Checking MOT history

[MrSteve]

I've started thinking about getting something cheap to run around in over the winter (pre-91 Pug 205s are top of the list), and I've found a few possibles on ebay.

 

Anyway, I'd forgotten that you can get the full mot history for the past few years on directgov, so have asked the sellers for the mot test number to look them up. I've also looked up cars on dvla to what the car tax status is, and how much they would cost to tax. That's been educational in itself as I have never owned a car over 1200cc, so hadn't appreciated how much the tax was for large engines!

 

One chap got a bit shirty- maybe he thinks that giving this number out will cause his computer to release his bank account details to the world or something...?

 

Have any of you guys ever given this info out if asked, or ever asked for it ( and got it)? I was thinking this sort of info would help decide if a car was worth the time and effort to go and see.

[Rod/b]

Why? Only the current MOT and advisory sheet is worth knowing about, and even that was only worth the paper it's written on on the day it was issued. Everything that went before is pretty irrelevant, i'd have said.

[Guest]

not if its failed on loads of welding and been bodged to buggery like most classic car diy restorers do

[Rod/b]

If he's going for a cheapo though, and he's going to look at it, then it's the condition of it as it stands that matters when you're making your mind up.

[Guest]

granted adviserys on wheel bearings, bushes etc are easily sorted

thick understeal can hide all manner of woefull / hidden welding. if you know its been welded you can check the works up to scratch .

 

i posted a link on here to this a few weeks back .

http://motinfo.direct.gov.uk/internet/j ... equest.jsp

[MrSteve]

None of the cars are especially close, that's why I was hoping to get as much of an idea as possible about the car before going on a trek to view it.

 

Owners might 'forget' about issues that have come up in an mot that could mean a cheap car quickly becomes a not so cheap car, or is harder to sell on when I am done with it.