We spoke to Kevin Bricknallm, chairman of the Vauxhall Cavalier and Chevette Club, he said: 'As this is a Red Top SRi it will have the later head. Early cars built up to about 1991/92 will use a Coscast cylinder head, whereas beyond this point GM switched to a production item, cast and machined by Karl Schmidt in Germany. The Coscast head is better is in the oil galleries, two of which run through either side of the head and in GM-cast heads tend to be more porous in this area. The galleries can be repaired or can even be re-sleeved.

'The other area that can affect Cavalier’s is rust, though latter cars are better protected that early before the facelift cars. Rear wheel arches are the usual area to go, but these can easily be repaired. If they have been repaired I would advise making sure that the lip around the rear wheelarch is keep as clear of dirt as possible I would also check the usual area’s under the car chassis rails and suspension mounts. Depending on what sort of life the car has lead these can deteriorate. The other area being the sill as the SRi has sill covers on which hid a multitude of problems. If you can get under them and see what the sill looks like it would be a good idea to do so. Obviously also check the car has been well maintained and cam belts etc have been changed as required.'