car failed MOT HORRENDOUSLY- what now?

dook_2

Update...

I contacted trading standards and they think I have a case! Their advice was: because my mechanic is saying the repairs should not have passed an MOT last year, and I bought the car because it had a years worth of MOT, the car was not as described.

pinkshoes

I think it sounds really suspicious that in just 12 months a car can go from passing an MOT to failing in style! Do you know if the person that did the MOT last time has any connection with the guy that sold it? I remember seeing something on TV about garages passing cars on their MOT even when they really shouldn't...

as for another car, i had a 10 year old Ford Fiesta that was really good. Cheap parts, good mpg . You should be able to pick one up for about £600.

Wayne3765

blue_haddock wrote: »

An MOT only proves that the vehicle is fit to drive on the day it is done - the welding may have been sufficient and up to scratch on the day. This means the car may have been perfectly ok last year but has worsened since.

If it is only spot welded in parts then it was nowhere near MOT standard at the time of testing last year.

epz_2

dook, the point about bigger cars is the parts cost about the same or marginaly more, the labout is the same or even less as they are better thought out so it takes less time. the kicker is the parts can often last twice as long as similar small cars, im not even just talking about obvious stuff like engines which always wear out faster but shocks, transmission and obviously they have much better quallity paint so dont rust much.

petrol, well i woulnt kid you, its going to be a bit more but nothing horrific unless you start doing 90 everwhere or get a v8. think of it like this would you rather pay a little extra each week for a safer higher spec more confortable car or have to find hundreds/thousands to get a new car when the old one give up the ghost unexpectadly.

autotrader says there are lots of 1999 saab 9-3's at about 100k miles adveritsed for £1200 meaning about a grand, they get 33mpg combined. stuff like fiestas have a comperable purchase price (some might have lower miles but miles mean a lot more on small engines) get 44 mpg combined for the most gutless one and you have to drive round in the soding thing.

frankly you need to do the sums youself but i know if it were my choice between i high spec £24 grand motor with all the bells vs a cheep and nasty £8k one which had lower running cost i wouldnt hesitate. think of all nurses you petrol will pay for, its practically your duty lol.

tomstickland

The car hasn't fallen apart when driving it, so just how "dangerous" it is is open to question. Corroded shells can be welded. It just depends on how much work is needed and how much it would cost.

I wouldn't personally recommend an old BMW or Mercedes - yes you get a big car for not much cash but if anything goes wrong (and it will) you are looking at serious amounts of cash to sort it out.

BMW parts are plentiful and cheap providing you don't go to a main dealer. There are independant BMW specialist garages out there.

blue_haddock

I agree with Epz that bigger cars often offer better value for money but the more complex the car the more there is to go wrong with it - and it will go wrong at some point.

A brand new cat converter for a saxo or fiesta can be picked for £50 whereas one for an BMW 5 Series will be 3 times that. An exhaust backbox for a clio can be had for £25 but a luxo-barge one will be a lot lot more. Have a little accident and a headlight for a polo can be had for £25, a headlight for an E Class will be more like a hundred.

As regards the mini idea it's probably best to buy one as a 2nd car in a few years when you have more spare cash and don't have to rely on it as day to day transport.

epz_2

blue_haddock wrote: »

A brand new cat converter for a saxo or fiesta can be picked for £50 whereas one for an BMW 5 Series will be 3 times that. An exhaust backbox for a clio can be had for £25 but a luxo-barge one will be a lot lot more. Have a little accident and a headlight for a polo can be had for £25, a headlight for an E Class will be more like a hundred.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/N-S-HEADLAMP-WITH-WIPER-MOTOR-W124-124-E-CLASS_W0QQitemZ220094486698QQcategoryZ10398QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item220094486698

ebay says £27 for a headlight and £50 for a cat, granted the auction isnt over yet but these beasts last for ever so breakers have loads of parts available.

if you are talking about new parts fair enough but who would put a new part on a 10+ year old car.

dook_2

tomstickland wrote: »

The car hasn't fallen apart when driving it, so just how "dangerous" it is is open to question. Corroded shells can be welded. It just depends on how much work is needed and how much it would cost.

Well... just had a second opinion. And he said exactly that. And he might be able to fix it and then he suggested I part exchange it.

Hmmm.

I am quite sold on the Saab idea though. (But possibly need to get over this design over function issue that I have).

Thankyou again everyone for your help.

dook_2

Oh and also... second opinion mechanic questioned the MOT failure documentation. On the covering report the MOT tester stated he had not tested the brakes (as he told me he would not put my car on the rolling road as it was too dangerous) but on the 2nd red page he states that he has failed my car on the brakes and the handbrake.
Is there any way he could fail them without carrying out the brake test? (Like he couldn't just have driven my car in and thought the brakes didn't feel right or something?).

mx-3

Gees, I thought the days of rotten cars were gone.....
One of my mazda mx-3`s is 16 years old & no rust.

Anyway the KA is a popular car. Put it on ebay for spares/repairs.
Should fetch over £150..........