UKC

Following up on my previous thread about choosing a car...

I've seen a nice little Honda Jazz, decent price, relatively low miles etc. Took for a drive and seemed fine.

Here's the link on autotrader:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208198944456?fromSavedAds=true&...

The only negative was a touch of rust on the boot lock. And specifically not around the handle or locking mechanism, but the fixed little round ring/plate/bar that's sits in the lower part of the boot. The rust is confined to the metal of that bar/ring and not the body work. It also looks as if the plate might be replaceable.

So, should this be a deal breaker? I've heard to walk away from any kind of rust, so should I forget about this one? Or is this specific location not such a big issue (a bit like spots of rust on disc brakes).

Would love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks

Andy

Do you mean the boot catch?  Neither here nor there if it is 

If I'm understanding correctly you mean the lock striker plate, where the mechanism in the boot lid connects to the car when it's closed? 

It's a bit odd that this part alone would be rusty. For a start they are usually zinc plated and they shouldn't be getting wet too often. I'd be concerned that there's been a leak in the boot lid seal. Lift the boot carpet and check there's nothing in the spare wheel well, assuming it has one. 

My main trick for looking at second hand cars is to look at the wear on the seats, if the driver side has much more wear than would be expected from the relatively low mileage then there's a chance it's been used for loads of short journeys which are generally more damaging to a car than longer faster trips. The same can be said about the drivers door handle and the pedals.

My civic has exactly the same engine as that jazz and it's been very reliable for the last 5 1/2 years (hopefully not tempting fate). My only slightly gripe is that because of the engine position changing the spark plugs is a pain and involves removing stuff like the windscreen wipers and scuttle pan. But the OEM plugs are iridium ones with a 65k miles service interval and mine have lasted 85k before showing any issues.

Yeah I think so. Not the bit with moving parts... just tried to get an image from google, this bit:

https://images.app.goo.gl/iqqu3bt2T6SEQihXA

Yeah I think we're talking about the same part.

I'll go back for another look tomorrow. I did think it was weird that this part would be rusty, surely it can't get that wet in usual conditions? The rest of the boot (and car generally) looked in decent nick, but I didn't have a good look under the boot carpet.

There'll be an explanation somewhere in its past, something like it was regularly used to run a dog on a beach so the boot area got salty... or just a bad batch of plating.

I doubt it would bother me but if you're not sure, they're ten a penny, find one you're not worried about.

jk

Nothing to worry about.  Cheap to replace if you're bothered.  You might want to get a catalytic converter shield if you park anywhere where the villains might prowl though.  One of the favourite cars for cat theft.  A shield is a few hundred £, a cat a lot more.

One of the favourite cars for cat theft.  A shield is a few hundred £, a cat a lot more.

Fortunately the cat on my Civic with same engine is tucked up high out of reach.

Somehow they need to make it impossible to shift dodgy cats

https://www.onlineautomotive.co.uk/car-parts/Honda/Jazz/1.4L/Petrol/Premium...
???