Having spent 3 years driving the cabrio, and dreaming of owning a true Mk1 GTI, along came the bargain of the century early in 2001.

A chap round the corner from me, Mike Burton, was selling his beloved Lhasa Green Mk1 for £850 ono. Before you could say "bank loan", I was round there like a flash. Starry eyed I viewed the car, and apart from a rusty passenger door, and a water leak in the footwell, it was perfect. The right colour, right age, and only 2 owners. Full service history, all the paperwork - WOW !

A week passed, the money was arranged, and then my brothers came down for a weekend to just make sure I wasn't making a BIG mistake.

"I'd snap his arm off", was what they said, so a week later I became the proud owner of The lhasa green rocket!

• First things first
• The passenger door's F&%*!
• What's that musty smell?