The list of things was too long for me to take in over the phone. As well as expected things like the washer bottle being empty, spare tyre being flat, actual tires being a bit bare, there was big stuff; tracking rods, corroded brake lines, and too much movement at the front of the chassis? Something like that, involved a load of welding... So not a fun thing to come right after christmas, but on the bright side if I keep the car going until May then the law changes and it becomes MOT exempt. This seems bizarre to me, but is already the case for cars registered before 1960. Now changes to those over 40 years old...