Please help to purchase a new car for the Monastery

Two months ago, we took our small veteran Fiat Panda to the garage for some minor repairs only to receive it back later in the day together with a long list of mechanical and other faults that require urgent attention if the car is to be roadworthy again. Studying the list it quickly became apparent that the cost of ‘patching up’ the car would well exceed its value and would perhaps sustain it only for a year or two at most. With almost 140,000 kms on the clock it has done good service in its 13 years, particularly in our earlier pilgrimages and in helping to move the monastery to our new home in 2020. But the fact that has confronted us is that it is now neither reliable nor viable.

We have maintained two cars for some years now, which enables us the security of a vehicle on site if the other must be away. Living in a rural area this ensures that we are able to reach essential services in case of an emergency, do necessary shopping and collect and drop off guests from the bus, the airport, etc., if the other vehicle is in use. With an increasing number of guests, we are particularly concerned to have this facility in case of emergencies.

Our principal vehicle, a six-year-old Dacia Duster, is in good condition mechanically and does much of the heavy work of hauling grain in a trailer for our poultry, collecting firewood from our carpenters, moving larger items around the property, transporting the dogs, etc. It too has done the long-haul trips that have been necessary, but it is becoming ever more a ‘home’ vehicle, which is necessary for the heavier work. With almost 100,000 kms on the dial now it is not prudent to rely upon it for that many longer journeys in future years.

Considering all of this, and studying the options, we have decided to invest in a medium sized sedan car to be reserved for the transportation of people, particularly on the medium to longer journeys that are occasionally necessary. In France, it seems that the best option available to us at the moment is a Peugeot 308 petrol-fuelled sedan with manual transmission and basic-level interior options. This model is the least expensive: a hybrid or electric vehicle would be an expense we simply could not justify. We need a medium sized car that can safely, comfortably and reliably transport the increasing number of monks and guests, but not a luxury one! The Peugeot 308 offers all of this with the advantage of being entirely made in France and therefore being more reliably serviceable into the long-term future. Certainly, there are second-hand options, but over time the initial economies gained can often prove to be false ones.

Thus, we have placed an order, and the car is due for delivery in October. This is certainly a significant investment in our future, but we believe that it is a prudent and justifiable one. By reserving the vehicle for ‘normal’ use in transporting people, it should serve us for far more than a decade into the future.

This is, however, an utterly unexpected expense of over 25,000 euros (we are awaiting the trade-in offer on the Fiat for the final figure) which is necessitating drawing on funds set aside for architects’ fees, building restoration works, etc. We believe that the investment is necessary and justified, but we would most certainly welcome and appreciate any help with the costs that is possible: we had hoped that our little Panda would be able to run around the local area for many more years to come. But sadly, that is now not the case.

Therefore, we are appealing to the generosity of our friends and supporters to help us meet the October payment deadline. Any contribution, no matter how large or small is welcome and is a blessing.

Contributions can be made through the various means
indicated on the support page of our website
where details of our USA 501c3 Foundation and our UK Charity can be found.
The JustGiving link enables UK Taxpayers to GiftAid their donation.

​Please indicate that your donation is for the car appeal.

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​God bless and reward you for your kindness and generosity!