We have Roa Bowden's 2001 Mark 4 2-litre 115bhp VW Golf GTI in Indigo Blue as car of the Month. In Roz's own words:
"While not really old enough to be truly called a classic, and not powerful enough to be a sports car, it is still (to me at least) and very special and much-loved car.
A one-owner car, I bought it in July 2001 from what was then Lockyear Motors in Horsham.
Over 168,000 miles later it remains a joy to drive. With enough power to be an effortless drive it is an excellent motorway car, and has been frequently used for UK road trips. (Ten years ago it covered many hundreds of miles as we followed the last flights of Vulcan XH558, hence the Vulcan stickers!). At over 40mpg the fuel economy is also very good.
The bodywork is still original, and although many parts have obviously needed replacing it still has the original clutch.
While clearly now showing signs of its age, it is in excellent condition compared to many other cars of a similar vintage and has no corrosion. The suspension has been treated to prolong its life. When main dealer services no longer made financial sense my husband Steve took over most of the maintenance. He has spent many hours keeping this car in roadworthy condition for which I am immensely grateful!
My only car for 22 years, the Golf is now used less frequently after I purchased a second car for daily use in 2023. It is a regular at SADCASE meets, and has also been on show at the Brooklands Museum German Day. At the latter it was admired by a marshal and termed a “proper car”!
Having been part of my life for 24 years this little car holds a lot of happy memories, and I am very reluctant to ever part with it!"
