George, here are a few things to think about:

Since the car is wanted by your wife, and you _don't_ want her to become frustrated, I'd suggest that you both familiarize yourselves with the various changes made throught the years.

Make sure you understand whether you are talking about the coupe (much higher production) or the 1800ES mini-wagon version. The latter was only produced for the last two years ('72/'73). I have both types, and I can tell you that they really appeal to different tastes - the coupe has a classic but somewhat dated look due to the small cabin and the rear fins, while the wagon seems to have a timeless "cool" look that gets a surprisingly positive reaction from the younger crowd. The wagon also has the mechanical characteristics of the late "1800E" coupes - more on that below.

The very first two years of production ('62 & '63 model years) were built in England by Jensen, and have many cosmetic details which are different, and I think nicer, than the later coupes. These include a hand-built heavy aluminum "eggcrate" grille made from slotted bars, up-swooped "cowhorn" front bumpers, unique "Swedish Flag" themed emblems on the rear pillars, "turbine" style wheel covers, a more oval license light housing without any reverse light, and a beautifully cast cowl vent piece. The original interior, though rarely still present on the typical example, also was quite different from the Swedish versions. On the downside, the Jensen cars (unless updated) had less power, less comfort and more engine and ride noise (though a great noise!) than any of the progressively "improved" versions. The unique trim pieces I mentioned are sought-after and expensive to buy in good condition unless you get really lucky.

Through the early to mid-60's the mechanicals improved _slightly_ and the trim was progressively cheapened. This is really called "1800S", though many people still refer to any year coupe as "P1800". Various grilles were used, the worst (IMO) being a thin sheet metal version of the "eggcrate" style. Better was the "multi-bar" style around '67 or so, and ending with the black plastic slotted type used in the 1800E and ES. The front bumper became straight across. The side "spears" on the fender and doors originally followed the up-swoop of the door sheet metal, and later were changed to just straight lines - not as nice but part of the ongoing attempts to modernize the car without investing in new body dies.

In the late 60's the mechanicals did improve with a bigger engine (B20 at 2000cc vs. the otherwise pretty similar B18 at 1800cc) and rear drum brakes changed to discs. The classic dash with chromed-bezel round gauges was changed to a flatter looking woodgrained dash with more flush flat-black gauge bezels. The seats got pregressively better through the decade, headrests and better comfort - make sure the adjustments work and the rails aren't all distorted. They all had 3-point lap+shoulder belts (a Volvo invention if you haven't already heard), but the later cars had the much nicer inertia-locking retractable style; the early ones have manually-adjusted belts with wierd but perfectly good buckle mechanisms.

The biggest improvement in drive-ability, I think, was when fuel injection replaced the carburetors - that's the 1800E model, which also got the black plastic grille, black louvers on the rear fender, and rubber strips on the bumpers. Some people think the injection (Bosch D-Jetronic) is a bad thing. I think it's really a good system, much better performance than the stock carb setups, but its reputation suffered because it was too new and not well understood by mechanics in the early 70s, and of course too old and not well understood by mechanics today.

No matter what year you get, try to get one with 4-speed plus overdrive (which is working) unless your wife _must_ have an automatic (otherwise not a good thing). Most of the USA manual-shift cars did have overdrive. As others have advised - look for a rustfree or low-rust body.

Conclusion - if your wife really is "into" the antique car idea, then a nice early one has a lot of character. But if she wants something that has at least a "hint" of modern in it, you'd better go for an 1800E coupe or 1800ES wagon in well-maintained condition. These cars are reasonably quiet and very fun to drive. Not as safe as a 200, 700 or later Volvo, but definitely safer than a cute little MG or the like. They're pretty comfortable except for getting in and out. Don't get a fixer-upper unless you like projects; the total cost will be much less if you pay for one that is sound and well maintained. Good luck!

Joel in Tucson