What would you do?

[Mups]

The family across the road from me have had an old car in their front garden for about the last year.
It is their son's, and the silly young man bought it before he had even took his driving test.
One year later and he still hasn't passed!

Time has gone on, and he has got to move it because they have family coming to stay from abroad, and they will need that the parking space.

So the young fella  he came over a couple of days ago and very politely asked me if I would allow him to stick the old wreck on my driveway for a couple of weeks.  He said it is all rusty now and has contacted the scrap man to come and take it away.  They are supposed to be coming in about 10 days.

I really didn't want it stuck here, but also didn't want to be mean and un-neighbourly,  so I said he could dump it here but only for 2 weeks, then it must be gone.
I can still get my own car in and out alright,  so its not really in the way,  but I just hope I am not being conned and become stuck with it.  Can I trust him?

Am I being a good neighbour,  or an idiot?

I have decided if its not gone within the next two weeks I will phone a scrap yard myself,  (after warning the young man of my intent),  but don't know anything about scrap people.   I don't want any old gypsies round!     
Would scrap dealers take a car that's not legally mine?   Would I have to pay them?
I think I wish I hadn't let him do it now. . .

[Dextrous63]

You'd need the V5 as it'd have to be signed over to whoever takes it.

Otherwise, we could all phone up some scrap merchants to get rid of cars we objected to😉

[Alex]

One good thing Mups it will look like someone is home when you're out ! 

[Raven]

Afraid I would have said no (politely). If that makes me bad then so be it. The cars been there for a long time, plenty of time for it to be taken away, why wait till visitors are coming. And why ask to dump it on you? Sorry Mups but I think they had some bloody nerve. 

[Dextrous63]

OTOH, their visitors might be able to park on your drive until the rust bucket gets towed away?

[Raven]

Or, they can just park on the road outside their house, like most visitors do, if the rust bucket gets taken away while the visitors are still in residence then they can move to parking on the property grounds.
Why dump their eyesore on Mups. 

[Mups]

I've just had more bad luck now. 

Just nipped up the Co-op,  and as I was driving across their car park,  a bloody idiot reversed out of his parking space not looking, and smashed straight into my  left front wing!!!

He knew it was his fault, and gave me his name, phone number and Insurance details, and I wrote down his number plate too.   It was a white Mercedes.

I could do without something else to worry about.   

[Raven]

Oh Mups I'm sorry to hear this, your having a horrible time just now.  It probably won't be of any help but, these phases always come to an end and you can bounce back.

[Dextrous63]

Golly Mups.  Toothache, wing mirror.  Anything else that'd complete the hat trick of bad luck??

[Ruthio]

Am I being a good neighbour,  or an idiot?

Mups, you were being a good neighbour 👍
If the young man has contacted the scrap people and they've said they will collect the car, then if they don't it's not his fault!

[klondike]

Golly Mups.  Toothache, wing mirror.  Anything else that'd complete the hat trick of bad luck??

She said wing. 

With an old car just about anything can mean a write off and a payout less that you'd need to replace it.


Sorry but it is bad news.

[Mups]

Oh Mups I'm sorry to hear this, your having a horrible time just now.  It probably won't be of any help but, these phases always come to an end and you can bounce back.

Thanks for the kind words, Raven. 
Bless ya.  x

September 06, 2025, 10:16:47 PM

Golly Mups.  Toothache, wing mirror. Anything else that'd complete the hat trick of bad luck??

Wing mirror?    It was my WING he's dented,  between the passenger door hinge and the side of the headlight,  not the wing mirror, Dex.

September 06, 2025, 10:19:02 PM

Am I being a good neighbour,  or an idiot?


Mups, you were being a good neighbour 👍
If the young man has contacted the scrap people and they've said they will collect the car, then if they don't it's not his fault!

Thanks Ruthio.     I just hope he is not fibbing after I have trusted him,   and really is getting it taken away soon.

September 06, 2025, 10:23:00 PM

She said wing.

With an old car just about anything can mean a write off and a payout less that you'd need to replace it.

Sorry but it is bad news.

Yes I did.   

I really can't think about my dear old car being scrapped, Klondike.   
I would miss it so much.  I really don't think I could manage without it.   And its only done 35,000 miles.
Perhaps these things are easier when there are two of you to drive,  but its not good when you're on your own.

[Dextrous63]

Apologies for the mis-read.

[klondike]

With new cars it's standard practice to take what is known as gap insurance. It covers the difference between what the insurance will pay and what is owed on the pcp or hp deal when a car is written off.

Insurance really should cover the replacement cost of a vehicle they write off and what the trade would buy it for. I recall from the days when I watched TV that one insurance company was offering to replace a write off with an equivalent vehicle.

[Scrumpy]

Mups.... You are a walking bloody time bomb..

You might have to get the scrap man to take your motor as well as the lad's across the road..

Poor you... x