Dead ends trying to sort a car...any advice?

Have you not just tried looking to buy something on Ebay or autotrader (or similar)? Even if it's not going to last you a lifetime, it will tie you over while you sort the whole thing out (probably easier and cheaper than continuing to hire a rental car) and then you can either hang onto it as a second car for a family member or sell it on and minimally break even - if not make a small profit). You'd be able to cash buy and it would be a quicker and easier solution in my opinion. We found a massive bargain on our village's Facebook Car Boot Sale page and it's been running perfectly (minus my husband changing the breaks for good measure when we first purchased it) for the last year or so.