VALUES

Just under £1000 will buy you either a roadworthy project needing recommissioning or a complete basket case depending on your luck. Move up to £2000 and you’ve a choice of 2000s, 2200s and even V8s with MoTs. At the £3000 level, you’ll find plenty of V8s, with £5000 buying a really nice example.

ENGINE & GEARBOX

• Both the four-pot and V8 engines are long-lived if well looked after. Expect up to 150,000 miles from a good one.
• The P6 isn’t a heavy car: if the V8 is tuned properly and driven with reserve, you can get 26-28 mpg. Drive it hard and economy plummets...
• The 2200TC is the most economical engine: good for 115 bhp and 30 mpg.
• The V8 does like regular oil changes, especially on little-used cars. Regularly used cars need 6000-mile changes.
• Proper anti-freeze is a must to avoid internal corrosion: the 2000 and 2200 have alloy heads and the V8 is all alloy.
• Top-end noise on 2000/2200 can mean the tappets need adjusting. They’re shimmed so it’s a three-hour job.
• Timing chains on the four-cylinder engines can get noisy.
• One of the rear bearings for the 3.5 manual box is unavailable and although the four-speed box will fit but isn’t up to the task.
• The clutch slave cylinder can fail unexpectedly but it’s a 10-minute roadside fix so carry a spare.

PARTS

• P6 parts won’t break the bank and running one as an everyday car will cost a lot less than a modern car.

To read the complete Buyer's Checklist feature buy the February 2012 issue of Classic Car Mart.