Help wanted! buying a vs statesman V8

[statoVS]

rightio just about to buy my first car, for a while now ive wanted a holden(of course) vs statesman 5ltr and i hav $7000 tops! most the cars i find are at a decent stage of there life sayin round 250-300 and if im lucky a bit lower.
im looking for a completly stock stato, for then it has a less chance of bein thrashed.....
is there anything particular wen i go for a test drive that i should look out for??? or listen for?????
and wat kind of problems to statesman's hav down the track??
thx

[mazzstein]

bought a stato 3 months ago

check how the steering is .. mine was very very light and was told thats normal
check the oil if its not gluggy
suspension if its not been shot (when cornering the body roll)

thats about it really
where you from? you should be able to find a few stato's for a little bit more then 7000 if you can stretch

[wildss]

check all electrics, aircon, test the brakes, look for leaks, make sure the trans shifts well even when cold, listen for diff noise(if it has a towbar it might have been used for heave towing), if you see a decent size boat in the drive way run as fast as you can!
check panel gaps, condition of paint etc, if you see deep scratches under the paint thats a sign of bog in that area
get it checked by a mechanic if youre unsure

[vnv8driver]

easy, get an RACQ/RACV van to inspect it and take it for a test drive. They will tell you everything you need to know visually & whats under the hood.

If an owner denys you to do that dont bother as they might be trying to cover something up.