Does this look dodgy?

It depends a bit on how extensive (just a structural check only, or structural + mechanical) and also probably what part of the country you are in.

Some of us are non-UK so I will defer to our respected British posters to name sums and maybe references to some good shops in your area.

Makes sense, I'll do some research too.

The search continues!

Is it this one?

www.gatradersltd.co.uk/details/used-car-...1.3-sz3-3dr/1616614/

The MOT check looks quite good if it is. However the interior (look at the dashboard) shows wear that looks very heavy for such a low mileage, single owner, vehicle and the side panels show dings and dents. The bumper and side plastics almost look too good and shiny, remember that red car paint typically goes "flat" 

It would definitely need some investigation to be happy with it. It almost looks like an off-roader/farm vehicle. Quite heavily worn but low mileage because it has spent its time in the fields.

My 2003 only has 26,000 genuine miles

Yes, that's the one!

My thoughts too, steering looked quite scratched up for the amount of miles it's done. Maybe I will check it out with PPI but the fact lots of its covered from the bottom doesn't fill me with confidence, I'd have to take his word that it was cleaned up before undercoating.

I think a reason for it's low milage could be it was used by the RLNI in a previous life? I've seen a few on Google in the same colour, year and similar reg. (starts with K) as well.

 

Personally I'd avoid as it looks like they've done a shoddy job with the underseal, getting it on the exhaust, only second to the fact the car is in Birmingham 

The underseal has been applied with a scattergun approach, I doubt it has been done very well, covering up rust which will now be trapped there and can’t have done many miles since it was done otherwise it would have burnt off the exhaust.

As already mentioned, the gear stick and other controls look very worn and the internal pictures show muck everywhere ingrained in to the trim.

The vac hubs also look very corroded on the outside, a full check of the 4x4 system would be in order.

It’s only done around 800 miles per year for the first few years and it’s MOT ran out in July 23, then not tested until March 25, yet the internal condition suggests many more miles and looks like it has had a hard life.

The MOT history is OK, the gearbox/transfer case mount is a bit worrying. The vehicle is untaxed and hasn’t had tax since March 2022.

It also had a logbook issued in Feb 2018, which is interesting as the mileage jumped from July 2017 (9,000 miles) to 14,000 miles in June 2018. I suspect it was sold and a new owner started using it on the road as the mileage went up by around 3,500 miles every year until 2022 when it’s tax ran out, but it still kept running up some miles. There is then nearly 2 years without tax or MOT.

Given that it is missing 2 years without MOT/Tax, it only did a small amount of miles per year with the first owner, the inside and parts of the outside look like heavy use and the fact that it covered in underseal, just sprayed on without any concern for where it went, I would stay well clear unless you pay for an independent inspection.

Plus the garage is only offering a 3 month warranty (I thought they had to offer 6 months minimum) and it’s quite a premium price. I sold my 2011 18 months ago, it was in much better condition, had done 70,000 miles without the same sort of signs of wear, everything worked correctly and had minimal/no rust and it fetched £5k as a trade in.

It was valued at around £6.5k, but circumstances meant I had to trade it in and take a hit as I had no where to store it until it sold privately.

Good luck

Robin