Thanks for the information and comments, all very interesting, no you are right I would not dismiss the best car on the basis of the extra tax duty but if the choice arose I would prefer not to pay nearly twice as much tax for no gain whatsoever.
Regards
The 2006 on cars did have some minor improvements worth paying the extra tax for....such as stronger chains, better fuel injectors, more advance on the exhaust cam, better mapping etc. Yep, the pre-2006 MK5 R32 is also susceptible to the infamous 'chain stretch', which is a very expensive job.
Pick of the crop, imo, is a run-out 3 door 59 plate DSG, in steel grey, with the factory Recaro wingbacks. Such a beauty is well worth paying for, and probably sticking in storage for occasional weekend use. It'd be a great investment.
Hmmmmm, I've got myself thinking now 
And yes, I was a bit of a VR6/R32 guru before moving over to TFSI land. Anything you want to know, ask away.
Dam nearly there but mine is 5 door (due to having kids) racaro wing backs on list but is dsg and in grey
