Those of you that have met me probably know I’ve always harped on about wanting a 200Vi-a desire dating back to the 90’s when my parents had a Solar Red example, and mum taught a 12 year old me to drive in it wherever appropriate we could find!
Fast forward many years of looking (and missing this particular car on eBay when it came up five years ago), I got chatting to the owner a few months ago and he got in touch to say the car might be available. I couldn’t get up the M6 quick enough…
The car has done 19k miles, with three previous owners, all traceable (lots of emails between Jimmy, the previous owner, and the original purchaser, plus emails between Jimmy and the dealership principle of selling dealership!). The car has been utterly mollycoddled from new-there’s not a speck of rust on top or underneath, the interior is like new and smells glorious, and it still feels tight & fizzing with energy to drive. It’s a credit to the previous keepers and a car I didn’t think existed. “How Many Left” peg the number currently taxed as 15…
Interestingly, it’s a much better drive than my prior BRM-the LSD, wider wheels and less compliant suspension in that car serve up a scrappier, less resolved package in my book, which torque steers and is guilty of having glassy, remote steering. The Vi flows much better down the road, with the advantage of not falling out of the seats thanks to the cloth centre.
Definitely a keeper for me-it feels weird saying one of my dream cars was a Rover hatchback, but nostalgia and childhood memories do that to you (the reason I bought my 214SEi)!
