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ASTON MARTIN DB7 VANTAGE

The V12 is reliable, but the coil packs can fail, causing misfires. They’re not vastly expensive, but fitting them is expensively fiddly. Look for evidence of renewal.

Rust can get to the inner wings, front floors, suspension turrets, rear radius-arm mountings and rear chassis legs. The rear arch lips, the door bottoms and the bottom corners of the rear screen are also vulnerable.

Check for cold-blowing air con and full electrical functions, and damp carpets, the potential cause the scuttle to windscreen seal.

Check for uneven tyre wear – the suspension is fully adjustable and may need laser alignment.

JAGUAR XJS 4.0

Despite the galvanizing, check the A-pillar and door hinge area, the scuttle, the floorpans, the bottoms of the front wings, the sills, the lower sections of the rear wings and if you’re buying a coupé, the corners of the rear window.

Check the rear suspension and subframe mountings too – rust is major XJ-S terminator. The 4.0 litre is a tough engine, but head gasket failure is possible from 60,000 miles, and rattling timing chains and tensioners will need replacement. Oil pressure when warm should be 40-50psi under throttle.

Interiors are durable, but XJS’ are often abused and neglected, making a full service history extremely desirable.

JAGUAR XK8 4.0

A galvanized body again, but that’s still no guarantee of corrosion freedom – floorpans, sills , suspension and subframe mountings are vulnerable, although the XK8 is far more durable than its predecessor. Rear bumper mountings are also vulnerable, potentially inducing a detachment incident.

The earliest cars could suffer cylinder bore wear, but most have been fixed by now, with replacement engines in some cases. The plastic timing chain tensioner is another weakness – look for bills indicating replacement with the metal variety. The later 4.2, with 6-speed auto, is less troubled.