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?

Bit mad to think a 30 year old car would actually pass MOT and then have no issues OP, your aunt is obviously unreasonable but YABU to not have hired a car in the first place sorry

Invoice her for the MOT. She is the registered keeper and then pay for the two weeks of rental.
Nothing more nothing less

Give her back the car now asap and dont give her a penny more.

This should be considered a hard lesson learned.

Separately I find it wild you apparently can afford a 3 yo Range rover but cant afford decent insurance that provides a courtesy car or.... just to hire a car. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

Is it taxed and insured? And in whose name?

Id be tempted to report it as dumped and get it towed...

And then book some assertiveness coaching. This whole situation could easily have been avoided by feeling able to speak up to yourself.

Are you being obtuse, yes she made a mistake, she was led to believe it would fly through the MOT and when it didn't she decided to pay the £500 instead of saying no and yes she was naive and the benefit of hindsight is a wonderful thing.

But the Aunt wanting £1100 for a defunct car is a joke and that is not on the OP it is on the Aunt - the OP has no responsibility at all for this.

And I don't disagree but the benefit of hindsight is a wonderful thing. BUT the £1100 is NOT on her, its on the Aunt. The OP is under NO obligation to pay this and Aunty is being a chancer.

The OP's aunt can say she wants whatever she wants, it doesn't mean anything.

i hate it when people do this, its partly why now its better to get in writing because you can bet somes said oh did you know you could get x for it etc

I didn’t say, but I was a bit irked at having to pay £500 to repair a car I wasn’t keeping

Didn't say it to who, your aunt? But she didn't force you to pay the £500, that was your choice? You had no obligation to fix the car or agree to the price with the garage. Just because she told you it would "pass with flying colours" means nothing when it's a 30 year car that has been sat to rot on the driveway for years. Fair enough you tried your luck to see if it might pass and tide you over for a few weeks but when you realised it was going to be a big cost to you that was the time to say thanks but no thanks.
If you no longer want the car then you should pay for it to be towed back to your aunt, it's not your decision if it should be scraped or not.

Did she sign the car over to you? If so then I’d sell it, some will take it off you to strip down for parts. I’d sell it and take away my £500 then give her the rest. If it’s not in your name then could you ring your break down cover and add home start. After a week ring them and explain it’s broken down and needs to be towed to your aunts address.

And that is the point, if you read my original long response to the post, you will see I said just that. I'm not going to respond to you again, read what I have written please.

Very very harsh but probably what we're all thinking!

I do know a few people who have absolutely no idea when it comes to cars, houses, money and the practicalities of life. It can be very frustrating. It sounds like the OP's family are all a bit clueless.

I'm devastated 😂

Its not her Aunts fault the OP decided to pay the full £500, the MOT centre will have rung and explained what the car failed on and presumably it would have been the OPs decision to pay it. It was naive of the OP but benefit of hindsight is a wonderful thing. Just tow it back to Aunties and leave her with the car in (lets be honest) probably better condition than when she picked it up.

Should of towed it back to her drive

Should have.

Called her last night, she’s advised she’s having it scrapped and keeping the money.

im really irritated by the whole thing tbh. She’s came to collect the keys today, removed belongings from the car (just some bags, kids toys etc) and left them on my driveway. She seemed very annoyed. I’ll struggle to talk about this with her without a massive argument I think

@Cantbloodyrememberthenameonthread

Well, sounds like the best outcome in the end.

It may have been the other family members fuelling her CF’ery, and given no one in the family seems to know much about cars or mechanical stuff….

The best lessons learned are the ones that cost us financially and/or emotionally. Chalk it up to life experience….

Land Rovers are known for not being that reliable, sadly, but then Fords were nicknamed Fix Or Repair Daily! 😂

To be honest at the garage, I’d have called her and said listen it’s £500 to get this through an mot and the car isn’t worth that to me, what do you want to do?
the garage also are at fault, no garage would just start work without your sayso so, did they call her and she said yes, in which case you’ve purchased the car at that point when she made you pay. Personally I wouldn’t have paid it, and the garage would/ should, have said it wasn’t worth doing.
let it go, you did her favour putting it through the mot, it’s a heap of junk proved by the fact she’s now scrapping it. Tell the family to butt out, and they can pay her, but you’re not paying any more. God, I’d tell them the garage said it was on its last legs and surprised you were willing to pay the £500.