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Ah yes, the jalopy - thanks for asking. New clutch cable fitted (£120) plus £80 which I sent to the lovely guy who came out to recover my car and take me to the garage in a village 3 miles from my house. I didn't have the cash to pay him, but he trusted me to pay when he invoiced me, and I have.
Still nervous about driving the car, though. I don't do many miles, but the mechanic said he couldn't guarantee that there was nothing amiss further in the gearbox that might have caused the break. I was shaking as I drove to the nearest town on Friday !(clutch feels a bit different, 'bites' earlier) but it felt more 'normal' yesterday....