To buy or not to buy

Hi All - My first post!

After always wanting a 90 from being a kid i’m finally in the position to buy one, albeit on a limited budget!

I have viewed a couple and mostly nasties, but this one stood out to be the best with only a couple things i picked up (following a checklist)

Some rusting on the inside of the the bulkhead and rusting on the chassis around the body mounts?

Should I steer clear or are these manageable repairs and not something that will bite me?

MOT till Sep 2024

TIA

Bit surprised the chassis rot was not pointed out on the MOT also what repair works been done and service history.

Common place to rust out, atleast it hasn't got carpets hiding it.
Like always it depends on how much it is on whether its worth buying. Can you fix it yourself?

Yes i was surprised, could this be under the threshold for an advisory? The MOT history is pretty clean!
The chassis is fairly easy for me to have patched at least. My main concern was the bulkhead i guess as that’s not something i have the space to tackle - are segments available to repair this area?

A rusted hole in the chassis is a fail.
Bulkhead panels are available although it might respond to some rust remover if it's not holed.

Yes that’s true. It’s 97 300tdi with 97k on £10k asking but i could negotiate i bet. Market is bit nuts at moment but doesn’t seem bad?

What is the MOT history like?

Bulkhead looks repairable without too many issues, the chassis looks not so good in my opinion.
Remember that there will be more corrosion hidden on top of what you can see...guaranteed, so budget accordingly.
I decided a few years ago that these trucks are generally not worth the money people are currently asking (IMO) but its obviously a personal choice.
Good luck with your search.

What year is it? I have a 1993 90 that I have fitted front outriggers and rear crossmember, both of which had been replaced previously. I also replaced the rear outriggers and have rebuilt the dumb irons. If yours has the corrosion you are showing there then make sure you really check the rest of the chassis.

If you can't do repairs like this yourself they may be expensive and raise the cost significantly.

When I bought mine it was the bargain basement version and I knew I had to do the work myself to be able to afford the vehicle. You don't mention the age of your vehicle, but when I see anything that is the same age as mine on the road, I tend to think how it must have been looked after for it still to be on the road!!

Dr Strangeglove said:

What year is it? I have a 1993 90 that I have fitted front outriggers and rear crossmember, both of which had been replaced previously. I also replaced the rear outriggers and have rebuilt the dumb irons. If yours has the corrosion you are showing there then make sure you really check the rest of the chassis.

If you can't do repairs like this yourself they may be expensive and raise the cost significantly.

When I bought mine it was the bargain basement version and I knew I had to do the work myself to be able to afford the vehicle. You don't mention the age of your vehicle, but when I see anything that is the same age as mine on the road, I tend to think how it must have been looked after for it still to be on the road!!

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It’s a 1997 done 97k miles - It definitely looks like it’s been looked after and kept well. It does seem the chassis has been coated at some point possibly.

3 owners an older chap , then his son who didn’t want to keep and then a family friend now who’s owned for 18 mont but barely used and had it stored

Anaconda said:

What is the MOT history like?

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Reg P537 ENT

Can't think what the outstanding recall could be?

The bulkhead attaches to the door sill under the flooring the bolts there should be in good shape to remove?
with a good light inspect that area bottom of bulkhead door sill.
i found the door sill had been welded to bulkhead, replacing bulkhead.
Outside bottom corner of bulkhead should be not rusted through anywhere.
Where is the last photo?

Seaswood said:

The bulkhead attaches to the door sill under the flooring the bolts there should be in good shape to remove?
with a good light inspect that area bottom of bulkhead door sill.
i found the door sill had been welded to bulkhead, replacing bulkhead.
Outside bottom corner of bulkhead should be not rusted through anywhere.
Where is the last photo?

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Last photo looks like it's looking up at the bulkhead out rigger. I think you can make out the mudflap and bulkhead fixing bolt.

Anaconda said:

Last photo looks like it's looking up at the bulkhead out rigger. I think you can make out the mudflap and bulkhead fixing bolt.

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This is correct the images are looking up at the out rigger the rubber being the front mudflaps one is left other is right hand side