Umph. Genuine 2-hand bargain. - FotheringtonThomas
Too much to do, not enough time to fix the Mighty Cavalier, so it's to be recycled. That's a real shame, but - £200 of bits, +tax, + a couple of tyres....

Replacement is a very, very old Honda Accord ('90G) 2.0. It's still shiny! £500 T&T for a year, got a new cambelt a couple of thousand miles ago, good tyres. Lots of service receipts.

Insurance has gone up £50 - why (I thought the Cavalier was quicker & faster)?

I bet it's not as economical. Can't find MPG figures, though.

Reasonable buy, or not? There seem to be many newer cars for similar money...
Umph. Genuine 2-hand bargain. - *Gongfarmer*
If £500 has bought you a year or three's motoring in a nice clean car why worry ? The new belt is worth £150 at least. Most stuff for £500 will be filthy old junk.

Edited by *Gongfarmer* on 26/07/2008 at 13:16

Umph. Genuine 2-hand bargain. - mike hannon
My 2 litre Accord coupe automatic (92J when it was in UK) has always done 35-36mpg. It's still lurking here, clean as a whistle and on the button, although it isn't used any more (it's like a faithful old horse, can't bear to put it down) so if you need one for spares...
Umph. Genuine 2-hand bargain. - SuperBuyer
My company sold a 2000 W plate Accord 1.8 with 130K on the clock for £500 at the start of this year. Now that was a bargain! FSH, couple of dents but thats all!
Umph. Genuine 2-hand bargain. - Happy Blue!
You have bought the most reliable car ever built - ever! That 1988 - 1992 model was supreme. We had at least four in our family and the only fault was a corroded radiator on one car that had done over 100,000 miles in four or five years. Not the most economical car, but if you add in whole of life costs, not spending money on repairs and spare parts saves you a fortune.

Enjoy!
Umph. Genuine 2-hand bargain. - FotheringtonThomas
Thank you for your comments.

Driving this thing is like going back in time. There is a thin, large-ish steering wheel, there are odds and ends of chrome (or "chromed plastic") here and there, and I get the urge to say "Ooh! Let's go out for a ride in the car!" before driving it. The gearchange is a bit deliberate. The steering is incredibly light, I bet tyres won't last long. The hooter is very retro. So is the dash.
Umph. Genuine 2-hand bargain. - jc2
Insurance probably went up due to cost of parts.