd want to keep working regardless but if there is a big difference in income, you have to think of you and the kids. Sadly, with 2 kids and Kat working part time while at Uni, I'm still. It entitled to tax credits due to my income!
It's a shitty system, but get it working for you short term rather than sacrifice your transport mate.
Jay-ZS+
13-09-12, 08:39 PM
Sorry to hear this Sam, hope it all works out for you. Is there anyway you can reduce childcare costs? Parents etc?? What about a friend that could child mind cash in hand. My Sister has two young kids so is off work and looks after one of her friends children whilst she works?? Cheaper than normal childcare.
if it means you are better off then why not?
This is why the country is fcked, people out of work should never be better off than those in work!!!
Read this the other day, made me laugh
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j12/jayhowl/252594_10151151615852200_1216994006_n.jpg
daytona365
13-09-12, 08:54 PM
I feel for you..............I have only one child (he is 20!) but its a struggle keeping flat going and a zed too. Hopefully when he starts uni next month, things will get a bit better, as he is paying me £300pm rent.
Id try and keep the car, a) you will regret selling b) you wont get much for it c) when you back to normal, you wont find another one as good.
M17TT180
13-09-12, 08:59 PM
Sorry to hear this Sam, hope it all works out for you. Is there anyway you can reduce childcare costs? Parents etc?? What about a friend that could child mind cash in hand. My Sister has two young kids so is off work and looks after one of her friends children whilst she works?? Cheaper than normal childcare.
This is why the country is fcked, people out of work should never be better off than those in work!!!
Read this the other day, made me laugh
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j12/jayhowl/252594_10151151615852200_1216994006_n.jpg
No the people who ****** the country up are the ones who claim with no intention of finding a job, not the ones who have fallen on hard times and need a little help.
Jay-ZS+
13-09-12, 09:18 PM
No the people who ****** the country up are the ones who claim with no intention of finding a job, not the ones who have fallen on hard times and need a little help.
Totally agree but why bother finding a job when you can get more on benefits?! Thats whats wrong.
Supercharged_Z
13-09-12, 09:31 PM
04 plate black mk2 hatch with history inc belts made 1056 at ebay this week.
Im in the market for a ZS but i want modified lol...
hopfully it works out for you and yes the goverment is pure balls
Another ZS!! You need to stop getting rid of them lol!
Not a good time mate, pity CAB's advice was so poor that would be the only thing I could think of that could have helped:(
carmadbaker
13-09-12, 10:26 PM
Awww wish i had the space for my old zed back :-(
Sorry to hear things arent flowing your way at the moment mate, whatever you decide im sure it will work out!
waynester
13-09-12, 11:01 PM
Not an easy situation.. many of us I guess have similar stories. I have 2 children, but I pay my way each month my responsibilities. Much rather see them & raise them (as normal) everyday, but the ex decided that that was not going to happen!
Anyway...again, selling the car may only help in the really short term, but leave you without a car? Not helped by the criminally low undervalue of the Zed!
Is it not an option to pursue the mother for maintenance through the courts/CSA?? She may not want to see them, but she still has an obligation to pay in the eyes of the law!
Good luck mate
andy-81
13-09-12, 11:05 PM
wayenster is right and you could try maybe popping into the council to see if your entitled to a little help with the council tax i know it wont be much but every little helps
I feel for you, especially being in the same sector as I was an IT admin / manager. I earned a lot more then the average for this area and wifey works too which meant our household income was pretty good however even with that having 2 children in full time childcare meant that we were skint pretty much every month! We've made a few massive changes which have helped, firstly I quit my job!!!! I didn't leave to scrounge off the state but actually set up my own business as an I.T. Consultant which has grown considerably over the last 2 years and now brings in more then my previous full time job, plus I have the added benefit of being able to see the kids for more then 10 mins a day! As part of that change we also 'shopped around' for the childcare and by changing from a big nursery that was part of a national chain to a childminder in the village we've halved our childcare costs. That's one change I wish we'd made a lot earlier, the kids seem far happier now and she also does the school runs which is a massive help. Shopping for childcare is not something we'd have considered but in hindsight it's just a service like any other.
I also had a major look at all of our finances and chopped them to the core, insurances, entertainment, cars, mortgage.....you name it I looked at it and just by doing that managed to slash the household budget, OK we don't have Sky now but I can't say I miss it that much!
Unless you're earning an obscene amount you should also be getting a lot more then £100 in child tax credits so it might be worth talking to the tax credit people again. If you haven't already then also look at the childcare vouchers scheme as these are tax free and save you about 20% on the amount you can put into them, well worthwhile.
If your interested and want to send me over details of your expertise / experience then I can also keep you in mind if any work comes up through my company. We're pretty small at the moment but growing at a fair rate and we also have contacts in the south west so may start to target that area soon.
stamford
14-09-12, 07:22 AM
There are times when you need to play the system, not fight against it. During my time I have been made redundant three times and one time one of my kids was only 2 weeks old so know exactly what goes on. You have to put pride aside and do what is best for you, your family and your own wellbeing, stuff anything else.
There was a time when I was better off on benefits and hated it, so I can understand how people fall into this trap and put off going back to work. I had to turn down several job offers as the pay was so bad I was better off on benefits, daft I know but that is the system for you!
I ended up taking the next job offered and took another twilight job just to make ends meet as I hated being stuck in the system.
As for the CAB advice, that is so wrong but typical of how things work these days.
Is it not an option to pursue the mother for maintenance through the courts/CSA?? She may not want to see them, but she still has an obligation to pay in the eyes of the law!
I get £10 a month CSA from her (She's on Dissability, but noone knows what is wrong with her!)
I am under a court order not to disclose anything about her, but lets say she's been convicted (although won't go to prison) and had all four of her kids taken off her (two of which have been forcefully adopted and my two are with me)...
wayenster is right and you could try maybe popping into the council to see if your entitled to a little help with the council tax i know it wont be much but every little helps
Tried that, I earn to much for Hampshire council to pay any council tax etc... any other county would help out it seems!
....If your interested and want to send me over details of your expertise / experience then I can also keep you in mind if any work comes up through my company. We're pretty small at the moment but growing at a fair rate and we also have contacts in the south west so may start to target that area soon.
Child care isn't that much during the term time, its the holidays that cost the money, but in order to make it better for me we add up the cost for the year then split it by 12 so we have a fixed monthly amount.
If you have any work going then I'd be happy to see what I can do :) - I'm a network and security person mainly, but I also do a lot of Linux \ Windows Server work (Keeping small websites such as Jobsite and The Daily Mail Online up) plus I can pretty much turn my hand to most things computers (Was trained up on Compellant Storage the other week! and have three VMWare Clouds I administer daily...) - I can go into more detail if you need it :)
talkingcars
14-09-12, 08:20 AM
It is all very frustrating - my ex has never paid a penny in CSA despite 2 or more of our children living with me for the last 6 years because she is either "studying" or having another baby so she can't work and she has set up her disability benifits so that they are not included in any CSA calculation.
The month after the youngest 2 moved in with me she still tried to claim CSA for them and the CSA tried backing her up.
When we first split I agreed to pay an monthly alouwance (sp) to each of the children to cover clothes etc, this was all done by standing order so that their were clear records. After 18 months she turned around to the CSA and said that it was just pocket money (um, it paid for clothes, school equipment, school trips etc). I contacted my MP who in turn spoke to the head of the CSA and they both agreed that I had done the correct thing but because the ex said it was pocket money there was nothing they could do!
When the younger ones needed child care I struggled to get her to have them for more than the minimum time, now they are old enough to be at home in the holidays she has them for the whole holidays, nothing to do with them to be old enough to look after the younger kids she has!
And to top it all she has just moved from her council house into a brand new house bought with her latest new piggy bank husband.
And this is just scratching the surface.
Enough of my problems and to your problems.
Selling the car - you will get very little for the ZS and proberbly not enough to pay for a cheaper to run car in a similar condition, we struggled to find a Rover 100 for my daughter in decent condition for under £1000 last year, most similar cars are equally as expensive.
Do you rent or are you buying? If buying can you reduce mortgage payments by getting a better deal or increasing the term?
Is it worth using your current child care durring term time and looking at local council holiday schemes for holidays? This is what we did and I was lucky my employer allowed me to start late and finish early to get them to the council scheme.
Network - there is always freelance work out there although you may need to do it above board, my step son was working full time at Tescos and doing this with his film editing work for several years until he had enough film work to self employed.
Good luck.
I rent... but its cheaper than anywhere else round this way :)
I think your right though... selling the car is not the answer and it would just be a repeat of last time!!
So, to cheer myself up a bit I spent a few quid on service items for the ZS... just got to wait for them to arrive now! - Hopefully should sort my MPG out a bit... and I'm saving money by doing it myself.
And I'm going to look in other areas to save money or increase my income a bit...
Still if anyone has any work that needs doing just shout :)
Already sounding more positive about things make, nice to hear. Hope things pan out for you.
POMPSKI
14-09-12, 09:39 PM
Sorry to hear this. I paid £1850 for my 2004 black mk2 with 30 on the clock and FSH inc belts.
waynester
15-09-12, 03:59 AM
Already sounding more positive about things make, nice to hear. Hope things pan out for you.
Seconded! :)
Don't let the ***** grind you down. Keep your positivity, even when times get tough!
stamford
15-09-12, 08:13 AM
I rent... but its cheaper than anywhere else round this way :)
I think your right though... selling the car is not the answer and it would just be a repeat of last time!!
So, to cheer myself up a bit I spent a few quid on service items for the ZS... just got to wait for them to arrive now! - Hopefully should sort my MPG out a bit... and I'm saving money by doing it myself.
And I'm going to look in other areas to save money or increase my income a bit...
Still if anyone has any work that needs doing just shout :)
That sounds more like it Sam. If you need anything just shout as not far away. :thumbsup:
peterzs
15-09-12, 08:46 AM
Might be worth a "hands on", at your place ZS, strip the old car down for you.
Could help by giving you a bit of cash flow by selling the bits, plus scrappy metal is worth a few bob for weighing in.
We used to weigh in rads and batteries, also the alloys if not sellable, separately, as they are worth a lot more than just general scrap price.
:wave::wave::wave:
MG 53 ZED
15-09-12, 09:00 AM
Sam i'm happy to come down and give you a hand to strip the old car down if it helps.
Nobrainer
15-09-12, 09:55 AM
Get the barby on then sam :-)
We did have a barbie today actually... lol
I do need to get the car finally stripped down so I can get my drive back! but next week I'm going away for the weekend (lucky I'm not paying!) means a weekend away from my kids, much needed break! - so unless its tomorrow, I guess it will have to wait for a couple of weeks (sorry smokey!)
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