Having bought my latest 2000, last month... I can tell you what I found.
I used ebay extensively in my search (had been looking for 5 months for a suitable car).
I would have bid up to what I felt the car was worth to me. So someone on ebay will pay £3100 for this car so far, but it hasn't reached the reserve yet.
My budget was £5000 - for this money I was looking for a really good series 1 2000TC. I prefer the look of the earlier cars and for me, because the Rover was going to be our third car, it had to be tax free. I would have bought one regardless if classic cars didn't have historic status, but since they do I was only prepared to look for pre 73. I would have gone to £6000 for something amazing, but a 1974 2200sc with cloth seats, however original and nice is not amazing to me.
I decided against a series one V8, my past experience has been that they (V8 autos) are too thirsty and I would like to use the car as often as possible in the spring and summer. Although I do love the V8 smoothness and power, petrol (super unleaded) is expensive.
I bought Simon Hill's lovely 1964 Wedgwood Blue 2000 for £3500 in the end. This car was extensively restored in 2006 by Clive Annabel and has been used every year since and kept under cover when not, so it's still lovely. The baseunit on this car is a work of art. I would rather have a beautifully restored car, that has then been used and enjoyed... then an original car that has been stored for several decades that will need new brakes for a start and probably won't be reliable for months, due to its lack of use. I am delighted with my car and it's lovely to own such an early car which has been restored with all of the original features kept. This more than made up for the desire for a TC model and in fact this car goes like no other 2000 that I have ever driven (and that's a few!).
. The car does look nice and it's easy to believe that it is a pampered low mileage example. Remember the days when you could get P6s like this in the 1980's for few hundred quid :?: 
