1997 Volvo 900 Series 2.3L Petrol · R891 BTG

The 1997 Volvo 900 Series passed its most recent MOT on 2 April 2026 at 297,870 miles, but the maintenance trend is worsening. The April 2026 test flagged a damaged front windscreen, slight engine oil leaks, an offside rear park brake needing adjustment, and tyre scrub marks on both front arch panels at full lock. These faults follow a March 2025 failure where the tester recorded below-requirement service brake efficiency and rear brake imbalance, corrected five days later after the owner addressed the brake defects alongside existing advisories. Recorded mileage sits at 297,870 against roughly 10,271 miles per year for a 29-year-old car, a typical accumulation rate. The gap between the clean 2023 test at 269,984 miles and the 2024 pass at 275,672 shows only 5,688 miles, then 11,378 miles to March 2025 and 10,820 to April 2026. Sparse early defect data gives way to concentrated corrosion and brake wear findings from 2025 onward, implying lighter use before 2024 then regular high-mileage commuting that exposed latent wear. The buyer should inspect the nearside rear floor pan corrosion first flagged in March 2025 and still uncorrected in the 2026 pass; the small hole indicates advancing structural rust needing weld assessment. Rear brake discs scored and pitted in 2025 and rear pads wearing thin demand measurement of remaining friction material and disc runout. Front power steering seepage and oil leaks persist across both 2025 tests into 2026, so check rack gaiters, pump seals, and sump gasket weepage on a ramp. Confirm the offside rear park brake adjustment and verify the front tyres clear the arches at full lock without contact. The repeated windscreen damage advisory suggests stone impact neglect rather than structural concern, but view the glass directly. This record shows an ageing high-mileage Volvo with manageable consumable wear yet unresolved corrosion and seepage that previous owners patched for MOT rather than repaired.