HONDA FR-V2005 · 2.2L DIESEL

The 2005 Honda FR-V presents a mixed maintenance picture. The most recent MOT, conducted on 17 June 2017 at 148,838 miles, passed with only a minor advisory for the offside rear tyre approaching the legal wear limit. However, this test is now over nine years old, meaning the vehicle has no verified roadworthiness record for nearly a decade. The maintenance trend cannot be classified as stable, worsening, or improving because the data trail ends abruptly in mid-2017. A car sitting without a valid MOT for this long raises immediate questions about its storage conditions, whether it has been driven uninsured on public roads, and what deterioration may have occurred in the interim. The mileage progression tells a clear story of consistent use followed by a sudden stop. Between the September 2011 test at 105,125 miles and the June 2017 test at 148,838 miles, the vehicle covered 43,713 miles in roughly five years and nine months, averaging around 7,500 miles annually. That is entirely typical for a family MPV of this age. The critical anomaly is the complete absence of any MOT record after June 2017, despite the vehicle now being over 21 years old. Whether the car has been garaged, abandoned, or driven illegally is unknown from the record alone. A buyer must treat the 148,838-mile figure as unreliable without corroborating service invoices or a fresh MOT. The earlier tests reveal a pattern of minor but telling wear. In September 2013 at 120,611 miles, both front lower trailing arm rubber bushes were flagged as deteriorated, and the front brake pads were wearing thin. Suspension bush degradation at that mileage is common on a multi-purpose vehicle that has likely carried heavy loads, but the fact that no subsequent test revisited this area means there is no evidence the issue was ever rectified. A physical inspection of the front suspension, including trailing arm bushes, coil springs, and anti-roll bar links, is essential. The front brake discs and pads should also be measured, as the 2013 advisory on pad thickness was never followed up. Tyre condition appears repeatedly in the record, flagged in both 2011 and 2017 for wear approaching the legal minimum. This suggests previous owners ran tyres down to the limit rather than replacing them proactively. A buyer should check all four tyres, including the spare, for age-related cracking regardless of remaining tread. The 2011 advisory for windscreen scratching also warrants a close look at the screen for chips or cracks that may have spread over the years. Given the nine-year gap in testing, a full underbody inspection for corrosion, particularly on the sills, subframes, and exhaust system, is strongly advised before any purchase decision.