ESSENTIAL CHECKS

1 The body structure is corrosion-prone, so inspect for rust everywhere. Pay particular attention to front and rear valances, headlamps, door bottoms and sills. Many panels such as front wings are getting rare.

2 Examine the underside

– the floorpan and footwells corrode, with rust often spreading from the sills. Lift the carpets and look for signs of previous welding or hastily-applied underseal that could be hiding horrors. Subframes are reasonably robust but have a good poke around their mounting points.

3 Check the A-plus engine for oil leaks, head gasket failure and rattling timing chains. Then check the cooling system – blocked radiators and leaking water pumps are concerns. The engine shares its lubricant with the gearbox, so regular fresh oil and filters are crucial.

4 All Metro gearboxes whine in first gear – but this shouldn’t be excessive, and you should make sure that it doesn’t jump out of gear. The ’box was at the limit of its capabilities with the Turbo model, and hard use will weaken it significantly. Second gear is normally the first of the ratios to fail.

5 Watch for corroded suspension pipework and be wary of cars that sit particularly low or appear lopsided – Hydragas units are hard to find. Worn ball joints and rear radius arm bushes are also worth looking out for, and check that the separate front shock absorbers fitted to some models aren’t leaking.

6 Lotus helped develop the Turbo models, which got a Garrett

T3 blower with electronic control of the wastegate. It’s fundamentally reliable, but it’s worth checking for excessive blue exhaust smoke that could signify an ailing turbocharger on the way out. The good news is that A-series parts are plentiful and overhauling one is a DIY task.