I can't afford a car then?

[Rakatakatar]

I'm self employed, started my own business domestic cleaning 4 months ago. Has been doing really well, just gone up to 3 days a week.

My car is on its last legs, it has MOT due in March but it isn't worth saving as it's a 2006 model with a heap of problems.

I assumed I'd be able to get finance of some form but nope. Nowhere will accept me, being self employed without 6 months proof of earnings is working against me, plus I have bad credit from years ago.

This morning I decided to suck it up and ask my parents for a loan. They said no 🥴

Anyone been in a similar position? What did you do?
I'm worried that if I can't get a car sorted I won't be able to work and then I'll really be screwed.

If your husband doesn’t qualify for a bank loan I doubt he would get finance from a car dealership , they run the same sort of credit checks .

who looks after your baby for 3 days a week now?

You say you would need an alternative job paying more than £16.50 an hour, it's in school hours and for 3 days a week.

If you got a job that was more hours but paid slightly less, or out of school hours, couldn't that help your longer term plan of buying a car?

In all honesty if you have a bad credit history being self employed is a no-no and for any big loans you need 2 years of signed-off accounts.

You;d be far better off playing a longer game, getting some better qualifications, and finding work that pays more and is more secure.

Being s/e is no picnic. No sick pay, no pension, no proof of earnings unless 2 years of accounts, no paid holiday, etc.

If you were unable to clean for any reason (it's a hard physical job) your income would really suffer. You should think about factoring in critical illness insurance too.

I have worked as a cleaner without a car. As long as people are happy for you to use their vacuum cleaner and mops it is doable.

I agree. It's a bit odd she said he was eligible for car finance when he's not yet passed his test and can't get a bank loan.

Ask to speak to a UC Self employed advisor. Explain to them that your car is imperative to you managing to keep working, that it will be unreplaceable, and without 8t you cannot work.
Can they please approve you for a loan? They can do this. They did it for me several years ago for a laptop, boots, and PPE I needed.

They'll not give a massive amount, but enough to help, I think its about £900 they can give, but see if you are allowed to save some money each week from your wages and it be counted as company savings toward the vehicle you need in the meantime too.

@Rakatakatar Maybe it would help you to talk to someone who advises on setting up small businesses, or a careers advisor?

Because your decision-making seems to be chaotic and you have a long history of managing money poorly.

The way this comes over is you set up a business that necessitates a car. (We assume it does.)
But you already knew your car was on its last legs.
You also assumed you could get credit, despite a history of debt.
Your DH was refused a bank loan too.

It's all very sad but it's also a hand-to-mouth way of living and was doomed to fail because you aren't planning ahead.

Try the second hand market for something really affordable like a Peugeot 106.

I don't know anything about cars, but will the electrical problems really prevent the car from passing its MOT?

My car is a 2005 model. Some of the electrics don't work any more. For example the remote control doesn't work the central locking any longer so I have to use the key. The temperature and date no longer display. Those things are a nuisance but they don't make the car unsafe and didn't stop it passing its MOT last month.

Even if you could get finance - If you cannot afford to repair your car, you cannot afford a loan. Sorry.

^ This ^

I've seen multiple posts from people where retired mechanics have offered to pop round and take a look.

If you're skint, then the free options should be explored first.

My Lexus had an orange warning light. My mechanic traced it to a cable that appeared to have been chewed by a rodent (probably a squirrel, there are loads arrive here).

My neighbours cleaner doesn't come in a car she just turns up most people have a mop and a Hoover I can't see the issue with not driving you just need some more local customers

Can you withdraw cash and put it under the mattress? How would they know it hadn't been spent?

As others have said, have you tried a garage or mechanic? My local one will check what the fault is and give you a price to. Fox it without charge. Maybe not all do that part for free, but it's surely worth checking?
DP has bought no end of "non-runners" for £100-200/"free for scrap", fixed them up and sold them for £800+ because it turned out to be an easy fix, but the owner assumed it would be too costly given the age of the car. He is also the type who, if you posted on Facebook and he came to look, in your situation would tell you if it was a cheap fix after giving it a once over.

What car is it?
Search the car-then problem then forum on Google.
You'll likely stumble across an enthusiasts forum where someone else has likely had the same problem and put how they've fixed it online.
What would we buy any car offer you, it will likely have some value all the time it's got an MOT

And they don't check the car beyond seeing the engine run and the colour of the exhaust smoke. I've dumped a couple of cars on them that had quite serious problems.

They check lights and seat belts. Probably window wipers and spray too.
If she has lots of electrical issues the lights might not work.

Might be missing the point, but if all the electrics are playing up conversely the fix for the car might be quite simple:

Sometimes on old cars the contacts from the connectors to the computer become a little corroded/poor connection. If you look up your car model there is usually a guide on how to access it/clean the connectors with a contact spray:

www.screwfix.com/p/wd-40-contact-cleaner-400ml/92716

I had the same on an old car, all the warning lights were on - ABS/steering failure do not drive... Unplugged it all, sprayed it all and gave the contacts a scrub, plugged it all back in and it was fine till I sold it about 3 years later.

Also MOT people won't care about sun roofs etc. If it's safe to drive and the emissions are ok then you're fine. Sunroof doesn't matter. It might be that it gets through giving you time to save up?

Maybe they've got wise!

Both times I've used them, I've done the paperwork in the office. The guy has followed me to the car. He's asked me to start the engine, while he looks at the exhaust. That's been it.

@ThisGirlNever
Are you in the UK?
I've never heard of an MOT being done like that, and I'm very surprised that a garage would be prepared to take short cuts because if something happens they can loose their 'licence' maybe not the right word, but they can loose their ability to carryout MOTs.

MOT
Link to Gov website on what is checked as part of MOT, certainly a lot more than just emissions.

Yes you just insure as a business use but it could well make a small increase to your premium, we had a project at work and hired temporary workers and they all needed to prove they had business use insurance before starting. I think some changes their existing policy for free but others did have to pay more but I don't know the reasons

If your dh can afford to buy a car I don't understand why ge didn't help in the first place however you since said he's also failed a credit check so where do you think he will get a loan from?

I know you were sarcastic about getting a job and feel you want £16,50 an hour, school hours and you are unskilled but this is the real world are you earning that now? Can you take an evening job when your dh is home to do childcare. You sound to be in a touch situation and need to knuckle down and try to get out of it rather than getting into more debt

She isnt talking about an MOT.
She is talking about the checks webuyanycar.com will do. When she sold cars to them, all they did was check the engine turned over and the colour if the exhaust.

She was talking about getting her own car through its MOT.

@Sugarfree23

Could you quote the post where she says her MOT was fone by just starting the engine and checking the exhaust?
Because that's not what they were discussing. She was exposing how she sold a couple of dodgy cars to webuyanycar and all they checked was the engine started.
She wasnt talking about getting an MOT.