Take it back to the dealer you bought it from & demand they fix it or refund your money.
Yes, these are two of the options open to us but neither is without its drawbacks. Taking the full refund option first, this would leave us over £150 out of pocket and without a car. The safety report from Ford does not indicate anything terminal so at least with this one we now know exactly what we are dealing with. The money spent on a spare key, the Ford service and safety check, and a tankful of fuel would all be down the drain.
As far as getting the seller to fix it, which they have offered to do, this car has to be viewed as an example of their repair standards. The unusual tyre wear on the wheel in the photograph is entirely consistent with the car having been driven with a broken front coil spring which presumably happened when the wheels were damaged. The coil spring has been replaced together with the "excessively rough steering" fixed by moving the dangerous wheel to the back of the car!
If they cannot even be bothered to replace two split wiper blades prior to delivery I cannot imagine their standards stretching to a proper repair on the cooling system. Radweld or similar at best! Would you let them repair your car? If we did let them have it back for repair, what is to stop them saying that too much work is needed, refunding the sale price and re-selling the car to the next unsuspecting punter?
We are looking at claiming back the cost of reasonable repairs and parts that we can fit ourselves to make the car roadworthy and fit for purpose. If we have to go to the Small Claims Court then so be it, but there will be reports with all photographic evidence going to Trading Standards and VOSA in respect of the questionable MOT certificate if this proves necessary.
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