"The problem for me came afterwards - buying a share in a lovely little 2-seat taildragger that needed a lot of TLC and often had niggling problems."
I suggest renting for at least the first 24 hour year as a PPL. You won''t be allowed to fly if not current, and you'll have weather restrictions. And you'll be restricted in the types of aircraft you fly.
I rented for over two years before buying the tailwheel share I've owned for 29 years.