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Not Happy!

StevieB - 13/2/10 at 01:35 PM

I've decided to get my car out for a quick bimble about, eventhough it's rainging and the bloody battery's flat

To add to the problems, it's ben standing a while so is being difficult to start at the moment, so looks like it's another non-event.

What really pi$$es me off is that I've spent 4 years building, getting it regeistered in October and I'm going to have to sell it soon due to wife losing her job.

Due to rain/snow ever since registration, I've managed to drive to my in-laws in Scrborough once.

Really not a happy bunny, I need a new hobby!

ETA:

I know it's a rant, but its either a this or I kick the cat (which is still not totlly off the cards at the moment...)

[Edited on 13/2/10 by StevieB]

Steve G - 13/2/10 at 01:45 PM

Its not the cat's fault.......... so kick the wife instead - seeing as its her fault. Keep the car and sell her, after kicking her first.

Keep your chin up anyway mate. Tough times but things will pick up in time. Give all the ignition electrics a spray with WD40 while the battery charges up.

MakeEverything - 13/2/10 at 01:53 PM

Surely selling the caris an absolute last resort? 4 or 5 grand (?) wont go that far, and i think youll regret it when things pick up.

clairetoo - 13/2/10 at 01:57 PM

What you need is one of these
Mine lives by the door in winter since I seem to run only bangers......

StevieB - 13/2/10 at 02:17 PM

quote:
Originally posted by MakeEverything
Surely selling the caris an absolute last resort? 4 or 5 grand (?) wont go that far, and i think youll regret it when things pick up.

Ł4/5k? I've already turned down offers for quite a bit more than that!

I'd rather sel the car before I really need to the money rather than leave it till too late - this way 'll hang on for a decent offer rather than back myelf into a corner of having to take less money for a quick sale.

I used to have a booster packs, but it got used at some point to sart a Landrover at my old army unit and never really made it back into my car boot...

[Edited on 13/2/10 by StevieB]

clairetoo - 13/2/10 at 02:27 PM

quote:
Originally posted by StevieB

I used to have a booster packs, but it got used at some point to sart a Landrover at my old army unit and never really made it back into my car boot...

[Edited on 13/2/10 by StevieB]

Mine made it into my garage via the skip at work

Some numpty had dropped something heavy on the amp meter , so they said `chuck it out...'

Danozeman - 13/2/10 at 02:38 PM

I can sympathise mate. Nice and sunny here first thing and had to pop out. Would have taken the kit if it wasnt in little bits and taxed.

Also mine could well have a for sale sign on it at the shows this year as my wife is expecting again in august so things are gonna be tight for a while and theres no other way out for me. I would sell the tin top and keep the kit but with 2 kids to ferry the kits not to practical.

stuart_g - 13/2/10 at 02:53 PM

Nooooooo, Dan don't do it!

MakeEverything - 13/2/10 at 03:37 PM

quote:
Originally posted by StevieB

quote:
Originally posted by MakeEverything
Surely selling the caris an absolute last resort? 4 or 5 grand (?) wont go that far, and i think youll regret it when things pick up.

Ł4/5k? I've already turned down offers for quite a bit more than that!

[Edited on 13/2/10 by StevieB]

Hence the question mark really. All the more reason to keep hold of it. what are the chances youll gather this amount to replace it at a later date?

Mark Allanson - 13/2/10 at 04:06 PM

quote:
Originally posted by clairetoo
What you need is one of these
Mine lives by the door in winter since I seem to run only bangers......

It has a motorcycle engine, I would have thought that one of these would have done

[Edited on 13/2/10 by Mark Allanson]

MikeRJ - 13/2/10 at 06:21 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Mark Allanson
It has a motorcycle engine, I would have thought that one of these would have done

hehe, it's a sod turning the car upside down to open the battery compartment though.

:{THC}:YosamiteSam - 13/2/10 at 06:24 PM

i would just stick it away - spend nowt on it till you can afford to run it again - it will cost you more to start again.. you wont get your money back in any sort of car building / motorsporty type thing

sonic - 13/2/10 at 06:31 PM

Thats the problem with this type of car

They are a fantastic toy when you get to use them twice a year!!
I used to wait for the weekend to come and get the car out,then it would rain both days and be lovely and sunny on Monday morning! really stressed me out in the end.
Then you take stock and think i have circa 8-9k sat there and you can buy alot of nice cars for half of that and you could use it rain snow or shine and put the kids in the back.

Shame really but i couldnt justify another one based on how many times i used my last two.

StevieB - 13/2/10 at 06:48 PM

It's not the selling up thing that bothers me - it's just a car and I can always buy/build another one.

I guess I'm having a pretty bad time across the board at the moment and the flat battery is the final straw

Ninehigh - 14/2/10 at 08:57 AM

You do know if you sell it now this summer's going to be 3 solid months of scorching sunny days... It's the law

It's not costing anything to have it sat in the garage

StevieB - 14/2/10 at 11:04 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
You do know if you sell it now this summer's going to be 3 solid months of scorching sunny days... It's the law

It's not costing anything to have it sat in the garage

Well, part of the reason for selling isn't because I need the money to survive.

The main reason is that, with the Missus out of work, we know we need more income. So, rather than her getting a new job for a mediocre salary that gets taken up mainly by the extrotionate childcare bills, we're going to start another business that can go hand in hand (and maybe replace) my current business in the long term.

To do so means I need as much capital as I can lay my hands on.

Not a problem though, as part of the sale money will go towards a new chassis kit so I can start to build again slowly (I found a lot of my Indy build to be quite a good escape from the world).

[Edited on 14/2/10 by StevieB]

Ninehigh - 14/2/10 at 11:11 AM

Oh cool what will you be doing?

StevieB - 14/2/10 at 11:26 AM

There are 3 distinct options at the moment, all of which have their own advantages and disadvantages. I'll be keeping them under my hat for the time being though

The two more interesting options are naturally far more laden with high risk for potentially high reward. Option 3 is relatively sensible and involves buying into a franchise - not entirely sure how I feel about that.

Ninehigh - 14/2/10 at 11:32 AM

The franchise thing has been discussed here before... Didn't look too good from what I saw

StevieB - 14/2/10 at 11:56 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
The franchise thing has been discussed here before... Didn't look too good from what I saw

It all depends on what the franchise is and how the deal is structured.

There are some good ones out there and some that are very obviously businesses that have been set up to imitate a successful one then sell the franchise.

Some of the bigger names (KFC or instance) are pretty much a license to print money. But these big names have big demands - KFC is a massive investment and they require you to have Ł500k in cash as par of your business plan. If I won the lottery though...

It's all about finding the right franchise and making sure the market is there for the product.

y other two options are to buy an existing business and to start one from scratch. None of the 3 are related, they're all just interesting prospects that attracted my attention and which I could pu my skills and experience as a contract and commercial manager to good use.