A converted car wouldn't put me off, TBH, but I am a mug who likes to buy standard cars then spend a mint on modding them, when I could have bought it already modded & saved a small fortune, lol!

I still dream occasionally of buying an Mi16 converted Pug 205 or 1.8T'd Mk2, in fact. If you're the patient type, then I reckon it would be possible to get near enough the same money as a standard 1.8 T.
