Another "what work car" thread :)

Stick with the Rover idea, P6 V8. Even if it suffers from 'daily use' then your employer's pocket money will offset it.
With electronic ignition it could be pretty reliable?

Triumph 2000/2500. Get one with overdrive, and the economy is acceptable.

Oh I do like the 164

But find one!

Good suggestion, one I’d not thought of. Fuel economy isn’t really a concern for me driving a 7 litre V8 at the moment!

The square rigged Audi 200 Turbo, the first generstion. Might take some finding but they look great and 170 BHP with that 5 pot warble is peachy. Contrary to popular belief they were sold un the UK, my Ma had a 5E and then a 5T, although in such small numbers the common man didn't realise they even existed.





Or how about an E32 7 series, last of the really elegant big Bimmers? Very straightforward to work on, oh so comfortable, very understated.

The Merc versions of the Chyslers are a better proposition IMHO. Parts are easier to find IME, and there are more folks who have fixed the issues on them.

My time with my CLK wasn't too bad to be fair, as it lists below, and neither was it for my friend. He sold it to me as he didn't want to shell out for a windscreen replacement as a trader, which for unknown reasons, became alot pricier.

Given your criteria, I'd go for the

-P6 2200 or V8 ; I think in the real world, they are not as far apart as you think, but of course, V8 will always win
-Triumph 2000/2500

As choices which I'm not sure you'd go with, here are a few more (not knowing the budget)

-Merc W108 or W123 : These will be ULEZ exempt before 1983, and a 108 is a lovely thing to drive. The build quality is leagues ahead of anything British. My friend and I were astounded how it made his E-Type feel like a giant Mechano set. But they do like to rust if they are UK examples (i.e Right hookers), and some spares are scarily pricey, albeit mostly available. That said, mine wasn't too bad at all. While I sold it to buy my house, it did go to a chap in London, so he could avoid ULEZ charges

forum.retro-rides.org/thread/208450/1972-mercedes-280se-stereo-musings

Next three I doubt are you, but you never know...

-BMW E38 7 Series : It would need to be a facelift model after 2001 to be ULEZ compliant. This would give you the choice of a 3.0 6 pot up to a V12 5.0. The 4.4 740is are the most common. They do have issues, but generally are quite a solid car, coming from when BMW built cars well. I think fuel tank rot may not be the issue it once was, now that plastic tanks are available for these.

-BMW E39 5 Series : Loved in the 90s, these seem to be firming up in price. M5s have long gone, as have the Alpinas, price wise. The odd Alpina 3.3 does come up for "reasonable" cash. Again, it would need to be a post 2001 example, and petrol only for the ULEZ, going from the slightly too revvy 520i 2.2, to the 540i with the 4.4 V8. The 3.0s are considered the sweet spot. They are pretty simple to work on for a modern car, and go well, and have an air of quality about them. Parts are also very plentiful when I last looked.

Their biggest downside now is rot. Most will have rotten jacking points, or least the last 3 I've seen have had evidence of it, with one of them having the jacking points repaired properly. But I suppose they have got to the 20 year old mark on the factory sills, so in theory, they should last again. The Estates are a decent all rounder, but also tend to be far more tired than the saloon brethren, for obvious reasons.

-A Lexus of the generation? Would the LS of the 00s be any good to you? They should be ULEZ exempt as well. The ISs are small, but seem to have a growing following now. You had a Celsior and a 400 before didn't you?

As much as I'd want to a recommend an X350 Jag, fixing one myself with SSD (the diagnostic tool), and having pricey suspension repairs unless you convert it to coilovers would put me off owning one. XKs aren't too bad however of the X150 generation, bar needing SSD to fix certain quirks, which Jag specialists will have.

The X100 XK8s are a nice car, but you'd have the choice of basically the last three years of production to buy one from, and they love to hide rot like you'd never know, since they are essentially a rebodied XJS with a V8 in them.

There's a tidy looking 190e in the classifieds......

Other than that, Volvo, Saab, Jag.....

Budget in mind? 

Which presumably means that there is probably plenty of haggle room in the price!