Hi all,

I have a dilemma at the moment with my beloved Focus. Due to work and health issues, I've been abroad for over a year, and now I'm back home to a car I haven't used since Nov13. Now I'm wondering if it's actually worth the money to get the car back to working condition or just forget about it and get a new one instead. I don't know much about car maintenance and how it works in general, so I'm a bit lost. It has around 110K miles on it. Right now is declared SORN and the MOT expired in June last year. It has been kept in the open in a locked car park at my house.

Obviously, the battery is completely flat, so I guess I would need a new one (i don't think I will be able to jump start it and recharge the battery), I also need new tyres and as I could see, the break discs are very rusty, so I imagine I would have to change them all too. I think the suspension system is also corroded. I also have to pass the MOT, and in the previous one in June13 the advisory items were a slightly corroded front to back break pipe and seat belt anchorages, but i suspect that there might be a lot more parts corroded. I should also imagine that I should have to replace the auxilliary drivebelt.

So the bill for getting the car back to working order might be actually higher than the value of the car, so I'm not too sure what to do tbh with you. It has always ran very nicely and the only problem I've had with it since I own it (3.5 years now) has been the accelerator pedal that I got replaced, and the fact that I can't open the booth with the remote or with the button on the dashboard.

In your experience, what do you guys recommend me to do? Shall I get a new battery and book it for an MOT and service and see what they say or shall I not bother? Would it be worth expending the money on getting back to a good working condition? If so and I later on decide to sell it, what sort of price range would I be looking for it?

Cheers chaps!

get a battery charger and charge the battery. this should give you at least the chance to start the car.

Then drive the car to loosen the rust off the brakes. If you can move the car take it for a pre mot, or for that matter just an mot. that way you see the real costs involved to getting it running. you might find the car is perfect or only costs a few hundred to get it running, whereas a new one....

Thank you James,

I've been researching a bit during the weekend and I've come to the conclusion that a new battery might be better, as the price difference is not that much and I'm 99% sure that the car will start first time, when with a charger is a lot more hassle and I can tell for sure if the battery will recharge or not and how long it'd last.

I will also book an MOT as you suggested in my local trusted garage and see what they have to say before making a final decision. They've always been honest and reliable. So unless the recondition bill comes stupidly expensive, I think I'm gonna try to revive my Focus, as I don't really depend on the car or use it that much, and I'd rather spend the money that a new or used car would cost on a nice holiday or so.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply and for your insight and advice mate. Appreciated!

you might also want to drain any old diesel out of the system if you can, im not sure how long it would be until the diesel starts to go off, but it may start alright still

and like you said, best to get it to your garage for them to have a good look over it.

I would do what you are doing, bung it in for an MOT and go from there. I knew someone who put a Saxo under a tarp in the corner of an exposed barn, took it for an MOT four years later then it ran for a few more years after that so you may be ok. I wouldn't worry to much about the brakes, if they are not seized then the pads will scrape the rust off after a few miles.

Sent from my Gen 1 WAP phone

I would do what you are doing, bung it in for an MOT and go from there. I knew someone who put a Saxo under a tarp in the corner of an exposed barn, took it for an MOT four years later then it ran for a few more years after that so you may be ok. I wouldn't worry to much about the brakes, if they are not seized then the pads will scrape the rust off after a few miles.

Sent from my Gen 1 WAP phone

Agreed. To be honest the diesel will probably be fone

Also if your car fails and you get shot, swap the batteries out and keep the new good one. They are always handy