In June last year I bought a portofino 20VT from a salvage company for £800. It had been written off as it had been severely vandalised having had large, very deep crosses etched into every single panel on the car and as a final kick in the crotch they had scratched "HA HA" into the boot!
HA HA Try to ignore the skinny white chested man Dented boot I got it home to find that the damage was a lot worse than originally thought as the scratches were extremely deep - Carlt may remember this one as you didn't even think it was worth buying at £400. The wife thought I was nuts but the car had been immaculately cared for before the vandalism and ran like a dream so I saved up my pocket money and took her into the paint shop just before christmas.
Well - I finally got her home this week and the paint shop have done an amazing job - she looks like new (please remember from the pics that she has come straight from the shop and has not been cleaned - also, ignore the mismatched wheels too as they are going)
Who's the bald guy? Woohoo Not a joke anymore! Lovely AND the paint job only cost me £1000 - so for £1800 I've got a coop with a fresh paint job that I wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise - more than that though - I am pleased to have been able to save another coop from the scrapper.
Am chuffed to bits - just waiting for some new alloys now and she'll be mint. Can't wait to take her round Europe later in the year . . .