@Kingy, the £2 to £3k 'in reserve' fund doesn't actually arise with the benefit of hindsight, it was advice I gathered from this and other RR forum before buying.

Whilst not new cars, you only have to look at the purchase price when new a handful of years ago to reasonably foresee that they will not necessarily be 'nominal amount' cars to keep well maintained and roadworthy.

Scotty and others are right that if buying people should buy the best they can and the one that they like the most. Most good ones probably do sell quickly - like most cars - but there are always other good ones not too far away.