Austin Maestro 500 City (1987)
1987 Austin Maestro 500 City
CarHunch analysed 5,756 real MOT records for the 1987 Austin Maestro 500 City. This breakdown of actual test outcomes — pass rates, defect profiles, mileage data — isn't published anywhere else.
The 1987 Austin Maestro 500 City falls well short of the UK average, with a first-time pass rate of just 70% against the national 80%—a meaningful gap that reflects age-related wear on these now 37-year-old cars. The good news is that dangerous defects are rare (only 10% of vehicles have ever recorded one), and both petrol and diesel variants perform identically, so fuel type isn't a reliability factor here.
At a median mileage of 84,900 miles, these Maestros are running low by their age, which actually suggests the survivors in the MOT pool have been well looked after. The average car is flagged with just 0.02 failures and 0.1 advisories per test, indicating that when they do pass, they're generally sound—so your main concern as a buyer should be finding one that's already been properly maintained, rather than gambling on a neglected example.
What to check before buying a 1987 Austin Maestro 500 City
Practical pre-purchase checks for this age and model.
- 📋 Check the full MOT history. Look for recurring advisories — slow-building issues like corrosion or brake wear patterns show up years before they become failures. Enter the reg below for a full AI analysis.
- 🔍 Inspect for corrosion in person. Brake pipes, sills, subframes, and chassis legs. Surface rust is normal at this age; structural rust is a serious problem that's expensive to fix and can fail an MOT.
- 🛞 Check tyres and brakes. The most common advisory items at this age. Budget for replacement if they're near the limit — factor this into your offer price.
- 📄 Run an HPI check. The MOT history won't show outstanding finance, insurance write-offs, or stolen status — an HPI check will.
Before you buy a Austin Maestro 500 City
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Pass Rate by Fuel Type
| Fuel type | Vehicles | Pass rate | Avg failures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol (97%) | 5,584 | 0.7% | 0.02 |
| Diesel (3%) | 170 | 0.7% | 0.02 |
| Other (0%) | 2 | 91.7% | 0.5 |
Mileage Distribution
Most 1987 Austin Maestro 500 City vehicles sit in the blue band. If the car you're looking at is outside it, it's either unusually low or high mileage for its age.
Half of all 1987 Austin Maestro 500 City vehicles fall between 68,130 and 114,793 miles.
MOT History Averages
Found a specific Austin Maestro 500 City?
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