Any risks with car that has sat dormant for 8 years? Advice welcomed!!

JoJoRo

I'm in a lucky position that my FiL has suggested that my OH and I could have his old Citroen Xsara (51 plate).
I don't want to knock a gift horse in the mouth, but said vehicle has been off the road gathering dust and cobwebs for at least 8 years. FiL suggests it needs a new cambelt - I'm nervous that there will be other costs in getting the car up and running again. Has anyone had a similar situation or would you know what kind of things could need looking at if a car has sat dormant for 8 years?
All advice welcomed!!

AdrianC

BLOODY good service.
Cambelt. Brake fluid. Coolant. Oils & filters. Full set of tyres.
And that's before you MOT it and start to use it. Then expect brake problems, expect cooling system problems. If it's petrol, expect a cat. Expect electrical problems.

Honestly, for £500-worth of 14yr old Xsara, it is not worth it. Weigh it in, and put the money towards something that's less of a problem-waiting-to-happen.

jbainbridge

+ disks and pads.

Probably not worth it.

arcon5

Firstly,
Battery.
Brakes - whether they can be worked and freed up I don't know, but unlikely for all 4 calipers.

Then you may find the handbrake cable needs sorting.

Personally i'd be getting the basics done, get it started and see what the MOT brings up before deciding on gettings the timing belt done. Even beyond its recommended change interval it's more than likely it'll at the very least do a few hundred miles at least to assess whether the car is even worth having or sending to the scrap yard!

As for tyres, assess their condition before forking out on a new set, at least until you can assess how much work is required.

AdrianC

After being sat for eight years, even if the tyres were brand new the week before it was laid up, and have been kept inflated and regularly rotated to avoid flat-spots, they're 80% of the way to replacement on age grounds alone.

Joe_Horner

arcon5 wrote: »

Personally i'd be getting the basics done, get it started and see what the MOT brings up before deciding on gettings the timing belt done. Even beyond its recommended change interval it's more than likely it'll at the very least do a few hundred miles at least to assess whether the car is even worth having or sending to the scrap yard!

As for tyres, assess their condition before forking out on a new set, at least until you can assess how much work is required.

Pretty much this.

Get it started and moving first. That may be as simple as charging the battery and turning the key (unlikely but possible). Expect at least a bit of work to free up the brakes and probably pumping some new fuel through. Also check tyre pressures even if they appear ok. If they're still close to what they should be then the tyres are likely to be fine as far as getting it mobile is concerned, but will need changing if it goes back on the road. So far you've spent little to nothing if you can clean the brakes yourself.

If it hasn't already turned into a headache by this point, put it in for an MOT and see what happens. You could get anything from a pass with no advisories to a multi-page fail sheet. Expect something in between the two. By now you've maybe spent £100 total including the test fee which you can recover by weighing it in if the fail is too bad.

Assess what needs doing from the MOT and add a change of brake fluid, oil and filter change, the cambelt, and a set of tyres. That plus the £100 you've already spent is what the total cost will be to have a car with full MOT, known good cambelt, good tyres, good brakes, and basic service done.

Remember that, if you buy elsewhere, you'll probably be paying for the belt, tyres and oil change sooner rather than later anyway so allow for that in your working out.



Then get it in for an MOT

colino

If it has sat idle for that length of time, the fuel will be like water and the best thing to do is just get it running with a booster pack to begin the checklist of what it needs. You may well be lucky and need a quick service and a good clean of the brakes, but don't be tempted to throw money at it if it has a range of faults. They really aren't worth much even up and running.

agrinnall

Sell it for parts on ebay and put the money towards buying a car that will run without needing lots of money spending.

parking_question_chap

For the amount you will need to make sure its roadworthy, you could probably get a better car.

marlot

A friend recommissioned a car like this as his daily driver. In addition to the tyres and fluids, he had to replace most of the suspension bushes and brake pipes. Lots of things had seized - hand brake, brake cylinders etc.

I would try to get it going and put it in for an MOT before spending too much on it. I suspect its really only fit for spares.

It was just about worth it in his case because he was able to do the work himself, and because it was an interesting car.

molerat

If you can sort all of the jobs yourself and can get cheap and / or second hand parts then go for it. If you need to pay someone then don't bother.