Day one

So, where to start? This is day one of Caddy ownership and it's still the honeymoon period. Driven home, washed, cleaned, tidied, cleaned again, found all the stonechips and scratches you never manage to see when on a test-drive. Found a few little faults to put right...

But most of all, I've enjoyed turning-heads. A few pics before we go any further I think:

So what have we bought? At first glance it appears to be a clean, honest, low mileage, two year old Caddy. I was keen to find a TDI having heard less than complementary things about the SDI. I didn't want white and didn't want a high-miler. Searching seemed to take forever for a van to fit the requirements. This one was bang-on budget so I shook hands at some speed.

'But it's already modified' I hear you saying. When you cost up the sourcing of a Touran bumper, colour-coding, lowering, alloys, seats etc. you realise the sum of all these elements goes beyond your total budget. So this is my starting point. It may be somebody else's creation but I plan to take it to another level.

So what are the plans? Without giving the game away too soon; one of the first jobs will be to remove the 20" Bentley Flying Spur alloys. On will go the original 15" steel wheels that also came with the van. The ride height will be adjusted to a more commuting-friendly drop, probably around 40 or 50mm from standard. New alloys at 18" or 19" will then be sourced for a little more comfort and a little less 'on-edge' pothole-dodging.

The tinted headlights will be swapped for originals (or maybe a little upgrade here). The front bumper may eventually be swapped for a smooth Touran version and the interior (currently ply-lined) will be receiving some attention.

Right then, off we go, this is going to be quite a challenge!