2013 Nissan Note 1.4L Petrol · DF13 OYM

With 72,731 miles spread across thirteen years, this Nissan Note presents a largely stable MOT picture but carries a small cluster of recurring front-suspension advisories and a fractured coil spring event that any prospective buyer should treat as the defining mechanical theme. The most recent test on 12 March 2026 saw the car pass, albeit with two advisories for nearside rear tyre cracking and an offside front tyre worn close to the legal limit on its edge, and the same visit also produced a fail-and-representation record for a non-functioning nearside front position lamp, a trivial electrical fix but worth verifying has been resolved properly rather than masked with a quick bulb swap. The coil spring fracture flagged as a Major on 15 March 2024 is the more serious historical entry, indicating that the front struts were already under stress at that point, and the subsequent 2025 pass carrying advisories for worn suspension arm pins or bushes on both nearside and offside front arms reinforces a pattern of front-end wear that is worth close physical inspection rather than dismissal. Annual mileage works out at roughly 5,595 miles per year, which is modest for a car of this age and points to either genuine light use or extended periods of standing. Low accumulation rates generally preserve the engine, clutch and major drivetrain components, but they also accelerate ageing of rubber items, brake discs through corrosion rather than wear, and occasionally lead to dry seals on rear brake mechanisms. There are no unusual gaps in the testing history that would suggest the car was off the road for consecutive years, so the relatively clean record is credible rather than artificially maintained by SORN periods, though the low annual figure still warrants the usual checks for any car that may have spent long stretches stationary. On a physical inspection and test drive, particular attention should be paid to the front suspension geometry, since both arms have now been flagged for pin or bush wear and one coil spring has already failed. Listen for clonking or knocking over uneven surfaces, particularly at low speed over speed humps and potholes, and feel for any vagueness or shimmy through the steering wheel that could indicate the worn bushes are starting to allow noticeable movement rather than just borderline play. Check that the replacement coil spring fitted after the 2024 failure was installed as a matched pair, because a single spring replacement on a thirteen-year-old car often leads to the opposite side failing shortly afterwards, and look for uneven ride height or the car sitting lower on one corner when viewed from behind. The tyres flagged at the latest test are also worth a closer look; cracking on the sidewall of a 2026-fitted nearside rear tyre is unusual and may suggest the rubber is ageing prematurely, possibly due to prolonged UV exposure on a lightly used car, so inspect all four tyres for similar sidewall deterioration even if only the one was noted. The position lamp failure and the minor windscreen damage are both minor items, but it is still worth confirming the lamp wiring and connector are sound rather than suffering from a corroded earth or intermittent contact that could resurface. The brake system has not been flagged in any recent test, but on a low-mileage car expect to see surface corrosion rather than lip wear on the discs, and verify that the handbrake holds on an incline as lightly used rear calipers can seize. Finally, because the mileage is low, check the condition of the exhaust mounting rubber, any underbody corrosion typical of a thirteen-year-old Nissan, and the state of the cooling system and ancillary drive belts, all of which degrade with calendar age rather than mileage and represent the more likely future maintenance items on this particular Note.