WITH $3000, your son shouldn't be choosy. Cast a wider net and search for the best car you can find for the money. It's better to have a car in good condition, though it might not be a cool choice. That might sound boring, but he'll get better service out of a car in tiptop shape than one that might have a better image but is run down.

YOUR car was developed to run on leaded fuel, so you should use premium unleaded with an additive such as Valvemaster or Flashlube to protect against valve recession. I recommend PULP because your engine has a relatively high compression ratio and will probably need the 95 RON of PULP.

LEAKING inlet manifolds were a constant problem with the post-exhaust emission V8 engines, but the manifold on your car was a new and much-improved one as part of the XT5 engine package. Though it's worth checking, it would normally result in a rough idle and possible oil leakage along the faces that mate to the heads. If your engine is running smoothly with no sign of roughness I'd look inside the carburettor and check the float height is correctly set. If your problem is cold-starting, adjust the choke two notches richer. That might be enough to fix it.