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Does this sound right?
hi there I'm having to scrap my 2004 Ford Focus cos work required for MOT is not viable. So went to collect it from the garage who I have used for about 10 years and he tells me his friend is selling a 2010 Ford Focus on behalf of his dad with only 21,000 for £3000.
This sounded a good price but when I looked up the MOT history this is what I found. How can all this be possible on a car with such low mileage? Would value any opinions.
Also any ideas on likely cost to put this right? I would ask for an MOT as part of the sale.
This sounded a good price but when I looked up the MOT history this is what I found. How can all this be possible on a car with such low mileage? Would value any opinions.
Also any ideas on likely cost to put this right? I would ask for an MOT as part of the sale.
MOT expired on5 March 2020
Get an MOT reminderwhen the vehicle's MOT is near its time for renewal.(Opens in a new Window) by email or text.
If you think the MOT expiry date or any of the vehicle details are wrong, contact DVSA.
Open All
MOT history
Check mileage recorded at test, MOT expiry date, defects and advisories, and view test certificate
Mileage19,799 miles
MOT test number3761 1996 0361
Test location
View test location
Expiry date5 March 2020
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
- Offside Front Coil spring corroded (5.3.1 (b) (i))
- Nearside Front Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))
- Offside Front Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))
What are advisories?
Mileage19,799 miles
MOT test number8773 8042 1600
Test location
View test location
Repair immediately (major defects):
- Nearside Front Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
- Offside Front Coil spring corroded (5.3.1 (b) (i))
- Nearside Front Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))
- Offside Front Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))
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Comments
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A quick check on autotrader for similar age and mileage Focus suggests that is quite cheap.
Does the history further back than last year show any further concerns or alarm bells or is it all passes? - what about the mileage history, average 2000 miles each year or has it not done many in the last few years? It could be that its not been driven a lot in the last few years. A low mileage Ford is probably easy to repair though.
Is the car currently SORN? If the MOT ended in March then maybe the father is unwell or unable to drive so could be a genuine reason for sale and possibly standing idle for a chunk of time.
https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax
I am sure someone more knowledgeable than me will be along shortly but I think a pal of mine was charged £130 at an independent garage for a coil spring replacement in the last couple of years. I am sure your man at the garage will know exactly how much it would cost though.
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hi many thanks for your reply. I have put the full records below. Yes the mileage does look consistent and yes the vehicle is SORN'ed. His father is apparently suffering from Alzeimher's apparently so yes a genuine reason for sale. I know zilch about cars but these were the sort of advisories I was getting on my Focus when it had done about 80,000 miles so I was a little surprised.
MOT expired on5 March 2020
Get an MOT reminderwhen the vehicle's MOT is near its time for renewal.(Opens in a new Window) by email or text.
If you think the MOT expiry date or any of the vehicle details are wrong, contact DVSA.Open AllMOT history
Check mileage recorded at test, MOT expiry date, defects and advisories, and view test certificate
Mileage19,799 miles
MOT test number3761 1996 0361
Test location
View test locationExpiry date5 March 2020
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
- Offside Front Coil spring corroded (5.3.1 (b) (i))
- Nearside Front Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))
- Offside Front Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))
What are advisories?Mileage19,799 miles
MOT test number8773 8042 1600
Test location
View test locationRepair immediately (major defects):
- Nearside Front Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
- Offside Front Coil spring corroded (5.3.1 (b) (i))
- Nearside Front Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))
- Offside Front Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))
What are defects and advisories?The MOT test changed on 20 May 2018
Defects are now categorised according to their severity – dangerous, major, and minor. Find out more
Date tested6 March 2018
PASS
Mileage18,036 miles
MOT test number5129 5427 6955
Test location
View test locationExpiry date5 March 2019
Date tested29 March 2017
PASS
Mileage16,064 miles
MOT test number6398 1548 9737
Test location
View test locationExpiry date6 April 2018
Advisory notice item(s)
- Nearside Front Suspension arm synthetic bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)
- Offside Front Suspension arm synthetic bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)
What are advisories?Date tested4 April 2016
PASS
Mileage13,557 miles
MOT test number1103 2306 9069
Test location
View test locationExpiry date6 April 2017
Date tested7 April 2015
PASS
Mileage11,036 miles
MOT test number7280 9709 5038
Test location
View test locationExpiry date6 April 2016
Outstanding vehicle recalls
Check if FORD FOCUS YB10BMU has outstanding recalls
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Well, at least it's petrol...
21k after 10 years, in the hands of an elderly driver, consistent across the entirety of the MOT history. I certainly wouldn't be looking at paying a premium for it. It's probably never been properly warm, it's quite probably been parked with 5k rpm and clutch slip. There's 160+ 1.6 petrol 2010 Focuses on Autotrader. This one's priced about half-way up them - at least it doesn't have the ludicrous price premium of the other very-low-mileage ones.
Actually, it ISN'T this one, is it...? Same spec, no MOT, mileage very likely to be the same... No plate visible in the mid-Sept ad.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009143725737
Don't expect it to be anywhere near the same as a 1yo 20k mile car - expect it to be far closer in condition to a 10yo 80k one, perhaps worse in some areas simply through lack of use.
It's clearly had fairly minimal maintenance - the front bushes have been flagged for three years, and when both front coils got flagged last year, only the one that was actually broken got changed.
New V5C issued three weeks ago - I presume that's changing the address to the son's, for sale and because father's property is now empty?
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I wouldnt touch a 21k 2010 car. Not been used nearly enough, I've got more miles on my 2018.3
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To be fair, the coils on the front could go at anytime. I have the same advisory on my car and when I questioned if it was worth fixing they said no because you could hit a pot hole after getting them changed.
I'm always a bit suspicious of very good Mots. For example, and I'm not saying that there's in anyway fraud happening, but my husband always gets his mot done at his cousins testing facility. It's never failed an MOT except once when it needed new tyres.
If you get a mate to do your mot they might not be a thorough as say Kwik fit who might be looking for your custom in fixing said advisories.
I think my main issue would be that it might not have been driven much, however, we bought a 5 year old Kia that had only done 12k, driven by a little old man and it's been amazing. You pays your money you take your chance.
I've bought cars that I thought were a sure fire, nothing wrong with them and the clutch has gone 8 months later. But I've bought some right dodgy motors that have run for years and years. It's the luck of the draw.1 -
As we've repeatedly said, low mileage is not good for a car. Low mileage usually means lots of short journeys around town which wear out suspension, steering, brakes, the exhaust, the clutch, engine and gear box much much more than sitting in 6th gear at 2000RPM at 70MPH on a motorway for 40-50 miles at a time.melb said:hi there I'm having to scrap my 2004 Ford Focus cos work required for MOT is not viable. So went to collect it from the garage who I have used for about 10 years and he tells me his friend is selling a 2010 Ford Focus on behalf of his dad with only 21,000 for £3000.
This sounded a good price but when I looked up the MOT history this is what I found. How can all this be possible on a car with such low mileage?
Think of how many gear changes you do, how much starting and stopping, how many bumps, potholes and speed humps you'll go over in a mile or two of urban driving then think about how little you'll do of all of that in the same distance on a non-urban A road, dual carriageway or motorway.
I've known cars used almost exclusively for school runs, a bit of Tesco and short drive to work have the bottom ends of the engines go bang by 50,000 miles. On the other hand I've owned plenty of cars which have been motorway mileage munchers with over 150,000 on running as sweet as a nut. If you offered me two 2010 Focuses, one with 21,000 miles on and one with 121,000 miles I'd take the 121,000 miles as it'll likely give much less grief.
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Suspension coils corrode, age not mileage.3
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thanks for all your replies. I don't think it's not the one in Bristol as the mileage is different and I'm in West Yorkshire. I don't have work done that is on the advisories either - not saying it's right but as I don't do much mileage and what I do is mainly local, I leave it until it is deemed necessary.
I totally agree about MOTs not always telling the full story. I spent months checking MOT histories while looking for a first vehicle for my son. I found a Nissan Almera - very few advisories throughout the previous about 6 years. Bought it and it was a catalogue of botch jobs - probably DIY. To such an extent that my garage wanted to ring the MOT centre that had passed it and have it out with them.
We sought our own revenge by taking the (private) seller to court and getting most of the money back that we paid! Actually it was agreed through mediation through the courts.0 -
sorry that I am obviously irritating some of you! My reply was before the last 2 comments. I don't understand your comment Grumpy-chap sorry. Are you saying that low mileage is as likely to wear out components as lots of mileage? Also as far as buying high mileage cars who knows what roads the car was used on? It could have been doing loads of short journeys if it was used by several members of the same family. Or used as a taxi.
And I would think that a car that has been thrashed up and down a motorway with a heavy foot on the accelerator and sharp braking would not be a good buy.
Unfortunately we don't know the history of how cars have been driven when we buy them. I have also been looking at other Focuses the same year, one with 76,000 miles at £2,900 apparently with FSH and a cambelt change and one with 56,000 and some service history for £3,400 both from dealers. it's such a minefield and part of the problem is that I will only buy a Focus as I loved my previous one so much which I know is ridiculous but mine had such good torque and was so easy to drive.0 -
Hello Mel,melb said:I don't understand your comment Grumpy-chap sorry. Are you saying that low mileage is as likely to wear out components as lots of mileage?
Yes, that can be the case with some components, and some components will simply wear with age irrespective of mileage.
The concerns you noted for this 2010, i.e. 10 year old car, from 2018 and 2019 MOT advisories was wear to the suspension bushes and corrosion to a coil spring.
- Suspension bushes are prone to wear, but this was an advisory in 2018 and again in 2019, so the progression is likely not significant.
- The suspension coil is a metal component and located in a relatively harsh environment exposed to all the spray and road salt and grit and gravel and whatever else gets thrown up in the wheel arches. It is hardly surprising there is some corrosion after 10 years. Given the opposite side coil on this particular car failed and needed replacement, it may be the case that the remaining front coil will need replacement in the coming year, but that can only be assessed by a mechanic looking at the vehicle.
Suspension is also one of the types of components that could see more, or just as much wear, in a low mileage car with lots of short, local trips over speed bumps and parking on the pavement than a car driving all day at motorway cruise.
For your information, my 2007 Focus had the following advisories at the last MOT:
- Nearside Front Lower Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Rear bush (5.3.4 (a) (i))
I will find out tomorrow if it now needs to be fixed.1
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