It has been covered over the whole time, but in the last couple of years the covering had started to perish. There is a hole in the roof at the back where an idiot tree surgeon lopped some trees and one end of a branch fell onto it, piercing it. I didn’t realise this at the time but found out since. As a result, some water got into the vehicle, but I have since dried it out.
One of the wings was also damaged by a lopped branch too (see pics). There is also rust here and there, the worst being on the side of the car by the window, plus other areas such as the bonnet, sills and other edges. Much of the signs of rust in the boot and under the bonnet is surface rust discolouration or very light rust as far as I can see, rather than actual heavy, penetrative rust. Battery tray looks good too, from what I could see. I have no idea about the condition of the underside, but having stood on all internal parts of the floor and sat/knelt on all of the seats many times when cleaning and hoovering it, they all felt solid with no ‘give’ in the floor so I presume the floor is in decent condition.
I bought this in 2002 and it was in daily use until I took it off the road in September 2008. I think, from memory, it had 89,000 on the clock when I bought it, so I put around 47,000 miles on it in about 7 years.
I last drove it, briefly, in 2012 before covering it over again. It started no problem. However, I have not started it since as I was advised not to as the timing belt has probably now perished and therefore should be replaced or at least inspected (for obvious reasons!) before any attempt is made to start it.
The brakes may be rusted on and I think I tried the handbrake and it wouldn’t release (so this will need to be freed up), but I had this problem back in 2012 so just gave it a tug by using a tow rope attached to another car freeing it up, so you must be prepared to do something similar should the brakes be rusted on or ceased. Tyres are flat and may be perished, but might still inflate to enable easier movement – you will need to bring your own pump as I don’t have one.”
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