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Liquid_Entity

Liquid_Entity

Liquid_Entity

Soldato
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Looking at a cheap run around for the missus and child to zip around town in. Seen this literally a few roads down from where we live. I checked the MOT History and there's a few advisories on the current new MOT when it passed. Apart from obvious tyre changes would you be suspect of the 'oil leak' and 'exhaust leak'. I'm not sure whether to walk away or not. Just need something that will last us a year.

  • Vehicle make CITROEN
  • Vehicle model C3
  • Date first used 1 March 2004
  • Fuel type Petrol
  • Colour Purple

MOT history of this vehicle
  • Test date 1 June 2017
  • Expiry date 31 May 2018
  • Test Result Pass
  • Odometer reading 95,289 miles
  • Advisory notice item(s)
    Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases (7.1.2)
    Oil leak ()
    exhaust rubber broken
    nearside front tyre worn on outer edge and perished
    Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
    offside rear tyre worn on inner edge and perished
  • Test date 19 May 2017
  • Test Result Fail
  • Odometer reading 95,288 miles
  • Reason(s) for failure
    Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)
    Registration plate lamp does not illuminate simultaneously with the position lamps (1.1.C.1a)
    Nearside Side repeater incorrect colour (1.4.A.2f)
    Nearside Headlamp aim beam image obviously incorrect (1.8.A.1b)
    Nearside Front brake disc in such a condition that it is seriously weakened worn badly (3.5.1i)
    Nearside Rear coil spring broken (2.4.C.1a)
    Bonnet cannot be secured in the closed position (8.4.1)
  • Advisory notice item(s)
    Nearside Front Direction indicator slightly discoloured (1.4.A.2f)
    Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases (7.1.2)
    Oil leak ()
    exhaust rubber broken
    nearside front tyre worn on outer edge and perished
    Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
    offside rear tyre worn on inner edge and perished
  • Test date 26 March 2016
  • Expiry date 29 March 2017
  • Test Result Pass
  • Odometer reading 92,034 miles
  • Advisory notice item(s)
    Front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)
    Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases (7.1.2)
    Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
    Offside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
 
I'd be wary of anything that gets advisories for tyres close to the legal limit then still has the same tyres on a year later..

How has it even passed when two of the tyres are "perished"?
 
Haha and there was me worried about the oil leak and exhaust leak.

Yes indeed I did think that too when I read the MOST history. I was considering knocking money off for the lack of new tyres but yes how did it pass if the tyres are perished.

Walk away now yah
 
Depends how much you are looking at spending, and whether you have any "contingency" money.

The exhaust will likely just be section corroded and blowing - you don't say what fuel engine this is, but assuming a 1.4 Petrol, you would be looking at around £110 (+labour) to replace both front and back sections - so should be "cheap" fix.

The oil leak could be nothing, could be everything - just depends where it's leaking from and how much. May be a cheap gasket for example. Would need to check how severe it is.

Tyres would be more of a concern - as above why haven't they been changed - factor that in even if only keeping it for a year - that will be around £200 for a full set.

EDIT:
I wouldn't necessarily walk away just because of tyres - if this is a cheap runaround, you have to be expect to it have been looked after as such - i.e. previous owners have skimped and maybe e.g. fitted part worn tyres etc. (perished tyres isn't actually an MOT fail - and can be for very minor cracking to the surface rubber - ideally still need to get them replaced)
 
It's a 1.6 petrol automatic. It's on for £895 but I was going to offer £750 before I'd even seen the MOT history. Now I may offer £700.

I'll hopefully be selling my Mondeo to cover any future costs and add to my wedding funds but it's rare for an auto to come up so close but then if it ain't right it ain't right
 
You can't walk away from a £900 car because it's got a couple of worn tyres. It's £900 not £9000.
 
At that end of the market you need to look for simple things..

Is it running fine?
12 months MOT
No big issues in advisories/on the car

That's it.. buy it and run it to the ground basically.
 
grudas said:
At that end of the market you need to look for simple things..

Is it running fine?
12 months MOT
No big issues in advisories/on the car

That's it.. buy it and run it to the ground basically.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's exactly what I want to do. So nothing on that MOT is a big issue I'd say. Just tyres and a few things to get right.
 
The nature of the advisory and fail items as a whole indicate an owner who doesn't care for their car. Washer fluid, bulbs, tyres etc are the kind of things that someone who looks after their car picks up on and rectifies before MOT time. It's fairly typical for this kind of car though as it's the type of model that's aimed at people who use their car as an appliance and just fix things when the garage tells them to.

Whether the car is cheap enough for you to overlook that, or whether you'll give it a miss and try and find one that's been maintained to a higher standard is a judgement only you can make.
 
I wouldn't be touching it with a barge pole at any price. There's plenty of well looked after cars out there that are worth barely anything due to age/mileage. Why buy a car that the previous owner obviously had absolutely no care for. I wouldn't be buying a car from someone who couldn't even be bothered to top up the washer fluid and check their lights work before driving it let alone letting it run until the MOT. The tyres would also be raising alarm bells for me that they just didn't care about the car.

To think I only got £1800 for my 54 plate Volvo S60 that was owned from new by an elderly gentleman who appeared to treat it like family, then impeccably maintained by myself for the following 4 years.
 
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