Steve Gales has owned his Lancia Delta Integrale Evo II since 1998.
“I bought it at four years old,” he says, “and paid £20k for it. At the time, it was a big step up for us; we traded in a Clio Williams, but still had £8.5k to find. But it’s worked out perfectly: the car’s worth about £20k today.”
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The Integrale wasn’t top of Gales’ shopping list, however. “We went shopping for an Impreza Turbo originally, but back in ’98 were disappointed by the bland interior and the nine-month waiting list. So I suggested an Integrale to my other half, we drove one, and we both loved it.
“We use the car all year round – do about 3000 miles a year,” he goes on. “I do the basic servicing myself: oils, filters, brakes and suspension maintenance. For cambelt changes, due every three or four years or 24,000 miles, I use a specialist: they cost about £400 a time.”
“If you were buying one today, I’d be wary of very expensive special editions; a lot of cars are hardly used, and could be hiding mechanical problems.
"And whatever you do, don’t buy a right-hand-drive converted one: dealers had to change the steering rack as part of the conversion, and ruined the car’s steering feel in the process.”
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