The first thing to do is drive the car yourself and see if there’s a pattern to what’s happening. Until then, you have even less idea of what’s going on and a diagnosis is all but impossible at that point. You might find that the car is cutting out after a period of driving (maybe caused by a dirty fuel filter) or when the engine reaches a certain temperature (possibly a sick crank angle sensor).

I’d also recommend an electronic scan to see if any fault codes show up. These codes can be very specific and will often lead you straight to the root of the problem.

THE price is average for that model and year, but you'll have to pay for registration as well anything needed to make it roadworthy. Add the body damage and it's starting to look less like a bargain. The low mileage is attractive, but find out how much you will have to spend to get it back on the road with a full year of rego. If it's more than $1000, think twice about it.

IT'S at the high end of what I would expect, but it's hard to provide a reason without knowing if you live in a hilly area, if you keep tyre pressures up to the correct level, if the wheel alignment is within spec, and if the engine is in good condition.