2.6

Reliable roofless cruiser if you know what to look out for

8 years ownership and no regrets. However, they do need careful management and if you can keep ahead of the pitfalls then all will be well and good. Over and above everything else, this car is packed full of sensors and electrics that can and do fail. Make sure that the electrics are in good working order - the boot loom which controls the electric roof and boot lid lock tends to break/brittle. The dash console lights can fail but can be replaced - the console is not difficult to take out. Also make sure that the gauge contacts are clean. Change cambelts, oil and water pumps AND tensioners every 40,000 miles. It is a good insurance policy. Bad points are few but the front bushes and cv joints are not the best and wear out too frequently. The braking systems needs to be regularly monitored with a mandatory brake fluid change every two years. I have the auto version and change the ATF every two years too. Check that the heater matrix has been replaced - the originals don't last longer than 12 years and it is a dashboard-out job to replace them which can be very expensive.

The body is rust free but the rubber trims at the base of the doors do wear/warp as do the plastic clip-on trim strips in the middle of each door. Otherwise the body is solid and rust free. Keep an eye on the rubber seals around the door pillars notably where the windscreen and door window meet. They can split and leak water into the cabin. The rear window does go cloudy and is not cheap to replace. However, the roof is one of the hardest wearing soft-tops I've seen.

All this does not take anything away from a bullet-proof, smooth-as-silk V6 engine with plenty of mid-range torque. After 138,000 miles and 15 years, it will still happily cruise in the outside lane at highly illegal speeds with not a squeek or a misfire. Only downside is 25 mpg due to mix of town and motorway driving.

If you find a good example for a couple of grand (and there are a few of them about), buy it.

Report as offensive