keep, sell or store?

[tommy8252]

Right after a massive row with my fiance I have a difficult decision to make. It turns out she's getting rather annoyed with the amount of time and money I spend on the nova. A little overview on the cars current situation is the 1600 engine that's fitted at the moment is making a ticking noise that gets louder and faster as I rev with the engine under load, my suspicion is its a worn piston ring as its also smoking abit. I have a set of twin 40s to go on and all other associated parts to do the conversion except the ast2 cam I was planning to use. But the engine is not in good enough condition to take them. So I need a good condition engine which is sourced for 125 and the cam is sourced for 100.

My problem is this means spending more money buying the parts to get my car where I want it power wise and time building another engine up and swapping it over. I'd be spending the same amount of money again but a lot more time if I rebuilt my current engine.

Now I have to make a decision on whether I annoy the missus A little more by spending the money on parts now and then letting her calm down and then build the engine and swap at a later date.

Leave everything for now and just run the car as it is.

Store the car and use the money saved from tax, insurance etc to buy the parts and come back to It later. (Storage would be in a heated container, in a secure cctv'ed compound half a mile up the road for 30 pound per week)

Sell the car and all spares and use the money to put towards my upcoming wedding and buying a cheap runaround.

I must stress that my hobby is becoming a larger part of my life and my missus is feeling its affecting our relationship and is feeling very put out by it. I don't want to give up the car but don't want to lose her either. But sacrifices have to be made somewhere.

Opinions and advice please.

Anybody who doesn't know my car and would like to see it to get a better understanding of the time, effort and resaleability of it can find it in my project thread here: http://www.pngclub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=145418

[Pancho]

do you spend equal/more time with her?

[Royston]

Got to have a hobby, at least she knows where you are, could be chasing other women, if you weren't working on your car;)

Does she not spend money on her interests? buying clothes.......shopping:eek: sorry if I am being stereotypical

There must be a compromise somewhere;)

[Connor]

http://www.randomfunnypicture.com/pictures/1222see-that-get-back-in-kitchen.jpg

[Pancho]

yup, my wife doesnt mind the 5 cars we have here because i spend my evenings with her, and i take her out and treat her like a princess. she says that if she got ignored then theres an issue. i think you dont have to change what your doing, apart from showing the missus some more quality time.

[tommy8252]

Yeah she's feeling left out although I do take her out and treat her and spend evenings with her. Evenings usually consist of tea shower kid to bed then were just tired from work and stuff and it doesn't feel like quality time together. Weekends either consist of working on the car or going to get car bits or other car related stuff. And she doesn't really have any interests she wants to persue.

[Connor]

It probably doesnt help with all the troubles you've had with it. My advise it to leave the car somewhere for abit, and fingers crossed, once you've fixed it, you wont need to spend every weekend fixing it.

[Jack]

If money is an issue, then £30 a week to store it will not go down well IMO! Is the Nova your only car?

I get moaned at sometimes when I spend money on cars but meh lol

[Pancho]

what about buying a bean bag and cuddling up on it infront of the telly. works for me....

[Nova00]

Yeah she's feeling left out although I do take her out and treat her and spend evenings with her. Evenings usually consist of tea shower kid to bed then were just tired from work and stuff and it doesn't feel like quality time together. Weekends either consist of working on the car or going to get car bits or other car related stuff. And she doesn't really have any interests she wants to persue.

I hope you can sort out
as regulars the NW meets need you both

[Hobbit]

I get moaned at sometimes when I spend money on cars but meh lol

Same, but Donna wouldn't risk making me choose between her and the nova as she might loose lol

[Mazz]

If money is an issue, then £30 a week to store it will not go down well IMO!

I completely agree, £30 pw / £120pm dude! 2 months of that and you'd have your cam and new engine - so imo, thats not a option at all..

Have you got a drive / off road parking where you can leave it for a few months?

Why not put the car on the back-burner for a few months and go away for a weekend together etc etc

[Jack]

Same, but Donna wouldn't risk making me choose between her and the nova as she might loose lol
A number of my ex's found that out the hard way lol

You can't ride a GF to work (well you could, but you'd probably get arrested), but a nice shiny car will get you a replacement GF. Again, as a number of my ex's found out :d lol lol

[tommy8252]

No live in a flat full of car parts lol with nowhere for off road parking. Got another car but I'm not able to to get insurance on it so only she can drive it and she doesn't like doing all the driving. My favourite option so far is run the car as it is for now, get the parts I need while I have the money for them and fit at a later less stressfulj time.

She knows that if she made me choose she stands a chance of losing lol but I'm trying to figure something out so it doesn't come to that and we can work more on finding quality time together.

[mrT]

well imo i 'd say leave it as it is and save for your wedding and honeymoon etc, both are worth more than an old ****ty nova which will always be there in some shape or form, then once everything else is sorted save the cash and get the parts, then its a case off taking it off the road for 3 weeks or so in sorting everything over, its a no brainer really dude:thumb:

[wwmnw]

Shower her with chocolate and stuff women like for a week or so, then when shes happy again sort the car out.

[jaygsi]

Got another car but I'm not able to to get insurance on it so only she can drive it and she doesn't like doing all the driving.

Won't your insurane off your Nova cover you to drive another car as long as you don't own it?


Storage would be in a heated container, in a secure cctv'ed compound half a mile up the road for 30 pound per week)

Ah man thats the kind of place i need by me but can never find one

[ben doodar]

A very good mate of mine spends all his free time and money working on his cars and his mrs isn't to keen either. it's caused no end of arguments between them.
I used to be the same would never have anything for myself nice cloths decent phone weekends away etc, and every night id be in the garage but id have nice shiney nova, which was enough for me back then. After having my lad and meeting my new mrs I've realised there's much more to life than fast shiney cars. IMO lifes to short to waste on cars, don't get me wrong I still like my cars and working on them but there certainly not my main priority any more, that's half the reason I got rid of my let project.

If your mrs is worth it spend a bit of time with her go for a weekend away go for some good food and drink does wonders for a relationship. Then once you've slowly saved for the parts you want you can build it up over the winter months when there's not a great deal of anything else happening, well that's my plans anyway.

[MattBrown]

At the end of the day, if she's moaning at you now about your hobby, then when you get older it's gonna get worse.

Seems seriously spiteful of her, not like your a bum wasting all the money in the pub, or in titty bars (rick) lol

IMO just do what you want, you get one life. Don't get to 60 saying "I wish I'd done that"

[craig green]

My advice would be to forget about the car for a while, get her on side & then come back to it.

[mrT]

A very good mate of mine spends all his free time and money working on his cars and his mrs isn't to keen either. it's caused no end of arguments between them.
I used to be the same would never have anything for myself nice cloths decent phone weekends away etc, and every night id be in the garage but id have nice shiney nova, which was enough for me back then. After having my lad and meeting my new mrs I've realised there's much more to life than fast shiney cars. IMO lifes to short to waste on cars, don't get me wrong I still like my cars and working on them but there certainly not my main priority any more, that's half the reason I got rid of my let project.

If your mrs is worth it spend a bit of time with her go for a weekend away go for some good food and drink does wonders for a relationship. Then once you've slowly saved for the parts you want you can build it up over the winter months when there's not a great deal of anything else happening, well that's my plans anyway.


couldnt agree with you more, aslong as you plan and do things with them then they dont really mind you spending time working in the garage,but as you say if you dont then stand bye for a ear ache lol my girlfriend used to come out sometimes and help with beer duties and keep me company, even stimes asking if she could do something which was usually cleaning up or whatever, do it the correct way and your gf will probably enjoy watching you have fun working on the nova, but number one rule mate is ALWAYS put the car second no mater what, gd luck :thumb:

[brownbear]

The whole point in a relationship is finding somebody whom loves you for you and doesn't want to change you. Cars are evidently a huge part of your life. Why let anybody change who you are? or stop you doing what you enjoy? Issues like this will only amplify as life goes on. There are plenty of fish in the sea. As Matt said you only get one life, Don't look back with regrets. In 20 years or less you could get divorced. The'll be just as many women around in 20 years as there is now... But I doubt the'll be ANY Nova's apart from immaculate condition collectors treasured items!

[blue_peg_16v]

I was once told to choose between my x and the loon. I chose the car and got divorced so instead of the car standing me at 5k it's about 32k counting the settlement and solicitors fees lol I'd keep itexplain you need a hobby make her aware that if you were a football fan a season ticket is ni on 1k then there booze and transport to matches and you would have nothing to show for it at least with your hobby there is something to show for the time and money

[Tanya.]

I don't think you should have to sell your car or store it especially when it's a big part of your life. Why not compromise, you keep your car but you get one day a week (saturday or sunday) where you just spend it as a family. Then you both win :) Failing that, get her involved. When the kids are busy or in bed...get her out there with you helping. That's what I tend too do. It may not be the perfect evening together in her eyes but you're still spending time together and talking....

[Tanya.]

My advice would be to forget about the car for a while, get her on side & then come back to it.


From a girls point of view...that makes us more angry and we're then more likely to say get rid :)
Just get on with it but make time for her.

[tommy8252]

My insurance won't cover the other car due to the other car being a motab car and the motab company not giving me their permission to drive it.

After speaking to her some more this afternoon she has suggested giving the car back and buying her a corsa c that she can do up. Which has delighted me as I can share my hobby with her and gain some quality time together. Which will mean my car doesn't have to go anywhere but will get done slower aswell as hers getting done but she wants work on my car to stop for the moment while we save for the wedding. So will ask her whether I can get the engine and cam now while I have them sourced and have the money for them then pick the projects up after the wedding.

[swedge]

been there done it mate, me and my ex split up just over a year ago

she moaned about me spending way too much time on cars and spending too much money etc

we lived together and all the bills were always paid etc so its not as if i was throwing it away as to speak

the difference between me and her were she was a person that wanted me with her all the time and im not like that, im an outside person that hates sitting doing nothing

at the end of the day mate its up to you what you want to do

[tommy8252]

That Swedge is exactly what I'm facing.

[swedge]

can you live like she wants for the rest of your life? thats how i thought about it and decided no

i have a son with her too, i still see my son now after having to go through the courts

[tommy8252]

That's one thing I don't have to worry about my son lives with me and he's from a previous relationship

[mk1nova_rich]

Very few women understand hobbies lol

[dave.gsi]

jesus :roll: , grow some fcuking balls and tell her to piss off.

give them an inch and they take a mile.

i put up with a woman like that for a few years (basically because she was hot!), the final straw was she told me i was giving up smoking, and i wasn't allowed to have a quick pint after work...........er don't think so woman, door is that way ---->


never looked back, my new missus is ****ing cool, two years later and no grief, basically cos she knows what will happen if she starts being a tit!

[swedge]

i must be pretty lucky then lol, everytime i go to the gf's shes under the bonnet of her car or got it jacked up for some reason lol