[Katkin]

Hi - I have an 05 plate Ford KA which not surprisingly failed it's MOT last week. It had one dangerous defect - (suspension component mounting corroded so that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected) and a few major defects - (integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced), 2 faulty wipers and a stop lamp not working. The garage gave me a quote from a bodywork shop next door who said that welding thr two major failures would cost approx 1k. However, when I picked the car up and spoke to the mechanic he recommended a mobile welder who he thought shouldn't charge more than a couple of hundred and then the car should pass its MOT. It's only done 38k miles and runs like a dream, had a new clutch and alternator at the start of the year, but just not sure whether it's reaching the end of its life and if I should look to repair or if I'm throwing good money after bad & would be better off scrapping and putting the money towards a new set of wheels. I know these cars are rust buckets from what I've read so any advice would be appreciated!

[onestitchloose]

Yea I agree, I think you can get cheaper welding prices from someone else, but if you can go on recommendation as welding is a hard thing to do well.

38k miles is nothing for a car nowadays I'm surprised you are getting such grief from it but cars can be like this, they sneak along pretending everythings fine then whack you with big costs when you least want it.

Hope you get it sorted.

[Drivingforfun]

I'd argue that the mileage on a 2005 car isn't as relevant as the fact it's been exposed to moisture for 19 years, especially if it's lived outside

With that said, unless you're planning on changing it for a brand new car, I don't really see the point in swapping a used car for another used car ... especially if you're swapping a used car that you know and like, for an unknown used car!

What I mean in other words is you'll just be changing a set of problems for another set of problems, only, presently, at least you know what problems you're dealing with!!

[olduser]

I would get the mobile welder to have a look and give you some idea of what they would charge, and may they offer an opinion as to how good/ bad the rest of the car is.
From there you will have to to choose.

You don't have to replace it with a new car, but you do need to try and avoid models known to have rust problems, mechanically I would say you are on safe ground if you can choose a car around three years old.

Find a model that fits your needs then look at any forums you can find relevant to that model to see what problems are being discussed, that way you are not shopping blind.

Finally, if you have a friend who has a bit of knowledge (or even the friendly mechanic) take them with you to look at any car your thinking of buying.

[Mark07]

Lots of good advice!

[Rolebama]

FWIW: I know of two people who bought a car at a 'bargain' price from the East Coast. They both had MOTs at the time, but at the next MOT they both had notes about welding because of corrosion, which I suspected was caused by saltwater corrosion.

[olduser]

I thought at the end of the 90's car manufacturers were supposed to be taking steps to minimize rusting?
Perhaps they did, and found it didn't sell anymore cars so gave up.