Am I a cf or is my aunt? Is £500 enough?

[Cantbloodyrememberthenameonthread]

My car broke down a couple of weeks ago. My aunt has a car that has sat on her driveway for a number of years, unused. It is nearly 30 years old, high mileage, aesthetically damaged (moss, dents, inside leathers damaged etc). Obviously no MOT etc but she said it would pass with flying colours.

my aunt offered me to use it until I sorted a new car. I asked how much she’d want for it and she just said “nothing just sort yourself out” I said I wasn’t going to use it permanently but would borrow for a couple of weeks (was happy to pay for a couple of weeks usage) and then return it.

It failed the mot. And I spent around £500 to get it through. I didn’t say, but I was a bit irked at having to pay £500 to repair a car I wasn’t keeping, but took it as a gesture of payment for letting me use the car. Around this time, my aunt said to my brother that she wanted me to pay £1000 for the car “as a favour”. When I checked the value the car was worth £1100 in mint condition on auto trader. This was never communicated to me at all and I was shocked. Shortly after, the car has broken down completely and had to be towed.

My aunt has expressed that she’s very much put out by the fact it’s broken down and has expressed she still wants the money for it, again this isn’t to me. I’m really annoyed. I feel the £500 I paid on the mot is more than fair, and if I’d have known she wanted 1k for it I’d have declined. Not least because it’s not worth that, but because I’d have bought another run around for that amount. My aunt is now sort of talking to other family saying it’s the last time she’ll do a favour for family.

I have sent her a message about all this but she never replied

AIBU here or is she?

Fucking hell no, it’s a ford escort.

Then I'm sorry, but you've been a complete idiot.

You actually do need to leave quite a large deposit with a lot of car hire places now.
I looked when I knew I was going to be without an car, and some wanted just £200 but quite a few wanted a deposit of over £2500 (this was for a 4 month rental).

In all honesty the more you post the more clueless you sound. I'm baffled about why you spent so much on the car even if you thought it was a free loan, unsure why you've not spoken to the garage regarding it failing (is it an issue they should have flagged up?) and confused as to why you can't just say no you're not spending any more money on what is essentially a pile of useless metal?

So… why did you do this? When first suggested, what made you think it was a good idea to try and get it through an MOT? Then when they said it would cost £500, what made you think it was a good idea to go through with that?

Look, your aunt is being properly twisted here but this really is one of those situations where you’ve been an idiot, and you’ve brought the trouble to yourself by making stupid decisions.

Why did you have it towed to your house? Now you have the problem of getting it towed to hers.

Oh dear me. A quick look at Auto trader and I see a 1977 model for sale for 50K and an 1988 model for a mere 25K. It's fairly common knowledge that such cars are extremely desirable.

Just stop with the family angst send your Aunt a message advising you don’t want to buy the car as it has already cost you 500 to get through mot, presumably you have the garage bills. If she wants it back then she can organise its return. As owner she can either try to sell or scrap it. This is a lesson that family favours are not always what they seem my cousin sold me my first car but I felt ripped off because it cost me in repairs the first two years more than she pretended it would.

I think you need to return it to her, but agree you don't owe her any money. Perhaps a family member will help you tow it?

Because my aunt said it would pass, the garage used was a friends garage who’s always either not charged me for the mot or if work needs doing charged me cost only. When taking it I expected it to pass obviously based on my aunts say so, therefore expecting to pay a few quid for the actual mot or nothing at all. When it came back it needed work my friend assumed I was going ahead and I felt awkward not to. My aunt tried to say the friend was having me on, and at the time I didn’t see rental as an option. So again, it was all very rushed

OP’s is from the late nineties - not worth that much, and in terrible condition so worth even less.

1996. A few more years on Aunty's driveway is all it takes!

Benefit of hindsight is a wonderful thing isn't it. You thought it was a simple solution when you were in a tight spot and you ran with it. It turned out costly and you have learnt a valuable lesson but it happens to us all, just don't let your Aunt convince you its something it isn't.

And I am pretty sure someone in the family would know if it was a valuable classic as some posters have said but just out of interest what model is it?

Because your aunt said it would pass? A thirty year old car, that’s been off road for a very long time, was ripped up and falling apart with moss growing on it and a woman you’ve said knows nothing about cars told you it was fine and you… believed her? The words idiot and stupid decision come to mind.

You really thought it would pass an MOT and cost nothing?

Chalk this one up to life experience and really really try to learn something from it.

It’s unlikely to be a valuable classic if it’s been rusting on her drive.
OP tbh don’t mean to be rude but is your aunt quite old? Her demands and views sound like someone who has lost their grip on the world of motoring and what things are truly worth!

You seem to be very reluctant to take any responsibility here.

A 30 year old car that's been sat unused for years and that (in your words) is covered in moss with damaged interiors is never going to be a sensible option even it does pass an MOT. When you found it was going to cost you £500 you should have dropped it back with your aunt, told her "thanks but no thanks" and found something else.

A car that's been sat outside for years is going to need new tyres, new brakes, new seals, new oil, new coolant and new screenwash for a start. A basic MOT was never going to be sufficient here.

In fairness, my car that went bang was a 3 year old Range Rover so it’s never actually occurred to me that things like that would matter. If it can happen to new it can happen to old and vice versa sort of thing

Op you sound so clueless as your Aunt did you really think a car which had sat on a driveway for years would sale through an MOT. Garages only do a repair which your consent you must have agreed for the work. Present your aunt with the garage repair bill. I would personally be leaving it with her now to take the car back but obviously you might have a friend at the garage who can tow it back to your Aunt

But it’s been sitting outside for years and years, without so much has having the engine turned over. And you actually thought “yeah, that’ll pass an MOT”

Sorry but this really is on you.

I mean, yes, it can happen to any car but did you genuinely believe that a 30 year old car that's been sat outside for years, is covered in moss and rust with interior damage was going to be safe to drive?

You’d have been better off just getting a hire car or buying a cheap used car.

No its not on her, she was naïve - yes, for which she paid £500, the rest is not on her, its on her Aunt, her Aunt is the truly unrealistic and money grabbing one here.

There was no agreement or contract in place. Don’t give her any money, she’s a chancer.

Unless it's a Cosworth of course.

It is on her. Her aunt didn't mention any money or cost until OP had been silly enough to spend £500 on a moss covered old pile of rust.