1988 Volkswagen Transporter 1.9L Petrol · E945 FMX

The 1988 Volkswagen Transporter presents as roadworthy with a stable maintenance trend. The most recent test on 15 August 2025 at 72,392 miles passed with no defects recorded, and the prior pass on 14 October 2023 at 72,333 miles also showed a clean sheet. The single failure on 14 October 2023 at the same mileage and odometer reading was logged with no defects, indicating an administrative or presentation issue at the testing station rather than a mechanical fault. Mileage accumulation has been exceptionally low for a 38-year-old vehicle. From 25 September 2021 at 71,700 miles to 22 October 2022 at 72,223 miles the van covered just 523 miles. It then added 110 miles by 14 October 2023 and only 59 miles by the 2025 test. The average of roughly 1,905 miles per year, with under 700 miles across the entire four-year record, points to long periods of standing rather than regular use. Sparse clean tests give little insight into wear cycles, but the lack of advisories suggests no obvious neglect was flagged by testers. A buyer should still inspect the Transporter in person for age-related degradation not captured by pass results. Prolonged storage commonly accelerates perishing of rubber suspension bushes, brake hoses, and coolant hoses, while standing invites corrosion to chassis members and sills even when structural integrity passed on the day. The brake discs and calipers may have surface rust or seized through disuse; a road test should confirm no binding calipers or pulling under deceleration. Given the negligible annual mileage, consumable wear on tyres and wiper blades is unlikely to be advanced, but date-related cracking remains a risk. The clean MOT history implies previous owners kept the vehicle dry and lightly used, yet the 2023 duplicate test entry warrants a check of the V5C and any gap in continuous taxation. A pre-purchase inspection beneath the vehicle is advised to verify the underside matches the paper record.