What should I do with my VFR?

[Coyote]

If I keep it, it'll continue costing me money whilst still being a bucket of shit, wasting time, money and effort that could go towards something else. If I sell it, the most I'll get back is $2000, but the bike has cost me $4000 and I've had to spend $2500 on it and I know the guy I sell it too will be some smug arsehole that gets a bike that'll turn out mint for him and for dirt cheap.

I still have about $3000 left to pay off on the loan for it. No job yet, sent CV into a few places though.

What should I do?

[discotex]

I don't have the answer but I think Kenny can help..

[YOUTUBE]kn481KcjvMo[/YOUTUBE]

[Toaster]

Well, the money spent is what I call a sunk cost. Plus, depreciation (declining market value) is inevitable mate.... you almost need to forget that bit. I consider that as 'rental' on a bike.

It really comes down to whether or not you can afford to keep it pending finding gainful employment.

If you feel that your employment prospects are good i.e. you expect to pick up work very soon... then maybe hang on a bit if you like the bike. If you feel it's unaffordable and you can't make ends meet, then sell it if you can while demand is still reasonable.

People are tending more towards conservatism as the economy slows in some sectors. The cost of living as certainly risen big time over the last couple years. If the dollar falls relative to the US greenback then that will only worsen.

[hazard02]

Park it in South Auckland overnight and proceed to collect the insurance pay out.

On a more serious note, if you hate it and are convinced its only going to require more work then sell it asap. Put it on tardme with details on where the $2500 of work has gone and what else needs to be done, and you may be surprised. At the very least you'll be rid of it and can move on.

[Coyote]

If you feel that your employment prospects are good i.e. you expect to pick up work very soon... then maybe hang on a bit if you like the bike.

I thought it would've already depreciated as far as it'd go. It's only aged a few more months and done a few more k's since I got it as a 15 year old bike.

I hate the thing. It's brought me back into depression.


I'm likely to get a scooter next. Nice, cheap, brand new, reliable, dependable transport. At this stage I'm halting spending any more money on the bike, except maybe getting a Haynes manual to see how much I can fix myself. Bright side of a fucked bike is the DIY challenge.

[scracha]

What should I do?

Admit you were stupid to spend 6.5K on a 15 year old bike then go out and find a job.

[Coyote]

Admit you were stupid to spend 6.5K on a 15 year old bike then go out and find a job.

Bah.

Sorry, short tempered.

[homer]

i think thats was far comment

after all you brought a bike you cant keep up , im not having a go at ya
just that ive been there done that .
now theres 2 cars and 2 bikes
one car and one bike are due for a few bits to be done , what the fuck ,has to be done

Ill say this
you sell the bike and what youll be paying out for a scooter thats new will be the same costs involved
just my thoughts
so dont shoot me down for it

[Coyote]

i think thats was far comment

after all you brought a bike you cant keep up , im not having a go at ya
just that ive been there done that .
now theres 2 cars and 2 bikes
one car and one bike are due for a few bits to be done , what the fuck ,has to be done

Ill say this
you sell the bike and what youll be paying out for a scooter thats new will be the same costs involved
just my thoughts
so dont shoot me down for it

I got a bike I was recommended to buy but several reputable members on this site after wanting something newer and bigger. They reassured me there'd be no problem, these bikes last forever, etc. Really they just wanted to sucker me into restoring a bike that they'll hopefully snap up on trademe for themselves once I give up and sell for cheap.

A brand new scooter won't need new disk brakes from Thailand that turn out to be warped, the rear shock needing to be rebuilt, forks needing to be rebuilt, failing electrics, exhaust blowing holes out of itself, and other shit. What it might have in common is a smoking motor, but I'm pretty sure 2 strokes are allowed to be that way unlike 4 strokes.

[homer]

sounds like you got shafted
sorry to hear that
i know some things turn out to be better or worse that the first instance .
Yeah maybe you should sell it.
just weigh up the costs of selling then buying something else .
Ive dont it lots .

[NinjaNanna]

Get yourself a proper quote on what it will cost to make it reliable note the emphasis on reliable.

I doubt your rear shock has to be rebuilt, likewise the front forks, just wipe them down before the WOF if they are only just slightly weeping.

Try some wreckers in Oz or perhaps the States get yourself a new can.

Keep an eye on your oil level and don't thrash it out, your smokey engine will probably go for a lot longer than you might expect.

[Ixion]

Y'know , there's a sort of art in old bike riding. In knowing what *needs* to be fixed, versus what *should* be fixed.

Y' sort of need to accept the old bike like y' would y' grandfather. Not everything is perfect any more. But there's a difference between the imperfact that calls for a fast trip to the emergency ward, and the imperfect that just calls forth a complaint about getting old on cold mornings.

If something's wrong that might fail and kill you, yes, you must fix that. Or if it's so gutless that it can't even get up that hill. Or if something's worn that may break and leave you stranded 500km from home, you need to look at that.

But, if you tried to get *everything* on an old bike up to perfect condition, it would cost an absurd sum. Some folk do indeed do that, restore old bikes to as new condition. They have a lot of money and rather strange ideas.

But for people like myself who simply *ride* old bikes, it's different.

So, it smokes a bit. So long as it isn't so bad it will fail a WoF (don't get me started on that!), where's the problem. Just use cheap oil, and put a bit in now and then. After 100000 km or , it's *entitled* to a wee oily tipple.

If the suspension's a bit worn (bearing in mind what I said above about fixing stuff that might kill you), well, just accept that, and corner a bit slower.

And so on. Sounds to me that maybe you are demanding a state of mechanical purity that isn't really practical.

Me, I'd keep it. But I wouldn't spend any more money on it. Or, not much. Only what *had* to be spent.

[riffer]

A brand new scooter won't need new disk brakes from Thailand that turn out to be warped, the rear shock needing to be rebuilt, forks needing to be rebuilt, failing electrics, exhaust blowing holes out of itself, and other shit. What it might have in common is a smoking motor, but I'm pretty sure 2 strokes are allowed to be that way unlike 4 strokes.

Geez Daniel, all these things can be fixed in your spare time.

Tell the truth - your girlfriend wants you to get a nice tidy Toyota doesn't she?

Keep it. And learn to fix it. Ignore your parents bleating on as well. Or bring it round to my house and I'll fix the bloody thing (eventually).

BTW have you finished reading my Burt Monroe book yet?

[jafar]

All sounds pretty normal for an older bike, I'd be inclined to keep it & fix the things that need fixing & put up with the rest until you are in a better financial position.
Older bikes are cheaper to buy than new ones but do come with a higher maintenance factor, the trick is to figure out when the cost of repairs is higher than the cost of a loan on a newer toy & if you can in fact get the loan. When the scales point towards the later model machine then is the time to change.
As you have stated that you already have a loan for the existing machine & are unemployed then your options are limited.

[The Pastor]

wah wah wah look at me ive got an old bike.

HTFU.

But i'll give you 2k for it