WHAT TO LOOK FOR

FORD CAPRI BUYING TIPS

■ New sills, wheel arches, door skins, tail panels and rear three-quarter sections are available from Ex-pressed Panels at £4001000, but unused front wings, bonnets and front valances are rare and costly. Bonnets rust, as does the area where the A-post meets the edge of the footwell. ■ Capri oily bits are easy and cheap to find. All the engines are strong and can last high mileages if maintained properly. Both Essex and Cologne V6s are simple to look after, the only real source of concern being the fibre timing gear on the Essex 3.0-litre, which can wear out or fail. ■ Replacement interior trim is ultra-rare, but the cloth used is hard-wearing and the optional leather seats, which often split along stitching lines on the bolsters, are easily repaired. Rubber parts are available from East Kent Trim. Door mirrors are rustprone but Austin FX4 mirrors are the same design in non-rusting aluminium.

ALFA ROMEO GTV BUYING TIPS

■ Have a look for corrosion around the scuttle panel – it’s a tricky job to sort because the dashboard, heater, wiring loom and windscreen need to come out to remedy it properly. Other grot spots include the sills and the bottoms of the front wings. ■ If it doesn’t drive with the finesse you’d expect of an Alfa then chances are the bushes are worn out and the geometry might need checking. Listen for a clonk when you come off the throttle, too, which often indicates worn gearbox mountings. ■ Have a look around the interior to make sure that the trim is all there and in good condition, because it can be hard to source replacements. Look out for trim that’s been exposed to years in the sunlight – it gradually turns from black to a rather sickly greenish colour.