MOT -WTF?

[ozleicester]

We are planning to pick up a cheap little car to begin with when we arrive ($2500pounds)

A little concerned about MOT, is there an age at which cars tend to fail MOT? is there anything we should especially look out for?

[Bellend Sebastian]

We are planning to pick up a cheap little car to begin with when we arrive ($2500pounds)

A little concerned about MOT, is there an age at which cars tend to fail MOT? is there anything we should especially look out for?

MOT is pretty much a test of the roadworthiness of a vehicle, so anything that affects safety is going to be a problem, although they now test for emissions as well and unless the car is belching black smoke from the exhaust it's hard to tell if this is going to be an issue. A lot of the stuff that a car can fail an MOT on is easy to put right, like defective bulbs and so forth, but the more serious stuff (structural problems, knackered brakes) is stuff that you'd hopefully avoid anyway if you take care buying a vehicle. Look for stuff like seatbelts that are either frayed or don't work properly, this is quite a common reason for failure.

If a car is well maintained, there's no reason why it can't sail through MOTs for years and years. A full service history is a good sign of how well a car has been looked after, and although it's possible to spruce a car up to make it look better than it is, its general condition will tell you a lot about it and if it looks like it's been looked after, chances are it has been.

You should buy a car that has passed its MOT recently, so at least you won't have to worry about this for the best part of a year

[ozleicester]

MOT is pretty much a test of the roadworthiness of a vehicle, so anything that affects safety is going to be a problem, although they now test for emissions as well and unless the car is belching black smoke from the exhaust it's hard to tell if this is going to be an issue. A lot of the stuff that a car can fail an MOT on is easy to put right, like defective bulbs and so forth, but the more serious stuff (structural problems, knackered brakes) is stuff that you'd hopefully avoid anyway if you take care buying a vehicle. Look for stuff like seatbelts that are either frayed or don't work properly, this is quite a common reason for failure.

If a car is well maintained, there's no reason why it can't sail through MOTs for years and years. A full service history is a good sign of how well a car has been looked after, and although it's possible to spruce a car up to make it look better than it is, its general condition will tell you a lot about it and if it looks like it's been looked after, chances are it has been.

You should buy a car that has passed its MOT recently, so at least you won't have to worry about this for the best part of a year

excellent.. thanks

[AoWW]

I'm no expert but I wouldn't say there's a specific 'age' as such. For that sort of money you should be able to find something that's just passed it's MOT - or insist that whoever you're buying it from gets it MOTd first if it's only got a couple of months before it's due. If you're buying from a dealer insist on a minimum of 3 months warranty too - that way you stand a chance of discovering a problem and getting them to fix it before it ends up costing you. Many cars fail MOTs for minor things that are simple to sort and are purely down to wear and tear - tyres with insufficient tread, faulty lights, etc - it needn't be anything too dramatic.

[ozleicester]

I'm no expert but I wouldn't say there's a specific 'age' as such. For that sort of money you should be able to find something that's just passed it's MOT - or insist that whoever you're buying it from gets it MOTd first if it's only got a couple of months before it's due. If you're buying from a dealer insist on a minimum of 3 months warranty too - that way you stand a chance of discovering a problem and getting them to fix it before it ends up costing you. Many cars fail MOTs for minor things that are simple to sort and are purely down to wear and tear - tyres with insufficient tread, faulty lights, etc - it needn't be anything too dramatic.

great thanks.. Ive seen that in comparison to out here, you can get some reasonable cars for that sort of money.

[FoxyPV]

If you're buying second hand bring someone who knows about cars and what needs done for the MOT. My car needing its welding done and cost me £800!!!!

[Jon the Hat]

Keep your costs down by buying a car which is relativley cheap on the parts front. Ford or Vauxhall for example. You could get a decent focus for that money and not lose out if you sold it again after a year or so. Steer clear of VW, Audi, BMW, Mercedes whose parts are all pretty pricey.

[ozleicester]

Keep your costs down by buying a car which is relativley cheap on the parts front. Ford or Vauxhall for example. You could get a decent focus for that money and not lose out if you sold it again after a year or so. Steer clear of VW, Audi, BMW, Mercedes whose parts are all pretty pricey.

Cheers... the focus is defintily in the sights...was looking at the Mercedes.. but decided that they might have cost issues, but then thought that they do have quality engineeering?

Also looking at Rover 75 ?.. I assume they are reasonablr quality and repair price?

Anyone know of "trustworthy" dealers in the area?

[Jon the Hat]

Cheers... the focus is defintily in the sights...was looking at the Mercedes.. but decided that they might have cost issues, but then thought that they do have quality engineeering?

Also looking at Rover 75 ?.. I assume they are reasonablr quality and repair price?

Anyone know of "trustworthy" dealers in the area?

For the money you are spending I would not touch a Mercedes. Rover build quality is notoriously rubbish,

[FoxyPV]

Try your local autotrader or Gumtree (on internet).

[ozleicester]

For the money you are spending I would not touch a Mercedes. Rover build quality is notoriously rubbish,

.. so.. German cars.. no good........... British cars.. no good... sigh

[ozleicester]

the Vectra looks OK... any feedback on that ?.. wait... vauxhal = Brit/Germ.. =... crap?

[Jon the Hat]

the Vectra looks OK... any feedback on that ?.. wait... vauxhal = Brit/Germ.. =... crap?

Vectra or Mondea would both be ok and relatively cheap to run and you can get the serviced or repaired anywhere. Also Astra and Focus if you don't need something quite so big,

.. so.. German cars.. no good........... British cars.. no good... sigh

Mercedes are lovely cars but not at the age you get for less than about £10k I would say.

[ozleicester]

External size wise... how different are the.... Focus , Omega and Vectra?

[Bellend Sebastian]

A Rover 75? The last car made by a now defunct company, and to be honest, they're not missed. I don't think they're that bad a car, but people will assume you read the Daily Mail if you drive one. If you want a car that big, go for a Mondeo.

These websites offer good advice on car buying:

www.parkers.co.uk

www.honestjohn.co.uk

Don't follow the advice of the Parkers choose a car feature, I put in a couple of basic criteria and it suggested a 3.0 Alfa 164, which I think I can safely say I would never buy in a million years, but the reviews of cars you might be interested in are very helpful.

For the amount of money you're spending, I'd be tempted to buy private. The warranties offered by dealers on older cars are often pretty shoddy (watch as practically every problem is dismissed as 'wear and tear' and not covered) and you can easily pay over the odds for not particularly great cars. If you're buying something like a Focus or an Astra there are so many about that you shouldn't have too much trouble picking one up from someone vaguely respectable, and they shouldn't have any problem with you getting an RAC or AA inspection carried out before you buy, which will cost you a few quid but should highlight whether the car is a bag of nails. An HPI check (which should identify if a vehicle has outstanding finance, has been nicked or been written off) is also a good idea when buying privately.

[ozleicester]

A Rover 75? The last car made by a now defunct company, and to be honest, they're not missed. I don't think they're that bad a car, but people will assume you read the Daily Mail if you drive one. If you want a car that big, go for a Mondeo.

These websites offer good advice on car buying:

www.parkers.co.uk

www.honestjohn.co.uk

Don't follow the advice of the Parkers choose a car feature, I put in a couple of basic criteria and it suggested a 3.0 Alfa 164, which I think I can safely say I would never buy in a million years, but the reviews of cars you might be interested in are very helpful.

For the amount of money you're spending, I'd be tempted to buy private. The warranties offered by dealers on older cars are often pretty shoddy (watch as practically every problem is dismissed as 'wear and tear' and not covered) and you can easily pay over the odds for not particularly great cars. If you're buying something like a Focus or an Astra there are so many about that you shouldn't have too much trouble picking one up from someone vaguely respectable, and they shouldn't have any problem with you getting an RAC or AA inspection carried out before you buy, which will cost you a few quid but should highlight whether the car is a bag of nails. An HPI check (which should identify if a vehicle has outstanding finance, has been nicked or been written off) is also a good idea when buying privately.

Cheers, was thinking about private, but the urgency and convenience of a dealer may make the extra $$ a worthwhile spend.

Looking on Motorsuk at the moment and seems some reasonable options there.

[Alexikokopops]

External size wise... how different are the.... Focus , Omega and Vectra?

Roughly speaking (from smallest to largest):

Ford Ka = Vauxhall Agilla

Ford Fiesta = Vauxhall Corsa

Ford Focus = Vauxhall Astra

Ford Mondeo = Vauxhall Vectra

Vauxhall Omega

You can fit other car makes into that very basic framework.

[Jon the Hat]

External size wise... how different are the.... Focus , Omega and Vectra?

Vectra is slightly smaller than a Commodore, the Omega slightly bigger.

Focus is more like a Corrolla size, maybe slightly bigger.

[Alexikokopops]

Don't follow the advice of the Parkers choose a car feature, I put in a couple of basic criteria and it suggested a 3.0 Alfa 164, which I think I can safely say I would never buy in a million years, but the reviews of cars you might be interested in are very helpful.

I bought a car a couple of months ago. Saw the "Choose A Car" feature just now because of your post and thought I'd put the information in (as it was when I was buying). Top of the list was the car I ended up getting (Peugeot 107).

[ozleicester]

Brilliant.. thanks for everyones input.

In aussie terms.. im used to a commodore/falcon..large family car. Am planning that when in UK to be a little smaller so probably Mondeo/Vectra.

Are any of the euro (citron/saab/etc) cars any good? or are they all pricey for repiars etc?

* actually quite like the look of Vectra.. does this make me a "sun reader" or Paedo etc?

[Jon the Hat]

Brilliant.. thanks for everyones input.

In aussie terms.. im used to a commodore/falcon..large family car. Am planning that when in UK to be a little smaller so probably Mondeo/Vectra.

Are any of the euro (citron/saab/etc) cars any good? or are they all pricey for repiars etc?

* actually quite like the look of Vectra.. does this make me a "sun reader" or Paedo etc?

Makes you a low grade salesman.

[ozleicester]

Makes you a low grade salesman.

ohhh so very accurate

[Bellend Sebastian]

The last Vectra (2002 to 2008, I think) was a decent car when it came out. I only know one person who's got one and he's used it as a workhorse (he's a carpenter) and despite the heavy loads he's been carting around in it it's lasted fairly well.

The Vectra before (which came out in 1995) is widely regarded as a bit of a turd. A good option if you want a big car and can find one that's not been a taxi is the Toyota Avensis. My mate had one that was still going strong on 175,000 miles and was only scrapped when a van crashed into it. Saabs are solid cars, but as you suspected, not cheap to put right

[AoWW]

Don't disregard a Mercedes C-class or E-class if you're looking for a bigger saloon. Yes, repairs and running costs are going to be a bit higher than for a Ford/Vauxhall but you will be getting significantly better quality. Also, because of peoples' perception that "they'll cost an arm and a leg" you can often pick one up for a surprisingly good price. Personally, I'd go for one that's newer (with a better spec) but higher mileage, rather than an old one with few miles on the clock - with a bit of TLC they'll run and run. If you hunt around you'll be able to find an independent garage that specialises in German cars that will be much cheaper than going to the nearest Merc dealership.

Whatever you do, don't be tempted by an A-class. They really are a shower of shite.

If you do go the Merc route, drop me a PM with the details of what you're looking at, especially if you narrow it down to one vehicle. I used to work for Mercedes and still know a few folks in their head office who could probably run some checks and find out all the background on it.

[Alexikokopops]

Don't disregard a Mercedes C-class or E-class if you're looking for a bigger saloon. Yes, repairs and running costs are going to be a bit higher than for a Ford/Vauxhall but you will be getting significantly better quality. Also, because of peoples' perception that "they'll cost an arm and a leg" you can often pick one up for a surprisingly good price. Personally, I'd go for one that's newer (with a better spec) but higher mileage, rather than an old one with few miles on the clock - with a bit of TLC they'll run and run. If you hunt around you'll be able to find an independent garage that specialises in German cars that will be much cheaper than going to the nearest Merc dealership.

Whatever you do, don't be tempted by an A-class. They really are a shower of shite.

If you do go the Merc route, drop me a PM with the details of what you're looking at, especially if you narrow it down to one vehicle. I used to work for Mercedes and still know a few folks in their head office who could probably run some checks and find out all the background on it.

His budget is £2500, can you get a decent one for that?