Faults:

Luckily only one thing gas gone wrong, the offside headlamp leveling motor refused to switch off!

General Comments:

Overall the cars are such good value for money, although mine is only the base model 2.5i it still has the smoothest gear change I have ever felt, pretty good performance for a car of its size, seats like armchairs! and thankfully the 2.5i isn't crammed with unnecessary electrics.

Faults:

Hole in air conditioning heat exchanger, £800.

Cruise control failed, £150.

Heater fan failed, £300.

Heat adjustment failed, one side, £100.

One valve spring snapped, £50.

Fuel pump relay failed, £50.

Thermostat failed, £50.

Front brake discs replaced twice.

Extensive rust underneath requiring welding to pass MoT after 11 years, £500.

Electrics now becoming unreliable.

General Comments:

Not a bad record, considering the miles this car has done. Engine, gearbox and power steering still seem fine, no appreciable wear visible on seats, carpet, steering wheel, pedal pads etc. Comfortable, quiet, good handling, low depreciation, reliable. A bit expensive to run because of parts cost and fuel consumption.

Rust and corrosion turn out to be its Achille's heel.

Faults:

Nothing serious yet.

General Comments:

These cars are still within the realms of the home mechanic, to be able to repair.

Faults:

Exhaust blowing in the offside mid and rear section in one of the 2 main carrier pipes.

ABS warning light comes on above 10 mph.

This shows that the ABS system has shut down and is no longer in operation. This is probably a faulty sensor.

The UK MOT test rules state that the ABS warning light should be on when the key is turned to the ignition stage, i.e. the car is ready for the starter motor to turn and start the engine, but go out as soon as the engine is running at idle speed (on this and many other makes of car).

It is well known amongst automotive engineers that this ABS warning light should go out at the very same time as the oil pressure warning light, i.e. as soon as the engine has reached idle speed.

This is interesting, as the two lights could potentially be wired together to ensure an MOT pass, even though the problem with the ABS system still exists, and could cost hundreds of pounds to fix.

As ABS was fitted as an optional extra to many makes and models of car when new, and also carried a significant premium as an optional extra (often over a thousand pounds), it can be assumed that these cars will be perfectly safe to drive without the ABS system in operation, whether it was fitted to the car or not when new.

General Comments:

This car was obtained for an extremely low price, and with not much work passed its MOT test.

The car is a 3.0i auto and will outperform around 80% of cars on the road today in the UK today.

It has been very reliable and cheap to run for such an old and large car (in the UK at least), and the very low cost of obtaining one of these cars makes the extra fuel costs insignificant.

If you find one of these cars in good condition, I would recommend buying it as long as the mileage is low for the age of the car, as they are solid and nice to drive as long as you don't try and drive them like a sports car.