would you spend £600 on repairs to a car

[SlartyBartFast]

that might need a further 200 quite soon, and you had alrady spent approx 600 18 months ago?

or wouldyou trade it in?

help me decide,

when does it get to the stage where you are pouring too much money into your car?

It depends on what the car is worth and what you would get for it if you traded it in.

I have paid over double that for my car in the past (though I still inwardly cry to remember that!)

thanks for that dumbledore.
tis hard to make a decision.

Yes, and I have done in the past. Though it hurt!
Last car I had needed all these jobs during a 3 month period:
Clutch £270,
Steering column £350,
Both left and right rear radius arms £400,
New battery and many hours labour looking for electrical fault £300.

Oh, and full set of tyres and a new exhaust, all together £450.

I'd trade in if you can afford to do so.

but if you don't the car won't be worth as much as a trade in - damned if you do , damned if you don't. Cars are a bottomless pit

Car sales are bad right now, with credit crunch.
The general advice is to sit tight with property and cars.
I would pay whatever just to keep it going.

It does depend on how old and otherwise reliable the car is, as well as how much its worth, how much you paid for it, and what you would be looking to replace it with. If you own it outright and it is otherwise reliable, then I tend to think "better the devil you know", but all cars at some point (depending on make/model/build quality/age etc) will get to a point where they are old enough that one thing after another will start to fail and you might as well look to replace. If you post car details (make/model/age/mileage/cost/value) I am sure there will be some people on here that can make good guestimates.

As an example - I had a brilliant peugeot 306 that was a few years old but smart and reliable. It only cost 600 quid to begin with. Its heater matrix (radiator that comes off the engine and heats the car interior) failed twice in four years and was v. expensive to fix (£300 each time) but we paid up as the engine was so reliable othrwise and it sailed through MOTs, but on the third failure of same component we ditched it as no longer financially viable and looked like it would keep happening.

On the other hand you can negotiate some very good deals on used cars and trade-ins at the moment. Garages are desperate for sales.

thanks for your words,
will try the negociation

have had in 8 years, only in the last three years have i had so much expense. tis an R reg with high mileage.
could spend the 600 on a different car!

I paid £550 last month to get my car though its MOT. It still needs two new tyres and I think the brakes need looking at!!!!

However, it is a great family car and has loads of room in it for all my books going to parties/fairs etc so I will keep paying out for the moment.