What sort of car is it? Are the bits worth anything?

It's a 10 year old Nissan Primera 2.0D LX. On balance, the bits probably aren't worth much.

It's slightly annoying, because it's got a full tank of diesel in it (£30), and a brand-new pair of front tyres (£60 the pair).

The rest is about as battered as you'd expect from a relatively well-looked-after 10 year-old car. Admittedly, I've not been looking after it -- I bought it two years ago with the intention of running it into the ground and then getting something newer. This point appears to have now arrived.

Have you thought about just sticking another engine in from a scrappy? Or is the rest of the car in such a state that this isn't worth doing?

I've considered that, yes, but it's going to cost me a certain amount of money for the engine, and it's not something I can do -- I don't have the knowledge, the tools, or anywhere to do it. I'd have to go to a garage, and by the time I've paid them to do it, it's not looking particularly cost effective.

The rest of the car is in reasonable nick. It's got a few dinks and scratches, but otherwise it's OK.

I'm off down to the garage later today to see what they suggest. At this point, I'm thinking that the car's turning into a bit of a money-pit, so I'd rather get something newer that might cost more up front, but will (hopefully) cost less to maintain.

In particular, given how much the insurance is costing me (£1200pa), I think I might get something with a smaller engine, as long as it does long distances well.

Don't forget to take your empeg sled out!

No fear of that. I'll definitely take the sled and the amp out before I scrap it.