UKH

Just looked at and test driven a '57 Ibiza 1.4 Formula Sport with 71k miles.

I need some advice on problems and potential servicing costs.

There were no major problems when I test drove and looked around the car.
However, the rear washer did not work as the washer pipe was leaking underneath the car.
I could see washer fluid squirting out underneath and pooling near the pump. The front washers worked fine though.

Another problem was that none of the steering wheel mounted media controls worked. The owner said this was due to a faulty fuse, but I'm not so sure.

How easy and cheap are the above two problems likely to be to fix?

It's my first car, and I don't have a lot of experience, so I'm going to get it properly checked out before I decide to buy.

Any comments or useful experiences?

In reply to blue_sundown:
The first one is common for that generation of ibiza. Should be easy to fix if its what mine used to do (a pipe pops off in the winter if it freezes). Should just pop a panel off to access it.

No idea about the 2nd one.

In reply to blue_sundown:

If these are worst of the problems, you are very lucky.

In reply to blue_sundown:

Any time a seller says "oh that's nothing, it's just a????" the first thing to ask is if it's so simple a fix why haven't they done it before you came to look.

In reply to blue_sundown:

The steering wheel controls could be something or nothing but it will be a dealership job as there is a risk of setting off the airbag whilst you tinker with the steering wheel. I doubt it is a fuss though.

That said, there are worse things in life than having to reach to the radio to turn it down.

In reply to blue_sundown:

I'd say avoid this one. If the owner has left these things wrong with the car, what else have they left that you haven't found yet?

It's quite a conservative approach, but there are loads of cars out there. Ideally you want a car that has been thoroughly looked after and religiously serviced.

That said, if you have found the only things wrong with the car, haggle some money off and it may be a bargain!

In reply to blue_sundown:

Neither of those minor faults would bother me, nor would I fix them.

The washer jet should be trivial to fix. The radio controls wont just be a fuse and even if they were, a blown fuse is a symptom not a fault. It's unlikely to be a quick easy fix.

jk

In reply to Dax H:


I tend to agree. If someone is selling a car surely they want to present it in it's best light. Failing to deal with relatively minor defects makes you wonder what else they might have not bothered with? Faulty fuse? That would have taken them a few seconds and virtually nothing to replace

My instinct would be to be wary.

I'm not very mechanically minded, so I prefer to buy from a reputable dealer who has the confidence to offer a guarantee. OK it will probably cost you more at the outset but in the long run that's cheaper than buying a pup.