My 2d-worth: the problem seems to me to be that so many cars have problems at the same time. If Bella had been unwell on her own it wdn't have been such a big deal, I think. At least, I hope so. Sleep on any decision for a few days. You need a car to tow Bob economically, as well as family transport. Good luck with the decision.

Berlingo's are relatively cheap nowadays, as I found to my cost when I could not sell mine. Could you not buy another one, maybe end of life, and strip it for parts for Bella? Just remember, once you fix something on a car, its unlikely to break again anytime soon. EDIT: I just posted this before you mentioned getting a new Berlingo.

As the owner of a 13 year old mini i feel some of the pain. Especially the complexity of modern engines and learning about limp home mode! But you can get lucky. Got a bad misfire under full throttle and fixed it by replacing a coil pack. Lucky! The fact i diagnosed it and fitted the new coil pack was a good moment and then flooring it and realising it was fixed (pretty sure it was something worse) was even better.

Feel your pain i got 03 ford galaxy 129k on the clock, paid 1k 7 years ago, great practical vehicle but needs a clutch this year... people saying 900quid for work...

What about looking at a peugeout partner?

Phone does not appear on the dash butt. On work days, in my pocket. Travelling, its in the luggage. From a lorry driver.

Complete front knuckle with bearing are £82 on ebay new. That break is probably due to being snapped when it was over tightened, prob with windy gun. The rust means its been like it a long time and you find the shape of the broken bit will wedge against the strut and it actully holds well, im not saying its safe but i would not expect you to notice any thing was wrong. If the mechanic changed the bearing insitute or by removing the whole strut then I doubt they would notice anything. But i would take the knuckle off and use a press, and if that was the case then why did they not notice the break or perhaps crack? I have used flicking the starter with an old breaker bar on the crank nut loads of times, vw lt really tight normally. Re tightening the bolt is much easier as you clean the rust off and the old loctite off. And if your worried a couple of drops of loctite solves any concerns.

Pantograph wiper. Pantastic.

That would suit me perfectly .....with a petrol engine.

If anyone can tell us the exact point when you should stop pouring money into a car please do😂

Its been a Berlingo for too long personally I would have got rid and kept the Subaru but I think a better Berlingo is the best option for sure they are a good car.

I bet you wished you kept the Forester now and got rid of the Berlingo.

Maybe the state of the roads in the UK might not of helped the aged material, but I've found the roads in Wales to be much better than in England Mr HubNut.

How about buying a Dacia similar to the one you tested some time ago? I think it's a good choice even if it has to be financed.

maybe a peugeot partner, same but different. facelift model for the redesigned front end. if having two person trips on mind and maybe hauling car parts, i'd look at the van version. different emission standards kept some engines longer in production than the passenger car featured. vans make a better base for a camper if thinking of isolation and use of space. and they usually go for less than the passenger cars.

5:00 I am not going to say that I told you so, but I did. Some cars for some reason are a complete money pit. Had the same issue with my Suzuki Ignis, which I loved. But it was taking money like it wanted to be fed with it! You gotta let it go.

Perhaps you need to try and find a Citroen Synergie (They feel very HubNut indeed)

Maybe a petrol Berlingo?

Time to get hold of some simple 1970s machinery i reckon , stuff you can work on yourself without too much trouble , something Rimmers can supply affordable spares for etc ?

Clearly Bella went through a period of poor maintenance, before Ian purchased her. If Ian had spent half the money, used to repair Bella during his ownership, to buy a better condition Berlingo, he probably would have saved money, and actually got to fully enjoy the car.

It would have been cheaper to have kept the reliable Subaru. But you wouldn't listen.

Surely a Dacia Duster would be ambrosia for the channel? An early one needing a wee bit of work might be reasonably priced too.

Get a car trailer and Betty can double as a transporter to earn her keep. I'm sure she'll be fantastic for towing.

finally a comon sence electric car without all the extra stuff you dont really need. I like the fact its low powered so is more sensible. The range is still low but that all depends on battery size so to keep the cost low you get a smaller battery. thanks as always for an honest review Ian and Carly

Stick with a car you know mend hub , am in a similar position , just running 2 of my car's at the moment , are you planning to be at NEC in March

Keep Desmond , Ellie and Tuk. Sell the rest, and buy a newer Berlingo.

Mazda CX30 is the same price, has the same range but is a thousand times more luxurious. The Mazda is a "proper" car, this is just a tin can with a steering wheel.

Betty looking very good with new rims and wheels. Don't need those plastic sills, looks good without them and sills may survive better without them.

Better the devil you know prehaps

Well, if you really are struggling, you could not (carefully) push the existing bearing out and use it in the new hub? Not best practice but.......

Financially Bella is a write off, the biggest problem is the engine, if you repair or replace it , the cost will be more than she is worth .Best to find a suitable replacement and transfer all the good bits from Bella to the new one ( don't forget the tow hitch ) I don't know if Bella would have much or any residual value but with a bit of luck you can get a decent price for her.

Old cars cost money and need constant repairs. That gives you constant content. Scrap cars due to catastrophic body rot. Not a suspension part. That is just silly. Also if you get another slightly less mileage car then you have to look forward to all the repairs you have done to Bella all over again.

What the hell is a tuk tuk. That’s an autorickshaw.

You can see more trouble coming with Bella from your mention of crispy rear axle, that would put me off aswell as the engine not running right. I can't stand the tent (bob), it eats space and looks like the circus is in town to use.

XR8 Wheels look best

Ian, why on earth are you still paying out on that belingo. Get shut and get a Dacio Duster.

Time to go

Bring on Bella II !

Bella seems to be a Triggers Broom. :( I've been there - when you start to replace things that you've replaced at least once already... and the carpet is the only original part left... is then the time to call it and move it on? :( Sell it to a Channel member as a "Project... parts/ repair" car? Hopefully no low balling on price and they'll know what they're getting. 🤞🤞

perhaps a fleet of £35 max ved vehicles( thanks goverment ) A petrol without a turbo,inter cooler,oil cooler dpf filter.All those things clog up and go wrong too easy. chevy spark is an interesting car.oh and dont touch gdi engines more clogging up 🤔

Hello Ian, i had a 1.4 petrol berlingo it clocked the miles and was economical as well, this may be an option as the berlingo is the perfect family run around

Availability of parts and cash aside, get one project done at a time. Rinse, repeat, move on. Focus and move forward. Best of luck.

Careful, we are not through the worst of winter yet. Beware the ides of March.

As an Australian - i dont know too much about your alternatives. It's very sad here in Australia at the moment, because Citroen has just announced that it is leaving the country. It has been the longest, continuous make since 1923 in Australia - particularly Queensland. It was the first car to also transverse the country. I blame the ignorant Australian consumer, and the private importer who have never marketed and supported the brand as they should have. It's sad when looking at what is available in France - as well as Peugeot and Renault ( even NZ ), what we could get. Ironically the Citroen commercials were selling well. You can see Berlingo vans everywhere, but few cars. Those owners are very much Francophiles. Is there, for you an alternative in the form of the Renault Kangoo ? Is the hybrid or electric Berlingo financial ? Just some thoughts. Its obviously about, getting just the right one.

Definitely time for Bella to go after you take off the parts you need. And due to the high running costs maybe time to pass the ford on

Not sure if discontinued Japanese cars with known rust issues are the best choice. And all of your cars except the Fairmont and the 2cv are not easy to service.

Why not buy a Jogger? Or a MCV? To replace the old Berlingo

My Doblo was the perfect vehicle for me when it was working properly but it rarely was working properly.

Skoda Yeti!!!

Ian.. does it seem like you've got too many project cars? I've been there before. Maybe time to really pare the fleet down to basics. The Perodua is a nice car, as is your Australian Falcon and your 2CV, let the others go... Like the Corsa, the Daihatsu, the Pajero.. TWK is a keeper. I feel the same way about my old SAAB two strokes I let go about 25 years ago. I really loved them but their increasing mileage, wear and the new laws concerning cars with visible exhaust smoke being illegal to operate made me pass them on to better care. So you asked.. I've been there and our "fleet" high point was on limited finances. You're being able to test interesting cars as your channel income is important, but you get impulsive about purchasing weird and worn stuff. Gotta have some satisfaction with the cars that are going to go the distance and will not cost you with new breakdowns.