The car is now in overall excellent condition because I have spent the last two years doing a lot of work on it, as mentioned below. It always attracts favourable comments whenever I'm out in it.
Although he odometer shows 130,XXX miles, the instrument cluster appears to have been changed in 1996/97, presumably due to a problem, so the correct mileage is nearer 169,XXX. This is noted in the Maintenance Booklet.
The MoT certificate is valid until May 2019.
All the tyres have plenty of tread left.
EQUIPMENT
Air conditioning
Dual zone heating
Electrically adjusted and heated front seats
Electrically adjusted steering wheel
Heated windscreen washer jets
Pioneer radio/CD player with Aux input
Automatic electric aerial
Front and rear speakers
Cruise control
Tilt and slide sunroof
Electric passenger mirror
Heated rear window
Central locking
Illuminated sun visor vanity mirrors
Seat belt presenters
All of the above work as intended.
MECHANICALS
There is a service history up to 130,338 actual miles in 2008, but after that there is no record in the book of any service work, although the following work was done prior to me purchasing the car in 2016, when the actual mileage was 169,038:
2009 - Distributor cap, rotor arm, throttle body and tie rods replaced. A/C converted to R134A. Steering box adjusted. Fuel distributor head overhauled and new fuel injectors fitted.
2012 - A/C compressor and dryer replaced.
2014 - Exhaust downpipe, distributor cap, rotor arm, fuel valve, fuel hose, oil and oil filter replaced.
Rear brake pads and discs replaced.
Since I bought the car in 2016 I have replaced the air filter, oil filter, engine oil, spark plugs, all 4 auxilliary belts, gearbox fluid & filter, differential oil, wiper blades, fuel filter and pipes, brake fluid, front and rear brake hoses, rear brake pipes, power steering fluid & filter, coolant.
I have dealt with any MoT advisory points as they have arisen, so the small exhaust leak and oil leak noted on this year's test have now been dealt with.
Additionally, I have replaced the Cruise Control control unit, rear anti-roll bar drop links, rear bump stops, front guide tube mounts, wiper motor assembly, temperature sensor and temperature sender.
A common problem with these cars is high or erratic idle, so I have had the Idle Control Valve rebuilt and have replaced the Idle Speed Control module, Over Voltage Protection relay and Idle Mixture assembly. I have also replaced all the rubber vacuum pipes, injector seals, Fuel Pump Relay and injection Temperature Sensor.
BODYWORK
When I acquired the car it had been painted three slightly different shades of paint at various times in its life, so I decided last year to repaint the whole car, including the bumpers, lower cladding, door handles and mirrors, all of which were removed, along with most of the brightwork. The bodywork itself is painted a non-metallic dark blue, whilst the bumpers etc. are in the correct shade of metallic blue with a satin lacquer.
But first I had to deal with the usual rusty rear wheel arches and front wings, which involved cutting out the rusty metal and replacing it with fresh steel, suitably protected with underseal. Luckily the rear parcel shelf had already been repaired in 2010, and the rear boot wells, another weak point, were solid. Again I was lucky in that the jacking points had only surface rust, so were treated and painted. The battery tray and the area underneath it are sound. I did remove all the chrome trim from the bumpers, replacing some parts as necessary, and painting the underneaths to avoid the usual rust issues.
Whilst the car was dismantled I took the decision to remove the headlamp wiper assemblies because I feel this gives a less fussy look to the elegant front.
I have also repainted the wheels, which were in a very poor state.
Another common fault is delamination of the rear screen, but on this car it is very minor, and there is no evidence of any leaks from the sunroof, the floors being rust free and dry.
INTERIOR
The interior was in fair condition considering its age, with wear evident on the front seats, grubby carpets and the usual sagging headlining. I have now renovated the leather as required, cleaned all the trim and carpets and reattached the headlining.
Photographs are below, or here is a link to my OneDrive folder, just copy and paste into your browser:
1drv.ms/f/s!AmcBFcJNgbtFjkyc-yDYLG8pToQl
