What the hell do we do now?

[BertieBotts]

DP's car has broken down. Going to cost more to repair than to buy another used car - we can't afford this either. DP needs the car for work, there is no other way he can get there. Workplace is rural and he works nights so no public transport. It's looking like he may have to cycle, but this will take 2 hours each way and I'd worry myself sick at the thought of him cycling on mad rural roads in the dark all winter.

Being turned down for every loan we try to apply for and have now stopped because I read it can damage your credit rating. We had a face to face meeting with a very kind man in Santander who told us quietly to try the supermarket banks as they tend to be more accepting even for people with low credit ratings, but they have turned us down as well. I'm not working at the moment (part time student) but looking at getting something part time, although this doesn't really help short term. DP won't touch credit cards with a bargepole because family members have got into very bad trouble with them, although TBH I don't think we'd get accepted for one of those either.

Is there anything anyone can suggest?

Our garage let us pay over a couple of months and they said they're having to do it more and more as peoples budgets get tighter. Try family run ones as I recon they would be more accommodating.

Could anyone lend you a car?

Any possibility of lifts for favours?

Moped rather than bike to the nearest bus stop?

The thing is it's not just the repair which is expensive (the head gasket apparently) but it's also likely to fail it's MOT and then who knows what other problems it will develop over the coming months. We were planning to just try and keep it going on it's last legs until June when my uni payments would have been paid off and then get another second hand car, one which would last longer, but it's looking like it would be best to do that now. The thing is even if we paid off a lump sum to fix the car and sort any problems now, we'd then be screwed if anything happened over the next few months as we wouldn't have any spare money. So thinking if we are going to pay a lump sum it's better to get another car which isn't likely to go wrong.

A longshot, but any shared journeys on Liftshare that would help you?

do you have a credit union locally? Might be worth checking out.

Is there no-one else where he works who lives vaguely close, who would lift share? Even if it just cut an hour off his cycling time, it would help. Can he put up a notice, or send out an all-staff email?

Although it's a long shot, it is worth putting a wanted on Freecycle. I have given away an old estate car on there that was mot'd and ran fine, but had a leak from the sunroof that meant it got wet inside and we'd used it as a builder's truck, so was pretty grim internally and therefore not really saleable. You never know what people have til you ask.

Money-wise, do you have anything you can sell? You can pick up a banger for a few hundred quid on ebay if necessary, to tide you over until you can afford or get credit for a better vehicle.

He works nights, so usually only one person on at the same time as him, if that. And doesn't liftsharing tend to involve offering lifts back?

Not if you arrange to give them petrol money.

Could work offer him and advance to be repaid out of his wages?

There's a scheme where you can hire a car from someone and pay per hour / day to hire. It's much cheaper than regular car hire and is called whipcar. If you are v. rural then you might be out of luck but you never know. Also could you lease a small car on a monthly basis?

You said about the uni payments any chance you can speak to them and have a few payments off or reduced if you ring and explain your situation they may be able to do something for you.

No can't reduce uni payments. I'd have to take a year out, and can't do that now I've begun. If we'd realised things would be this tight I probably would have taken a year out which would have given us until September to pay off, but TBH it wouldn't have reduced the payments by that much anyway. Basically they won't let you start the next academic year if you have debts outstanding from a previous one. I'm not entitled to student loans as I'm part time, it's a grant, which is fantastic, but not when it doesn't come through!

Don't think he can get an advance as he's only just had a promotion/pay rise. It was the pay rise leading to an increase in council tax (as reduction of CT benefit) that we completely (stupidly) overlooked when budgeting for things like the uni repayments. And in fact that won't even kick in until his next payday, which is the beginning of December.

Liftshare for petrol money might be a good idea - I'll suggest it to him.

I found a Petrol Mower on freegle That whipshare (and other car leasing) looks like it might be good. We are not too rural, the workplace is just rural enough that transport is a pain.

I will definitely check out the credit union. Thanks all, this is really helpful.

Hope things seem brighter today

There is always a fix for money problems it's just finding it. Good luck .... It will work out

Can you find enough money for a 2nd hand moped

Hi you will probably find that if you sell it on ebay as a non runner you will still get a few hundred for it. We are selling a Ford Fiesta R reg on ebay soon for a couple of hundred quid if your interested MOT and tax till March!