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

bigjl

Also why was it parked up?

lincroft1710

A 14 year old Xsara, laid up for 8 years probably isn't worth spending any money on.

harryfrombarry_2

I had a Xsara and loved it, might be worth getting it fixed for this reason alone!

Strider590

Depends entirely upon how it's been stored.

Bare in mind that the UK are the only country in Europe that don't specify that tyres must be under a certain age. The 10yr old tyres on my kitcar were MOT legal but totally lethal.

The battery will need replacing for sure.

Engine oil, it goes off.

Coolant separates, becomes acidic and eats the engine block, the head gasket and the water pump.

Brakes corrode, the handbrake can jam on.

Other people have listed most of the issues in posts above soi'll not repeat too much. I'd quite happily spend a bit of cash doing it up again, but for one thing....... It's French.

That said, you'd get some plonker who'd buy it thinking it was a great bargain.

AdrianC

Strider590 wrote: »

Bare in mind that the UK are the only country in Europe that don't specify that tyres must be under a certain age.

Whilst I agree entirely on the wisdom of changing the tyres, I think you might be over-egging that particular pudding a bit.

stator

Sell it as a project car to someone who enjoys fixing up cars. It should have a very low mileage so might appeal to someone!

AdrianC

stator wrote: »

It should have a very low mileage

It was on the road for six years or so... Could easily be into six figures.

OnanTheBarbarian

51 plate Xsara parked up for 8 years = landfill / Tesco extra value toaster via Beijing

New_Collier

This is not advice – just my experience.

I have a 98 Corsa that I have had on the road since 2010.

From 98 – 2001 it had done less than 3K miles. It was garaged, unused, and literally cobwebby, until 2010. I charged the battery – it started. I took it to a trusted local garage, asked them to service it, safety check it, give it a once over. They suggested I think about changing the tyres.
It is still going strong. I take it back to the same garage each year where it gets thru its MOT with advisories. I have changed the exhaust and the radio! It has now done 54K, including several long trips (south of France) It is not pretty but is the cheapest and most reliable car I have ever had. I keep it as a [STRIKE]pet[/STRIKE] spare.

Get an honest mechanics opinion. Maybe this Xsara will serve you as well?

JoJoRo

Thank you all for thoughts, advice and experience! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!

It's low mileage, has sat on the drive as my in laws didn't need two cars and decided to SORN it. My hubby and I aren't into cars and don't have a driveway to tinker with it on, so would need it to be MOT'd at least.

Thanks also for the list of things other than the battery and brakes (which were my initial concerns) as well as the cambelt that needs doing.