Faults:

Fuel pump & metering unit needed reconditioning not long after buying the car.

All half shaft universals needed replacing.

Front diff seal leaking.

Note all above problems due to lack of servicing by previous owner, as the car was parked up for 3 years.

Replaced worn front and rear windscreen rubbers.

General Comments:

Now that I have restored the car back to as near as new condition as possible, I find that it drives and handles as good as any modern car I have driven.

Fuel economy is great, with the overdrive gearbox returning 33 mpg on a trip cruising at 110 kph.

Performance and seating comfort are its best two features. Not many cars that I can't pass on the hills, including V8's, and boy they don't like that.

I have a top sound system in the car, but prefer to listen to the sweet note from the engine, especially under acceleration.

Faults:

Only the wear and tear to be expected of a car this age.

General Comments:

I have owned 7 PIs since 1978, and in 3 of them I have done hundreds of thousands of Ks. Previous ones I kept maintained, this one has been completely rebuilt over the last 4 years.

This is a very quick and reliable car.

Great for the long distances on Australian roads

The overdrive on 3rd and 4th makes for a particularly enjoyable experience on the highways

And it is equally at home in city traffic. Incredible torque means it can carry a load or cruise at low speed as well as being mind-blowing off the mark when you push it.

Faults:

Gearbox lost reverse gear at 120,000 miles - problem was a flaw in the gear. I chose to recondition the whole gearbox total = $NZ450.00.

Other minor problems more related to age have been:

-Oil drips from engine and diff.

-Universal joints in D-shaft

-Overdrive wiring and switch.

General Comments:

A very comfortable car to travel in long distance.

Performance is comparable to modern cars of similar engine size as is the fuel economy.

Given the interior appointments of leather and wood, plus the bellow of the motor under duress, it makes a very satisfying drive.

Recommended upgrades:

-Lumenition (esp on early models)

-Sway bar.

I retired this car from daily use to preserve it.

Faults:

Had rust cut out of the front two wheel arches.

Replaced cracked dash, a common occurrence in these models.

Two uni-joints replaced.

Front seats have began to wear.

General Comments:

The 2.5 PI is a sports car in saloon clothing. The fuel injected motor has great low speed torque, with instant throttle response. Its beaten a 'worked' Mini Cooper S, BMW 2002, Alfa 2000 GTV, to name a few.

The car handles predictably and has a stiffer suspension than 2500 S/TC.

My car is white with black interior, the best combination for this car in my opinion. I'm always getting comments from my mates on how comfortable the seats are.

Faults:

Problems with the injection system. Example :-

Blocked injectors

Burst vacuum diaphragm

Clip holding fuel metering roller fell off, en-richening mixture.

Gearbox nose piece wore and restricted movement of the clutch release bearing.

Back end requires frequent maintenance to prevent half shaft lock up and subsequent rear wheel steering.

General Comments:

The car is great off the line, yet crawls and hauls a caravan very smoothly.

Overdrive 3rd is useful when overtaking from 60 to 90 mph.

A straight through pipe in place of the rear muffler makes for a beautiful crescendo.

The interior is very pleasant and complemented by reasonable ride and noise level.

Eats up a lot of Japanese sports cars.

The car will get 33 mpg when cruising.

It is a great hobby car, But could be expensive to maintain (especially the injection system) if work was done in a repairers.