What to go over on latest acquisition

I just bought a companion for my '93 . . . this one is a '92 Vanden Plas with 90,000 miles on the odometer. A visual inspection suggests the car has been very well-kept, but there is a records gap of a few years between the original owner who had the vehicle dealer-serviced through 60,000 miles / early 2000s, and the owner prior to myself. What might others here suggest about going through the mechanical components of the car? Is there anything specific that I might want to ask my shop to inspect?

As well, on a separate note, do you do oil changes yourself, or do you rely on a shop? I think the only thing discouraging me from doing it myself is the awkward location of the oil filter. Thanks in advance.

Shock bushes would be one that comes to mind. Always do my own oil and filters, I had four elder bothers, one being a ‘A’ grade mech trained by the REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) in the UK, ya think I was getting to put my cars in a shop to do that ??? :slight_smile:

Hi, I would change all the fluids including the coolant and brake fluid along with all the filters, don’t forget the fuel filter. You will then have a fresh starting point to begin your servicing records from and it will all be up to date. Check all the coolant hoses for cracks and perishing and the same for any drive belts.
Engine oil changes are easy, the filter is not so difficult. I always do mine from on top, I lay some polythene under the engine, loosen the filter and just drop it between the subframe onto the polythene.
The one thing you need to be aware of is the sump plug can bind with the alloy sump threads and strip them out as you undo it. For that reason I always use a vacuum pump and suck the old oil out of the dipstick tube, also that way you don’t need to raise the car or climb underneath, it can all be done on a level driveway from above.

Excellent! Thank you both Robin and Casso!