ROVER 6001997 · 2.0L DIESEL

This car has not been MOT tested since 2006 – a gap of 20 years. The last recorded mileage (144,970) is the same on the 2006 pass and fail entries, meaning it has likely stood unused for two decades. That is the single biggest risk: a long-term stored vehicle will have suffered from rust, seized brakes, perished rubber, stale fuel, and rodent damage, regardless of its previous condition. The MOT history shows a clear recurring pattern. Both the 2005 and 2006 failures included “excessive smoke” from a non-turbo engine – that points to worn piston rings, valve stem seals, or a fuelling problem. Lighting defects also appeared both times: position lamps, stop lamps, indicators, and registration plate lamps. These were fixable, but the smoke issue is a sign of mechanical wear that tends to worsen over time, especially if the car has been sitting. Because there is no MOT data after 2006, we cannot say the condition is currently worsening, stable, or improving – but it is almost certainly far worse than it was 20 years ago. The mileage of about 5,000 per year is low for a 29-year-old car, but that figure is entirely pre-2006. The car has not accumulated miles since, so the low average is due to early-life light use followed by long-term storage.