Newbie needing advice on MK1

Hello all!

I’m considering buying a family friends 1990 MK1 1.6, first registered in 1994,160k miles and one owner since then. It’s always been a car that I would love to have and he is looking to just get rid and asked for around £500 (more likely to be less). I have no experience at all with anything car restoration related and trying to figure out if it’s going to be worth it at all. I haven’t seen the vehicle yet as he’s away for a couple of weeks but I have the number plate and looked up the last MOT status (I’ve put all the advisories below).

I know I need to have a look at the vehicle first but would love some advice to what to look out for (I already know it has a bit of rust which is expected with a car of this age). Also just general advice to if I should go ahead/ if I do ahead what kind of things I will have to do to get it back to a good working car and fix the rust issues etc.

Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks!

Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):

  • Nearside Front Upper Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))
  • Nearside Front Lower Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))
  • Offside Front Upper Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))
  • Offside Front Lower Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))
  • Nearside Rear Upper Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))
  • Nearside Rear Lower Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))
  • Offside Rear Upper Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))
  • Offside Rear Lower Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))
  • vehicle corroded underneath
  • Front Anti-roll bar corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))
  • Rear Anti-roll bar corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))
  • Offside Suspension component mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive sill (5.3.6 (a) (i))
  • Offside Front lower part of wing corroded
  • Nearside Front Brake hose slightly deteriorated (1.1.12 (b) (ii))
  • Offside Front Brake hose slightly deteriorated (1.1.12 (b) (ii))
  • Nearside Rear Brake hose slightly deteriorated (1.1.12 (b) (ii))
  • Offside Rear Brake hose slightly deteriorated (1.1.12 (b) (ii))
  • Offside Front Service brake binding but not excessively (1.2.1 (f))
  • Nearside Rear Brake pad(s) wearing thin (1.1.13 (a) (ii))
  • Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i))

None of that looks really terminal, just mechanical fettling and a lot…whole lot…of decrudding underneath and rot proofing.
However, at this juncture I enter my usual glassy eyed soul-less stance of the cold blooded Grim Rotty-botty Reaper…I’d be prepared for a lot more hidden internal sill & arch rot than you might think or see.
Too much money for an old leggy resto job though. Try £150/200. Its what a scrappy might offer.
If all that seems blunt…you are correct but it’s what Id say to my own son.

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What ^^^^ he^^^^ said.

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my advice is to hunt up someone who is a car guy either a savvy mechanic or body man and ask him to come with you to have a look especially if you can blag a local garage to get it up in the air and look at the underside… many chaps will help you for a pint or two or a tenner and it would be dough well spent… i am a lot older and have perhaps 40 years experience and knowledge and many rebuilds since and even an old dog can get worried… i have just this month more orless finished a rebuild on a similar machine more mileage so mine needs a engine but i saved on the welding the sills and arches would have had a 2lb lump hammer bouncing very solid… however it did need a total paint refinish, that costs , i did all the susp brake and all the dismantling work myself, but experts did the paint, it takes time, dedication and funds to leave it right and you do it once and right… i’ll be looking at 5k plus including original cost and shipping before i’m happy but just look at what total restorations are fetching, even my paint guy was amazed…w

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