2010 Mitsubishi Lancer 1.5L Petrol · SW10 EUP

A 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer carrying 86,726 miles presents a confusingly mixed DVSA record despite an outwardly clean advisory history. Across the four documented test events from 2024 through early 2026, every entry shows no defects recorded, yet two of those entries are FAIL results dated 2025-01-15 and 2026-01-29, each followed within one to four days by a PASS at the same station. This near-identical pattern twice in succession suggests the same latent fault was identified and rectified just before the retest on both occasions, but the DVSA system does not show the specific failure items because they were either not recorded on the failure notices or were addressed under categories that did not carry advisories forward. For a prospective buyer, this is not necessarily alarming, but it is a meaningful anomaly that warrants direct questioning of any seller and a more thorough pre-purchase inspection than the tidy advisory sheet would normally demand. The mileage profile of roughly 5,420 miles per year is notably low for a sixteen-year-old vehicle and indicates either genuinely light motoring, a long period of storage, or extended inactivity interspersed with occasional use. The MOT history itself does not reveal any multi-year testing gaps, so the car appears to have been presented annually throughout the recent past, which reduces the risk of seized brakes, perished fuel system components, and degraded underbody protection that often accompany long lay-ups. However, low annual mileage on a car of this age still concentrates wear into short bursts, meaning braking surfaces can suffer from corrosion pitting despite thin pad material, tyres can develop sidewall cracking from age rather than wear, and rubber boots on suspension joints and CV gaiters can deteriorate through oxidation even with limited mileage. The relatively modest absolute odometer reading should be reassuring for major mechanical units such as the engine, clutch, and transmission, but it does not exempt the vehicle from age-related degradation of consumables and flexible components. Given that both recorded failures were followed swiftly by passes with no advisories carrying forward, the most plausible explanation is a category that becomes compliant after a minor adjustment or replacement, such as headlamp alignment, an emissions readiness issue resolved by a short drive cycle, or a brake imbalance corrected by cleaning or adjusting the calipers. On a test drive, pay particular attention to the behaviour of the brakes under both light and firm pedal pressure, listening for any binding, judder, or pulling to one side that might suggest a sticking caliper or warped disc. The Lancer of this generation is also known for wear in the front lower suspension arms and anti-roll bar drop links, so listen for clonks or knocks over uneven surfaces and check for vagueness or wandering from the steering, which would indicate perished bushes rather than simply tyre wear. A close physical inspection should accompany any viewing, starting with a careful examination of the underbody for corrosion, particularly around the rear wheel arches, sill seams, and suspension mounting points, as the MOT record here is unusually clean and may reflect either excellent condition or simply that the tester did not identify early-stage rust. Inspect all four tyres for uneven shoulder wear, cracking in the sidewalls regardless of tread depth, and matching age codes, because the low mileage means tread depth may appear generous while the rubber compound itself is well past its safe service life. Lift the bonnet and check for signs of oil misting around the cam cover and rocker cover gasket, examine coolant and brake fluid reservoirs for discolouration, and verify that the exhaust system is solid with no blow-by audible from the front pipe. Finally, request documentation explaining what specifically caused the two failures, as the absence of recorded defect details makes this one of the more important questions to resolve before committing to purchase.