Motoring Discussion > Very generous but... Miscellaneous
Thread Author: TheManWithNoName Replies: 19
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 Tue 24 Nov 15 12:37 
 Very generous but... - TheManWithNoName
My FIL died last month and we have been given his car for free. It was a wonderful and generous offer by my mother in law but I think I'm in the bad books because I hinted to the missus and her that I didn't want it. I wasn't impolite - I merely suggested she sell it privately and use the money to finish off various unfinished projects round the house.

Part of me felt guilty at such generosity and a little uncomfortable at accepting it.
Why don't I want it? Well it's a 64 plate Renault Migraine III diesel estate. Not even a year old yet. Very efficient and zero tax but no doubt comes with DMF's DPF's and other gizmo's. Its not as capacious as my Pug 406 estate nor as comfy to drive having less thigh support in the driver's seat. Visibility out the back is horrendous. Makes me appreciate how much glass there is in older cars!

If I had my choice I would consider the larger and more dynamic Seat Leon estate petrol.
The Renault usually gets only 2 or 3 out of 5 stars on numerous websites but at least it comes with a warranty and free servicing. I suppose I should feel privileged but have a fear that some short journeys will strangle the car before long.
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 Tue 24 Nov 15 12:40 
 Very generous but... - No FM2R
Well, I think you were........ [I don't want to say wrong, but you weren't right].

It hasn't cost you anything, if it dies it still won't have cost you anything. Any mileage you put on it is mileage not on your own car etc. etc.

Gift horses, I think.

Unless you have a material and acceptable reason - i.e. no space - then I think you should take it philosophically.
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 Tue 24 Nov 15 12:46 
 Very generous but... - TheManWithNoName
Even the missus was initially reluctant to accept it from her mum but I think she caved in due to the emotional tie to the car and her late father. But I think you're right. Accept it graciously.
Be interesting to see if it goes as well as my 406 after 14 years.

p.s anyone want a Peugeot 406 estate, 130,000 miles. £500.
;-)
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 Tue 24 Nov 15 13:10 
 Very generous but... - WillDeBeest
If you really don't like it, it might be wise to plan an exit strategy. The Renault may not be the perfect choice, but it will give you at two years' bill-free motoring. You must have been anticipating the need to replace the Peugeot if it's 14 years old, so this achieves that for you but leaves you free to snap up an 'amazing trade in deal' in a year or two for something that suits you better.

I'm with NoFM: take it.
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 Tue 24 Nov 15 12:49 
 Very generous but... - Runfer D'Hills
Suggest to your wife that it would ideal for her and that she ought to take the chance to unexpectedly have a nice new car to run around in while you don't mind at all carrying on with the old one for now. Tell her she looks very smart in it and that it suits her...ach you know the sort of thing. S'easy !

:-)
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 Tue 24 Nov 15 12:58 
 Very generous but... - Bromptonaut
An Aunt by marriage faced a similar issue some 40yrs ago.

She had a very nice 1967/F Wolsley Hornet. Off white bodywork, red roof, leather seats walnut instrument binnacle, the lot. My Uncle spent a lot of time under the bonnet and under the car keeping it in good fettle but he loved that sort of stuff so no issue.

Great Uncle, pushing 90, was finally persuaded to give up driving and offered her his much newer standard Mini automatic. She didn't feel able to decline and the Hornet went.

She always missed it.
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 Tue 24 Nov 15 13:01 
 Very generous but... - Runfer D'Hills
My first car was a Wolseley Hornet. Can't say I missed it much after I chopped it in against a Triumph Spitfire.

:-)
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 Tue 24 Nov 15 12:50 
 Very generous but... - Cliff Pope
My mother gave me her car when she gave up driving. She wasn't being generous, rather asking a favour because she couldn't face the bother of selling it herself.
I gave it to someone I knew who needed a car. It wasn't worth much though, but it worked and had an MOT
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 Tue 24 Nov 15 13:33 
 Very generous but... - Dog
Yule get used to it eventually NoNameMan, like I did with my buckwheat pillow which initially seemed like a sandbag.

Plenty of Megane diesels all over €urope and afar, they can't all be, um, dogs.

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 Tue 24 Nov 15 14:04 
 Very generous but... - Alanovich
Zero is the expert on Renaults, Poochie. He says they're all crap so they must be.
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 Tue 24 Nov 15 14:23 
 Very generous but... - Clk Sec
>>He says they're all...

Two people I know quite well have had Renaults in the past; one was a Megane, the other a Laguna. Both developed serious problems while relatively new.

I would accept the kind offer, while keeping fingers crossed.
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 Tue 24 Nov 15 16:41 
 Very generous but... - martin aston
Take it, run it a couple of years then sell it on. The man-maths opportunities are then endless ;-)
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 Tue 24 Nov 15 17:02 
 Very generous but... - R.P.
Keep the old car as well. Not worth selling on, worth more to you etc.etc...you know what it's like...
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 Tue 24 Nov 15 18:40 
 Very generous but... - madf
I'll buy it from you. Cash on the nail. £1,000.
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 Tue 24 Nov 15 18:44 
 Very generous but... - Zero
>> Zero is the expert on Renaults, Poochie. He says they're all crap so they must
>> be.

He is, they are not, but he warned you that your one would be.

And he was right. So stuff that up your broken gearbox.
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 Tue 24 Nov 15 19:29 
 Very generous but... - mikeyb
If its anything like my colleagues diesel Migrane then expect it to fail spectacularly about 3 minutes out of warranty

On a positive note it should have the 4 year warranty.........

In reality its a free car that will be cheap to run - if t starts causing you grief then you have a reason to move it on

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 Tue 24 Nov 15 19:51 
 Very generous but... - PhilW
When my old man died he left a Pug 309 (he died a good while ago). It ran perfectly well but had a few scratches and scrapes on it. A cousin, lovely lady, had had her Fiesta written off recently and was going through a bad patch in other ways so we sold given Pug to her at a giveaway price (I was quite prepared to give it to her to be honest).
Two weeks later she got in contact - someone had rear-ended said Pug and written it off.
She was tearful - "Your Dad's car etc" as if it was more than a lump of metal, "So sorry, your Dad's car, you must be really upset".
More than ten years later, she is still apologising (as if it was her fault anyway!) whenever we see her.
Can't count the number of times I have said "It was only a fairly old car, a car, a bit of metal, not worth much, please forget it, it meant nothing to me".
She's too nice for her own good!
P

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 Wed 25 Nov 15 12:48 
 Very generous but... - Alanovich
>> So stuff that up your broken gearbox.
>>

'S not totally broken yet. Just got me to Abingdon and back. Anyway, there's no room in it what with all the sawdust.
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 Wed 25 Nov 15 13:06 
 Very generous but... - Pezzer
I'd take it, run it for a little while and then I'd start to get 'back problems' due to the seats and then have to move it on ;-)
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 Wed 25 Nov 15 16:00 
 Very generous but... - legacylad
As above
Then chop it in for that Seat Leon estate, although if it were me it would have to be that Cupra 280 version in dark metallic grey. Without the blingy orange wheels.
A very nice looking estate IMHO and highly rated, although I have not so much as poked my nose inside one to check out the interior quality.
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