Volvo 360 vs Proton Persona

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williswoody
Posts: 102
Joined: 02 Oct 2011 10:55 am
Location: Queensland, Australia

Volvo 360 vs Proton Persona

Post by williswoody » 18 Apr 2014 08:19 am

Hi all,

Long time no see. If your a regular of this forum you might remember me posting about this a while back, but lately due to my financial situation I've been thinking about it a bit more.

So back in September 2011, when I first got my license I bought my 1984 Volvo 360. Had a few issues with it, some still current. Just after we got it, the fuel pump needed replacing (my fault, bottomed out and slammed the bottom of the car into a ditch my mistake, causing a leak). Then we needed to get the radiator fixed because it randomly started leaking one day.

After we got this fixed (in February 2012) we haven't had much of a problem since, until November 2012 when I got it serviced. My mechanic said I should book it in for a wheel alignment at the local dealer because there was a problem with that.
So I did, the dealer told me that the rear wheel struts are sagging or something, and will want replacing pretty soon, and that it would cost "a lot" of money. So after hearing that, I ummed and ahh'd about the car and decided I wanted to get a new car that was more reliable.

A few months later, I did it. It was a bit of an impulse buy, a $14,000 new Proton Persona, and I got it in April 2013. At the time I'd saved up $3500 for it ($1.2k went to my insurance, the rest was a deposit. My parents loaned me the money and I'm paying them back $80 a week). At the time, I was living at home with my parents, working in my supermarket job $400-500 a week) and didn't have many expenses so it was good for the first few months. In August last year, however I moved out of home and am flatting with a mate I went to school with, still with the same income. However, a year since, I have my registration costs and insurance which is making my car hard to afford.

My parents hate this idea, but I am considering selling my Proton, paying my parents the remaining debt (+ probably $500 for doing it) and fixing up the struts on the Volvo and driving it around again with whatever money I have left.

This way I will not have an $80 car repayment. I will also save on car insurance, because my Volvo isn't worth as much as the Proton, I would only insure it 3rd party so it would be awesomely cheaper.

I never got around to selling the Volvo so it is just sitting at home. I'm not sure what to do. I'm pretty sure I'll have trouble-free motoring for a few years with the Proton, but I'm not sure with the Volvo, based on the problem I had with the radiator when it randomly stopped working.

Any advice on this? My parents will not be happy if I sold the Proton but they'd get over it in time. I'm just not sure what to do, and the longer I put it off the more money I lose.

Cheers
1984 VOLVO 360 GLT HATCH Owner. First car. Aussie. Uncertain of it, after it's started playing up lately :/

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