New to the forum and hopefully the world of the P5B

[Deleted]

Hello everyone. Having thought long and hard about (a) selling my lovely TR6 and (b) what to replace it with I have decided to (a) put the TR up for sale in the next couple of weeks and (b) buy a car a I have long admired, a P5B coupe.

I have been reading about and looking at cars on line but haven't viewed anything 'in the flesh' yet (other than drooling over owners cars at car shows). I am looking at one which is up for sale just now which I may go to look at. However, as a newbie, is there any advice, tips etc experienced owners would give me? I am in the £15,000 price range.

I'm not skilled mechanically but am sensible and know the need to be thorough when giving a car the once over. However, once I sit in that big sumptuous drivers seat all logic could go out the window.

Thanks for any thoughts etc you can share and I look forward to learning more about these lovely cars through this forum.  

[dhb5610]

Don't dismiss the saloon they tend to be a second choice for some but as a saloon owner I can say with certainty they are a lovely car with a bit more headroom I've owned mine for 3 years now and it's been fully restored last year. They are often a bit less expensive than the Coupe to buy.
As for buying one I found mine here on the forum which is a good place to keep an eye on as the theory was if it's currently owned by a member of the club it will be better looked after which was the case for me I started looking just like you and got 4 responses and at around £15000 in my opinion you should get a very nice one, I have also found advice on here from members has often been well founded. Find out who your regional rep is for the club and make contact with him, he will I have no doubt advice you. Good luck I hope you find a Rover and believe me you won't be disappointed 

[eightofthem (Andy)]

Welcome Chip.

Come on in, make yourself at home.
Lots of good advice to be had in here, you could see if a local owner could go with you to view any potential purchases.

Either way look at as many cars as possible, be patient there are lots to choose from, try to narrow down your preferred colour combo and go from there.

[dhb5610]

Mar 30, 2019 16:54:53 GMT @chipale said:

Hello everyone. Having thought long and hard about (a) selling my lovely TR6 and (b) what to replace it with I have decided to (a) put the TR up for sale in the next couple of weeks and (b) buy a car a I have long admired, a P5B coupe.

I have been reading about and looking at cars on line but haven't viewed anything 'in the flesh' yet (other than drooling over owners cars at car shows). I am looking at one which is up for sale just now which I may go to look at. However, as a newbie, is there any advice, tips etc experienced owners would give me? I am in the £15,000 price range.

I'm not skilled mechanically but am sensible and know the need to be thorough when giving a car the once over. However, once I sit in that big sumptuous drivers seat all logic could go out the window.

Thanks for any thoughts etc you can share and I look forward to learning more about these lovely cars through this forum.  

there is a Coupe for sale unless it's now gone, look in the cars for sale and or contact Peter Madden 

[riclef02]

Having bought half a dozen P5's and a number of P4's My advice is this:-

1/ Get the jack out of the boot - should be stowed on the N/s/r inner wing in spring clips and jack up all 4 jacking points USING THE STANDARD CAR JACK that fits into the jacking tubes on each corner. When each corner is lifted give it a little bounce and listen for crunching noises. If the owner demurs - walk away - it almost certainly has rusty structure in the sills which will cost £ 3000 + to fix.

2/ Disbelieve ALL statements made by the vendor. Trust your own visual and mechanical inspection, not a vendors word.

3/ Take a knowledgeable friend with you if you are not technically orientated - Some things are easy fixes, others are potential minefields.

4/ Moderate your expectations - all P5's and P5B's have faults after 50 or 60 years operation. Do not be fooled by shiny bodywork.

5/ Measure the ride height of each wheel. The front torsion bars are adjustable but the rear leaf springs are not and suffer from over hard replacement springs (high at the back) and knackered Y bushes (low at the back). Also the chassis legs rust where the springs bolt on. Use a small pointy hammer to check.

6/Use a magnet with a cloth to check for filler in the body panels- there's bound to be some but ensure it's not somewhere structural - poorly fitting doors are a good clue. Also check front and rear screens for water marks - they have always been a B****r for leaking since new.

Good luck, feel free to call me at Lucas Autocentre ( my garage) in High Wycombe for more detail.

Richard Lefevre, Member 6167

[davidg]

Hello Chip

Where are you based?

I have a P5b saloon and Coupe here that provide every aspect of the car that you wouldn't want to see in a purchase!
They show rust in almost every conceivable place.

Maybe good for you to take a look to get to know the cars.

Based near Bury St Edmunds

David Green
Tel [phone]

[Deleted]

Thank you for this advice which is really appreciate (and sensible). I'll be keeping you posted and asking lots of daft laddie questions on the forum so my apologies in advance!

Now, lets find that car

[Warwick]

Apr 1, 2019 7:20:39 GMT @chipale said:

.... and asking lots of daft laddie questions on the forum so my apologies in advance! .....

No such thing here. Ask away.