Quote:
Originally Posted by MrBoxHead
Surely with only 20,000 miles on the clock and one previous owner I can't be running into any major problems?
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Low mileage is no guarantee of "not running into major problems". It's an old(ish) car, with a slew of potential money pits. Sitting unused is worse in some people's opinion than being driven regularly. Garage queens have their own issues as they age. A Pre-Purchase Inspection at your own cost will give you the best ideas of if there are any problems that might change your mind about the car (e.g. the bigger things that typically have problems RMS, IMS, water pump, AOS, etc.), or if you have lesser severity issues you might use to shave some cost, tire wear, paint damage, worn rotors, top quality, etc...
Seriously, if you don't know much about these cars, you should have someone who does look it over. In the US, for a couple hundred dollars, you can save thousands. I would not trust the evaluation done by the seller. If the seller won't let you take it to a shop for an inspection at your cost, run away.
Also, you may want to search for "annual maintenance costs", there are a few threads on the general upkeep you may find of interest. My low mileage car (~40K when I bought it) has cost me around $1,500 / year in upkeep, over the past 3 years -- and it was (and remains) a fairly good specimen.