Hi guys.

Simple question (I hope) … there’s a car for sale near me which appears well looked after mechanically but has corrosion on the brake lines and the coil springs. Are those things one might expect to replace every few years anyway (given that this is Scotland, not California)? Or are they warning signs that rust might be starting to take hold elsewhere too?

Hard to say without seeing it, but if it's just an advisory you might get away with it for another year or two, or longer if you were doing low/dry miles, but replacing all hard brake lines would cost about £350 and replacing all 4 springs about £300 at a garage.

I had advisories for corroded springs on my old punto for about 4 years before I got rid of it at 10 years old, but it never failed an MOT. By the end the advisory list was onto a 2nd page and it had holes in the floor though, haha.

In general springs and brake lines should last at least 6-8 years, depending on driving conditions.

Have you seen the full advisory list? If you get the MOT number you can check it online. If it's got multiple advisories for corrosion then could just be a money pit to get through the MOT for next few years.

Heh. Aye, this is the same car we were talking about yesterday.

My insurers have said ‘yes’ so I’m on to final decision-making. Modified local car (providing the other interested party doesn’t take it first) with a few issues, or that cleanly rebuilt standard one at Motormech.

The local one is cheaper (and faster) but the question is whether the price difference is enough to cover the bits & pieces it needs … and whether I’d then have a solid car or further problems might show up in time. Hence this thread’s question.

Indeed, that's the big question.

The local one has a long enough MOT to run it for a while and decide if it's a keeper or not, but will certainly need more spent on it if you do keep it, by the sound of it.

The tuning mod's on it aren't really anything special, so I wouldn't let that sway you one way or the other. Silicone hoses and an upgraded dump valve may be nice, but it could be an atmospheric dump valve you hate the noise of and a set of those crappy Chinese hoses that are ready to fall apart.

If it doesn't sell I can go for a look at it with you if you like.

I'd still press the seller for the MOT number though, before even going to look at it.

Yep, agreed on all of that.

It’s really the combo of Ink Black with tan leather that’s making me interested. I should probably be sensible and buy Nigel’s car.

If they were both local and same colour I'd go for the motormech one, yes.