1.1 Citroen Saxo desire 03 - Advice needed on whether or not to purchase Saxo | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

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Fri 29 Jan 2021 11:12

1.1 Citroen Saxo desire 03 - Advice needed on whether or not to purchase Saxo - BDL

ok so I'm currently looking into buying a cheap run around car and I've come across an 03 citroen saxo desire 1.1L for £325. The car looks in great shape and has been well looked after. The problem though is that it has no MOT and hasn't done since November 2020.

Now I've been in touch with the seller he has told me there are 3 problems with the car. 1. he has replaced the wiper motor as it wasn't working but says there must be another problem because the wipers will not run if there's any resistance. 2. he says that the rear left hand brake isn't engaging as well as it should. doesn't know why but says he can feel it. 3. there's a loose bolt connecting the drivers seat to the floor and he says it's possible the floor could be cracked but doesn't know.

so basically I'm trying to figure out if this car would be worth the buy. I'm sure he'll take £280-300 for it but I'm still trying to figure out if after repairs it'll still be a good deal. I'll be taking it to a garage for repairs.

if anyone can give me a bit of advice I'd be very grateful.

Thank's in advance, Ben

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Fri 29 Jan 2021 11:17

1.1 Citroen Saxo desire 03 - Advice needed on whether or not to purchase Saxo - MVP

It's a cheap car even if you have to do those jobs.

I would get your favourite mechanic round to give it the once over before committing.

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Fri 29 Jan 2021 11:27

1.1 Citroen Saxo desire 03 - Advice needed on whether or not to purchase Saxo - BDL

how much do you think I'd be looking at roughly for repairs?

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Fri 29 Jan 2021 11:34

1.1 Citroen Saxo desire 03 - Advice needed on whether or not to purchase Saxo - FoxyJukebox

Wiper-( underlying electric issues?, bolt (floor rust?, brakes-(£discs and brake shoes plus all round)-I would walk well away without even an £estimate

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Fri 29 Jan 2021 11:50

1.1 Citroen Saxo desire 03 - Advice needed on whether or not to purchase Saxo - Terry W

It's a cheap car.

Personally I would look for one with a fullish MoT and if necessary pay a little extra, The faults you describe may be easily fixed for a few ££, equally it could be a few hundred ££.

You may as well spend you money on one that goes, unless you like risk or are able to diy.

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Fri 29 Jan 2021 12:27

1.1 Citroen Saxo desire 03 - Advice needed on whether or not to purchase Saxo - Andrew-T

I wouldn't buy a car without at least a valid MoT, preferably a recent one. Some of those faults sound like potential fails. Ask the seller if he is prepared to get it to pass, and offer to pay for the test (not the repairs). Depends whether you think the seller is being honest - if you buy as is, you may have to effectively double the price. Though to be fair, that would still be cheap, and you could have a decent car.

At this price point you have to trust your judgment.

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Fri 29 Jan 2021 13:07

1.1 Citroen Saxo desire 03 - Advice needed on whether or not to purchase Saxo - badbusdriver

If you have the tools and ability to fix the kind of problems yourself, and you could get the car for no more than £100, go for it.

Otherwise leave it. The seller is taking the Mickey at £325 for something worthless. Because with no MOT, a 17/18 year old car like this is worthless (unless collectable).

Oh, and it hasn't been well looked after. If it had, it would have a current MOT and these problems wouldn't have been left.

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Fri 29 Jan 2021 13:25

1.1 Citroen Saxo desire 03 - Advice needed on whether or not to purchase Saxo - madf

Bargepole job.

They rust very badly at the.rear.

If you have no car DIY skills, run a mile.

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Fri 29 Jan 2021 15:27

1.1 Citroen Saxo desire 03 - Advice needed on whether or not to purchase Saxo - Andrew-T

Oh, and it hasn't been well looked after. If it had, it would have a current MOT and these problems wouldn't have been left.

The MoT is only a couple of months expired. Maybe the owner has just been waiting for a punter to show interest. If he thinks it should pass he ought to be ready to prove it.

I can't see any mention of SORN, so it may still be taxed - but not driven, presumably ?

Edited by Andrew-T on 29/01/2021 at 15:29

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Fri 29 Jan 2021 13:35

1.1 Citroen Saxo desire 03 - Advice needed on whether or not to purchase Saxo - SLO76

The car is worth no more than scrap value (£50-£100) with no Mot. It might well only need a couple of minor jobs doing but it could be a write-off when you get it to the Mot station. If it only needed minor work then the seller would’ve done it himself.

Edited by SLO76 on 29/01/2021 at 13:36

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Fri 29 Jan 2021 14:49

1.1 Citroen Saxo desire 03 - Advice needed on whether or not to purchase Saxo - bathtub tom

Have you looked at its MOT history: www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

I'd suspect it failed its last MOT and that's why it's been sorned, but it would also give you an idea of how it's been looked after.

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Fri 29 Jan 2021 16:09

1.1 Citroen Saxo desire 03 - Advice needed on whether or not to purchase Saxo - badbusdriver

To me, the bare minimum standard of care would be keeping the car roadworthy. And while different folk might have different opinions on what this means, to me, 'well looked after' is some way above the bare minimum.

3. there's a loose bolt connecting the drivers seat to the floor and he says it's possible the floor could be cracked but doesn't know.

So this statement, to me anyway, strikes me as coming from someone who definitely hasn't looked after the car well. Especially since the above fault didn't 'just happen'. My suspicion is that it was probably noted as an advisory the previous year (presumably not as bad) and the owner chose to ignore it.

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Fri 29 Jan 2021 17:06

1.1 Citroen Saxo desire 03 - Advice needed on whether or not to purchase Saxo - Lee Power

Best thing for a 17 year old Saxo with no MOT is metal recycling.

Its worth no more then its scrap value in its current state.

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Fri 29 Jan 2021 18:29

1.1 Citroen Saxo desire 03 - Advice needed on whether or not to purchase Saxo - Avant

"....there's a loose bolt connecting the drivers seat to the floor and he says it's possible the floor could be cracked but doesn't know."

I think that anybody seeing a comment like that should run away, fast. I wouldn't want to buy anything from someone as clueless as this seller seems to be. Not just clueless in this case: "has been well looked after" can't possibly be true.

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Fri 29 Jan 2021 23:00

1.1 Citroen Saxo desire 03 - Advice needed on whether or not to purchase Saxo - Andrew-T

I wouldn't want to buy anything from someone as clueless as this seller seems to be. Not just clueless in this case: "has been well looked after" can't possibly be true.

I suspect that, rather than being clueless, he may be being economical with the truth - perhaps wishing to appear more clueless than he is. But the OP has looked at the car and thinks it may have possibilities. The likely truth is that the car is not worth repairing, but that is not absolutely certain. We don't have all the necessary facts, anyway.

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Fri 29 Jan 2021 23:06

1.1 Citroen Saxo desire 03 - Advice needed on whether or not to purchase Saxo - pd

It's worth £500 tops with a not so work backwards.

Obviously it'll have issues -:it's a 17 year old saxo. No one is going to bother fixing much on it beyond the bare minimum.

Seller sounds like he is being honest but really it's worth £150 absolute tops, more like £100

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Fri 29 Jan 2021 23:27

1.1 Citroen Saxo desire 03 - Advice needed on whether or not to purchase Saxo - Avant

i don't think it matters whether the seller is clueless or dishonest, or even a bit of both.

What matters is the wise advice given by Badbusdriver and backed up by others:

"If you have the tools and ability to fix the kind of problems yourself, and you could get the car for no more than £100, go for it. Otherwise leave it."

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Sat 30 Jan 2021 09:22

1.1 Citroen Saxo desire 03 - Advice needed on whether or not to purchase Saxo - Andrew-T

Step-1 would be to check the previous MoT. (the OP has been quiet for a while, so maybe he has). If that 'loose bolt' really means floor corrosion, that should have been at least advised before. Of course there will be plenty of other almost-worthless cars for sale, but I think it's unfair to tell the OP to run away before doing a few more cost-free checks. He has been well warned, after all.

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Sat 30 Jan 2021 10:14

1.1 Citroen Saxo desire 03 - Advice needed on whether or not to purchase Saxo - Trilogy.

Leave it, look for another car with an MOT.

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