Dream come true¸

To be honest, I've always had a soft spot for the VW Beetle. I'm not too sure why, but a mate of mine owned an orange M-reg bug in the late 80's and since then I've read most of the magazines on and off, never dreaming that I would actually own one.

The first VW to join the Burgess household was a brand-new 2000 model 2 litre Golf GTi. We couldn't believe we actually had a brand-new car, and we haven't been disappointed. Three years and 36,000 miles later, we're still more than happy with it (which is more than can be said for the dealership who sold it to us but that's another story).

During the early part of 2001, with our first baby on the way, we were thinking that a second car would be very handy, what with me driving to the station every day, and Sarah needing a car at home. Sarah had just qualified for a company car and decided to take the cash option, so we thought about buying a run-around with that. Then, whilst looking at the company's notice board, I saw an advert for a 1972 1300 Beetle, tax-exempt, well looked after, £2700.

The advert said that there were photos to look at, so I contacted the guy who placed the advert and had a look at the photos. It wasn't his car, he had placed the ad on behalf of his neighbour Ron, a very nice chap in his eighties who was very reluctantly selling it as he was unable to drive any more. BRO 597K looked very very nice in the photos, and I arranged to go and look at it. I wasn't disappointed. Maintained by Ron himself, using a number of 1950's and 1960's workshop manuals (included in the price), it had covered around 115,000 miles in its 29 years, although in the previous 9 months since the MOT it had only done 150! Ron was the second owner, didn't like taking it out in the rain, and was heartbroken that he had to sell it. I arranged to take it out for a test drive, and discovered that at 6'6'', it was pretty much impossible for me to drive. Nightmare! One phone call to Henley Beetles who confirmed that yes, they could move the seat back a few inches, and the deal was done. £2500 changed hands, and my first journey in my new car was as a passenger, with my father-in-law acting as chauffeur.

Everything on «Beetlebum' (blame Blur!) appeared to be original. The bodywork wasn't (and still isn't) perfect, but it's a very good runner. I use it pretty much every day and get lots of looks at the station car park when it's sat next to all the company cars! The only major problem I've had is a broken clutch cable „ not much fun in rush hour on the A21. Thanks go to Henley Beetles for their very reasonably priced help, and for their kind comments about the originality of the car and how nice it is to work on.

I've been to the inaugural Utterly Veedubberly at Donington, the Volksworld Show at Sandown Park (where I met some of my fellow club members) and Stonor Park. As I write this, I'm looking forward to the Brighton Breeze which is as good a way as I can think of to celebrate my son's 1st birthday on 5th October. He'll be sat next to Daddy in his car seat, with Mummy in the back!

I wish I had more time to work on Beetlebum myself, but work and family commitments mean that time is quite tight sometimes.

It's the complete opposite to the Golf, with no creature comforts, but every time I get in, it brings a smile to my face, and that's a good enough reason to own it for me¸

Paul Burgess, Wokingham, Berkshire

PS A camper would be nice, but I have yet to convince my wife!.