Rav4 - MOT Advisories.. help me

[AmateurGuy]

Hi all,

I have put a deposit down on a 2.0 RAV4 XT-R VVT-i A 4WD 5dr. It's got 67,000 miles on the clock. Reg: CA58 HHY (says registered Jan 2009 but its a 58 plate). The purchase has been done online/telephone. They will deliver it on Thursday 13th March 2025. Price: £6250.

When checking the MOT history, the latest one in January 2025 shows the following advisories:

• -Nearside Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
  
  -Offside Front Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))
  
  -Rear Shock absorbers has slight external damage to the casing both corroded (5.3.2 (b))
  
  -Rear Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened both trailing arms (5.3.3 (b) (i))
  
  -Rear Sub-frame corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))
  
  -Rear Coil spring corroded both (5.3.1 (b) (i))
  
  -Nearside Rear Fuel Pipe/s corroded
  
  -Rear Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement both (5.3.4 (a) (i))
  
  -Offside Front Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement wishbone rear bush (5.3.4 (a) (i))
  
  -various items corroded under vehicle

Dealer says due to it's age, these are surface level corrosions but nothing is major. He says the mot tester must be really strict with his checks to put all these things on the mot check. The dealer is very friendly and seems trustworthy but I'm not sure if I've made the right choice in selecting this car. The car will be driven by my mum aged 55. She will do about 10 miles a day, to and from work. We're hoping to keep this vehicle for at least 5 years.

Do you guys think this purchase is okay or does it seem like I am making a mistake? - any other advice/opinions/suggestion?

 

[bloodiedathame]

I can think of about a million better cars for 10 miles a day than a £6k RAV4... that will need £1k+ of work within 5 years.

Troll thread?

 

[Rannoch]

Mistake - i paid less from a Toyota dealer for a 59 plate 5 years ago.

 

[Rannoch]

I can think of about a million better cars for 10 miles a day than a £6k RAV4...

This

 

[Armageus]

£6k for a 16 year old rust bucket for your mum to drive?

Even if you did want a SUV style thing then there are a million other SUV style things you could get for similar money, but on a 15/16 plate

e.g.
Kia Sportage

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LITERALLY ANYTHING OTHER THAN A RUSTY OLD RAV4

 

[Rroff]

-Nearside Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))

-Offside Front Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))

-Rear Shock absorbers has slight external damage to the casing both corroded (5.3.2 (b))

-Rear Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened both trailing arms (5.3.3 (b) (i))

-Rear Sub-frame corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))

-Rear Coil spring corroded both (5.3.1 (b) (i))

-Nearside Rear Fuel Pipe/s corroded

-Rear Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement both (5.3.4 (a) (i))

-Offside Front Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement wishbone rear bush (5.3.4 (a) (i))

-various items corroded under vehicle

I'm not sure you've made the best choice.

Nearside front tyre I'd get sorted immediately.

Anything that says corroded but not seriously weakened is probably going to be OK for awhile but you can never really know what has happened to the integrity of the metal underneath what you can see, they aren't that unexpected on a 10+ year old car.

Slight external damage to a shock absorber is kind of meaningless unless a decent chunk taken out of it which will rot and weaken it with time, more important is if it shows signs of leaking. Serious corrosion on coil springs or things like fuel and brake line pipes do need keeping an eye on though.

Worn pin or brush will probably develop more significant movement in a year or two and need attention or the car will drive quite horribly potentially unsafe.

 

[AmateurGuy]

£6k for a 16 year old rust bucket for your mum to drive?

Even if you did want a SUV style thing then there are a million other SUV style things you could get for similar money, but on a 15/16 plate

e.g.
Kia Sportage

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Nissan Juke

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Nissan Qashqai

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Vauxhall Mokka

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LITERALLY ANYTHING OTHER THAN A RUSTY OLD RAV4

Hmmm i thought rav4's are very reliable and she wanted a 4x4. The ones you've sent are manual, she can only drive an automatic. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Rroff]

Mistake - i paid less from a Toyota dealer for a 59 plate 5 years ago.

Prices on more budget end cars have been pretty meh in recent years - stuff I was looking at a few years back is often still the same price or even more expensive!

In a rather loose sense you tend to get quite a lot more car for not much less just above the budget kind of price range, but not everyone can stretch that far.

 

[Armageus]

Hmmm i thought rav4's are very reliable

Probably are, but even the most reliably car when new is going to potentially have issues at 16 years old!

and she wanted a 4x4.

An actual 4x4, as in with 4 Wheel Drive, Locking Diffs, Good Ground Clearance, can go offroad etc? Or just something that looks like a 4x4 - i.e. an SUV?

The ones you've sent are manual, she can only drive an automatic.

Sorry for not being Psychic

 

[AmateurGuy]

Probably are, but even the most reliably car when new is going to potentially have issues at 16 years old!


An actual 4x4, as in with 4 Wheel Drive, Locking Diffs, Good Ground Clearance, can go offroad etc? Or just something that looks like a 4x4 - i.e. an SUV?


Sorry for not being Psychic

-True 16 years is a long time, maybe i should cancel this purchase then.
-She likes the look & height of the rav4. The newers SUVs like Duke, T-roc etc are too low for her liking.
-I was just replying to the cars you sent buddy, do appreciate you sending the suggestions.

I'm just stuck man. I don't have a lot of money to spend and I've put deposit down on this car... so yeah need to sort everything out by Friday due to some deadlines.

 

[adam cool dude]

Absolutely cancel this purchase. You would be a mug to spend 6 and half grand on a rav 4 that is nearly two decades old!

I could understand on a low mileage 1 owner car but not one with an MOT list like that!

 

[AmateurGuy]

Hi guys, thank you for your opinions. I just called the dealer to cancel, and he said he is actually going to rectify all the issues on the mot advisories. for example, replace corroded coil springs etc. The car has a full service history, mainly from Toyota and has only had 2 owners. Do you guys still think this is a bad purchase?

 

[Rroff]

Hard to say without seeing it really - it could be just light surface corrosion or some stuff might be eaten into and going to need expensive work in a year or two. Could also be the dealer stringing you along and doing the bare minimum to say they've done something.

 

[GravyMonster]

Yes. The kind of dealer trying to sell a 17 year old Rav4 for £6k will 'fix' those things the cheapest way possible and they will fail again soon. Walk away and do not look back.

 

[Armageus]

Hi guys, thank you for your opinions. I just called the dealer to cancel, and he said he is actually going to rectify all the issues on the mot advisories. for example, replace corroded coil springs etc. The car has a full service history, mainly from Toyota and has only had 2 owners. Do you guys still think this is a bad purchase?

Unless you have the technical knowledge to check all of those MOT items, there is no chance they will be fixed. "Dealers" will say anything to get a sale at this end of the market.

 

[pastymuncher]

What he says he will do and what he will actually do are probably very different. Cancel the purchase before it's too late. It's overpriced for such a old car and that list of defects which he will most likely do nothing about is going to cost a tidy sum of money sooner rather than later. He may just replace the tyre with the cheapest ditch finder he can find and tell you that everything else has been done.

 

[Rroff]

Just my opinion assuming they are at least somewhat honest:

-Nearside Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e)) (Replace with ditch finder)

-Offside Front Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i)) (Unlikely to replace arm)

-Rear Shock absorbers has slight external damage to the casing both corroded (5.3.2 (b)) (Might change shocks depending on damage)

-Rear Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened both trailing arms (5.3.3 (b) (i)) (Unlikely to replace arm)

-Rear Sub-frame corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i)) (Unlikely to replace subframe)

-Rear Coil spring corroded both (5.3.1 (b) (i)) (May replace coil springs but that is going to start to eat into their profits)

-Nearside Rear Fuel Pipe/s corroded (Probably just clean them up a bit unless there is any deep corrosion)

-Rear Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement both (5.3.4 (a) (i)) (Probably replace ball joint/bushing unless it necessitates whole arm replacement)

-Offside Front Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement wishbone rear bush (5.3.4 (a) (i)) (As above)

-various items corroded under vehicle (Likely won't touch)

 

[Yaayuh!]

Bail.

 

[gc123]

i see new cheap tyre ,large tin of spray on underseal and there you go mate all sorted.

 

[sovietspybob]

over 6k on a 16 year old Rav4 is wild.

I've got a Toyota Avensis from 2010 and boy do they like to rot away, i feel mines on borrowed time each MOT for the last couple of years with very similar advisories for rust, i'm just keeping it until it fails then it's to the scrap yard. No way i'd be buying into one at that age!

That car is reaching the end of its useful life without a lot of repairs, they're built for a 10-15ish year life and it's done that, anything more is either a bonus or because you're willing to keep shelling out to keep fixing stuff.