Our Cars: Mk7 Volkswagen Golf R

Bond villains and politicians notwithstanding, most of us set about life’s tasks with good enough intentions, do we not? In my case, on this particular day, I went to a car dealer on the outskirts of Maidstone in Kent – confidently known as Benchmark Cars – with a clear, if ambitious plan to bag myself a nice, clean Mk7 Volkswagen Golf R; one that had specifically not been modified or mucked about with in any way.

The car in question, the ad on PistonHeads suggested, was ‘a great example of a 2016 Mk7 R DSG, showing just 53,000 miles, no modifications, new tyres, full service history, lovely condition inside and out, presented in desirable Lapiz Blue for £16,495.’

The Mk7 R has long been my everyday fast car of choice, and when the nice lady at the dealership explained over the phone about the provenance and condition of this particular example, I became quite frantic to see it. Not the right state to be in when looking for a second-hand car.