There is always an element of risk involved when buying a car that has been off the road for some time, as it is harder to establish how roadworthy it is. If you are unsure of how to check it over yourself, we would suggest finding a friend or family member who is more experienced to come with you and give it a thorough check over. You can also look at the MoT history to see if there are any repeated failure points which could point towards potential problems.

An alternative option would be to agree with the current owner of the vehicle that they put the car in for an MoT and you will only purchase the car based on the result and the potential repair costs. As long as you have a pre-booked MoT, it is legal to drive a SORN car to or from an MoT. This would give you a good idea of the car's condition.