Used kia picanto with rust

[Poopyredpink]

2015 used kia picanto with rust on the tailgate boot struts (some has spread to the main body of the car). 4.5k from respected seller and very affordable to maintain as a second car to help with school pick ups and drop offs as well as travelling to and from work while hubby has the other car. Drove nicely and inside was also nice but the rust is an issue. Local garage says it will be about £100 plus vat to replace.

Should I walk away from it and look elsewhere?

What year is the car?
Is there any rust on the underbody? Is there any rust on either side of the cill? Wheel arches or petrol pump ( or around the cap). Kia are not always know for rust problems but the older ones can be depending on how old.

Is there any excessive black underseal on the bodywork??? This is a sign someone has tried to cover up rust rather than get any welding done.
These are all signs to look for.
( Woes of having a mechanic by trade of a husband) 😅

@CaptainBeanThief
Thanks for the questions! So, it's a 2015 car and I can only suspect that the previous owner didn't really care much about fixing things that needed fixing as Mot for the car had a lot of fails and it was the same problem (same advisories I mean) for some of the year.

I've checked the sills and other than some yellowing here and there, it's all good. Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity the check the underbody of the car for signs of excessive black underseal. I'm going to check the car again on Wednesday so I will look at that.

Petrol pump looked good. Wheel arches I would say are average.

The sills on face value look good to me, and with it being 2015 plate should be ok rust wise.
I have a 73 plate myself. (Picanto)
Is there any "bubbling" on the paintwork? Also a sign of rust.
Is everything else ( from what you can see) ok?
The thing is with used cars these days everyone wants top money, even for shitter's ( not this) and everyone is trying to rip each other off so it's good your doing everything cautiously

It's also worth mentioning if it has alloys rather than steels I'd make sure they do not have heavy kerbing - as they could have buckled any of the wheels etc and may need a wheel change etc -
As you could haggle on price if you have to start replacing things straight away etc.
X

I have had a kia carens and now got a kia stonic, I've bought them both second hand and found them to be so reliable. I would definitely recommend kia cars

Dd is selling her 2018 model (with no rust) for a similar price (I appreciate it will be sold on for more by the dealers but we have looked around and have a fair idea). I think yours is overvalued. Have a look at autotrader and elsewhere to compare prices.

@CaptainBeanThief I couldn't spot any bubbling paintwork as far as I could tell. The rust was really the first thing i spotted that I would call an issue.

Thank you so much for all the help and advice. I will do what I can on Wednesday and eventually decide whether to get the car or not. I do agree with what @crumpet said about the the car being overvalued. I will try to negotiate with the dealer if we do decide to go for it. If it's not possible, I will look elsewhere.