Faults:

Well, I bought the car very recently for £250 and I am subjecting it to restoration. There is no major rust on it, the only rust is surface stuff, much better than many XJ40's of this vintage, it needs sills, doors, bonnet and front wings, but just sills for the MOT.

General Comments:

I still own my Rover 800 series, well my several 800's, and the XJ40 is just another car that I admire and want to own. With the cost of cars this size being so cheap, I'd be stupid not to purchase one for restoration. Parts are of a comparable price to the 800 series, some parts are actually cheaper, items like the SLS rear shocks are noticeably cheaper.

The interior is brilliant, looks like something out of Space 1999, digital Atari dashboard and other toys, not as gadget laden as my 827 Sterling, but has enough buttons to keep me entertained, and it looks gorgeous, like an 800 series, but the next step up!!

Faults:

So far, (I need this lot for MOT):

Brake pads all round.

Handbrake cable.

Rear suspension A frame bushes.

Speedo not working properly.

Rust around the radiator.

Rust holes front and rear beside the lights.

Heater and air conditioner don't work as well as they could.

Water in driver's foot-well, although that is caused by blocked drainage pipes.

That's it!

General Comments:

I really could not believe it when I bought this car. Leather seats, blemish free bodywork (apart from the door frames) and only 75,000 miles from new with 2 owners. My mates think I won the pools or something, this car is unreal!!

Comfortable, fast, reasonably good with the fuel (average 26 miles per gallon) and a real head turner! Everybody who has seen it, thinks it is a more modern car costing around 5-6000 pounds UK. I only paid 1180 pounds for it, and have spent about 300 pounds getting it ready for its MOT.

Insurance on a classic policy is only 213 pounds for a year.

What a bargain! I cannot get over this car, it makes my old Rover SD1 V8 look like a Skoda!

Faults:

Not much has gone wrong with the car in my ownership.

Headlights failed, central locking has packed up and a wheel bearing is grumbling.

However, almost everything is wrong with the car which was there when I bought it.

General Comments:

Since I paid only £400 for the car, I can't complain really.

It drinks petrol like it's going out of fashion, but is VERY comfortable and quiet. £400 is a stupid price to pay for a car like this. I come from the school of thought which says that you should buy big, old cars for very little and then get rid of them when they're beginning to be trouble.

I think mine will get to that stage soon. I have had over a years reliable use out of it and it has never refused to start. I have even braved a few long journeys in it and it never felt anything less than a £50000 new car on those trips.

I think it looks very cool. It's a bit beaten up so it looks a bit gangster-chic; something that the Krays' henchmen would be driving around in today.

Think I will get a recent Rover 820 next, like I had last time. Great car and oh so cheap. On my budget (£1500 amazingly!!!) I can get a quite recent, nice condition model. Will have to serve me for longer than a year through!!!

When I examine how much motoring has cost me in the last ten years and look at the sort of cars I've been driving, I can only laugh when I see the amount of money people write off in depreciation and maintenance bills for comparatively much more mundane metal!!!