
I knew this van for a few years before I bought it as it was owned from new by a local woman. When she retired from driving she gave it to the local garage who had always serviced it. They'd then used it as a courtesy and staff car and while they'd looked after it mechanically, it was rarely washed and was full of rubbish.

A few weeks ago my XM burst a hydraulic pipe and I took it to the garage for repairs. I was offered a Vauxhall Astra as a courtesy car but was given the van instead when I asked for it. Over the next few days I grew increasingly attached to it as I drove it to work and back. It was very different to drive from the automatic XM, but wasn't slow or uncomfortable and had noticeably better fuel consumption. When I went back to the garage a week later a deal was struck and I picked it up for a very reasonable price.
The first thing we did was tidy out and hoover the interior. The original owner had owned dogs and the carpets were full of dog hair. Next we jet washed it to get some of the long-term grime off the bodywork and to remove the field's worth of mud from under the wheel arches. We then gave it a T-cut and wax. The results were quite impressive and I took it to its first classic car show last weekend.

There are a few faults with the van. It could do with a couple of new tyres, the exhaust is blowing a little and I suspect that the shock absorbers are past their best. The headlining is missing, too, having been removed by the garage when it got into a fairly unpleasant state. Having been owned by an elderly lady there are a number of minor bumps and scratches that will need to be sorted out but for a 27-year-old vehicle it's in pretty good condition. I plan to use it for commuting while generally improving its condition. It seems that there aren't many of these vans left so it'll be worth looking after.
