SUBARU IMPREZA1997 · 2.0L PETROL

The most recent MOT on 2 December 2011 shows a pass , but it is not a clean bill of health. The test recorded three items that are not safety‑critical (a deteriorated rear registration plate, a nail in the nearside rear tyre and a small oil leak) and one serious structural concern – heavy corrosion of the rear cross‑member. A month earlier, on 26 November 2011, the car failed with a long list of defects. The dominant theme is corrosion and wear on load‑bearing parts: excessive play in the nearside front anti‑roll bar pin/bush, a split CV‑joint gaiter, an excessively corroded off‑side front brake pipe, and heavily corroded seat‑belt anchorage points on both sides of the rear. Those same corrosion points (rear cross‑member, registration‑plate area) were also noted in the earlier 2010‑07‑28 failure, together with a non‑functioning rear registration‑plate lamp and a badly corroded nearside rear suspension mounting. Looking back to 2010‑07‑29 (pass) and 2009‑09‑11 (pass) the only recorded defect was the deteriorated rear registration plate, which suggests the vehicle was relatively sound at that time. The sudden appearance of multiple corrosion‑related failures in late 2010 and 2011 indicates a worsening trend rather than a stable or improving condition. Mileage‑to‑age analysis shows the car is about 29 years old with 112 253 mi, roughly 3 870 mi per year – well below the average for a vehicle of this vintage. Low mileage can mean the car has been driven lightly, but it also often implies long periods of storage where rust can develop unchecked. The corrosion issues we see are therefore more likely a product of age and exposure rather than high mileage wear.