New minge-bag motoring

[Largactil]

I've hankered for some chod for a long time, but been unable to justify the expense of owning / running two cars (I have a modern up in Scotland that I use occasionally, and don't want to sell having spent £££ undoing all the chav bodges the previous owner carried out).

 

Anyway, splitting my time between London & Scotland, I've thus far utilised Hertz on Demand - A car club where you can use a shiny new Fiat 500 for £5-6 per hour, all inclusive.

 

Great for nipping around for a couple of hours, but limited to 30 miles per day, so you couldn't really use it for a weekend away.

 

Many hours were spent on here, the other place, and eBay slowly combing through suitable candidates...

 

I very almost made a crazy bid on the fantastic FE Victor Estate on eBay -

 

 

But received some sage advice from fellow AS-er's.

 

http://www.autoshite.co.uk/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13272

 

An offer was made for a lovely turd brown Mk1 Disastra (Folks had one when I was in my early teens - Nostalgia ahoy!)

 

 

But I did low-ball slightly, and it was at the salty end of what I was willing to spend.

 

I was very very tempted by messerschmitt owner's BX 16TGS, but the MOT was a little too short for me (and it needed a new exhaust to gain a new ticket) - Plus, once I'd factored collection, rent and other costs in, it just wasn't viable for me.

 

Finally, after several ales, I returned from the pub last Wednesday - Had a scan of AS, and spotted wackywacerwill's peasant spec 205 XE 954cc ... The price was right, it had plenty of T&T on it, and he was local(ish) to me.

 

E-mails exchanged, I popped over the following day for a look - I loved the absolute poverty spec of the XE. The car drove well enough, and Will seemed a throughly decent chap, so a deal was struck.

 

I picked it up this morning, and hit a slight issue - I rarely drive in the centre of London, so my street knowledge is pants.

 

I'd taken a sat nav with me...But found that the XE is so minge-bag, it doesn't have a cigarette lighter... And my sat nav battery was flat as a witches tit.

 

Still; I could see the centre of London, so just set off in that direction... I wonder how many have set off in newly purchased chod, and proceeded to drive through the centre of London, past Liverpool Street Station, down Camden High Street etc...In torrential rain. With a slightly temperamental clutch.

 

We made it, though (I got used to the clutch fairly quickly), and here she is outside of my place:

 

 

(We have permited on street parking in Brent - But being under a 1.1, the permit happens to be free... )

 

So...Plans?

 

Well, it's a cheap car, so I'm keen to run it in a fairly cheap manner - I might have to fit un-chopped front springs, as the speed bumps have been breeding around here, and it wasn't keen to attack them at much more than walking pace.

 

I might investigate the clutch (seems to catch slightly on release -> release bearing or cable?) - But I'll probably ignore it for now...

 

There's a weep from the dizzy (TADTS), so if I can be bothered changing the 'O' ring, I might sort that.

 

I'm planning on a couple of 30 mile M Way runs over the next few days, and if it passes muster I'll drive it up to Scotland on Sunday... 450 miles each way should be a reasonable test of its reliability.

 

(And a 954cc engine / 4 speed gearbox / no stereo will also be a test of my sanity... )

 

I actually feel like a proper Autoshiter now...

 

[eddyramrod]

The run up to Scotland should be fun! Make sure your camera batteries are up to the job! You just know we will want to see pics. Is this really your first Shite? Best of luck with it.

[DSdriver]

Mmmm much nicer looking than our more door 206. I think my sense of style is stuck in a time warp. Good luck with the highland fling.

[barefoot]

I need to see a wider view of your street.

I can't tell if everyone parks old crap on it, or whether yours stands out as spectacularly as it should!

[wackywacerwill]

Good stuff. That little pug has many miles left in it, she'll get you to Scotland and back no drama

[cms206]

My mate and I have done Glasgow to Rotherham and back in one day in his K-reg 115k miler 1.1 Zest, but it has the luxuries of five gears and a wireless.

 

Co-incidentally he's 23 stone and we're both over 6ft 2in and it was one of the more comfortable trips to the South we've done...

[Largactil]

I need to see a wider view of your street.

I can't tell if everyone parks old crap on it, or whether yours stands out as spectacularly as it should!

 

Not a wide angle view, but catches the nice Ovlov S90 3.0 that lives here...

 

 

I walked the length of the road today, and the next oldest parked car was a 1995 Corrado, so I think I'm winning in the chod states...

[Largactil]

Positively EPIC trip for the pug yesterday, with a run from North West London all the way up to central Scotland...

 

Much as I'd love to regale fellow AS'ers with heroic tales of HGF-repaired with chewing gum / a pair of tights on the hard shoulder of the M6, I'm afraid I can't...As it managed the trip without batting an eyelid...

 

 

(Wallace Monument posing...)

 

Queens Park to Stirling in 7 hours dead (3 comfort stops - I'd never make an HGV driver... )

 

420 miles in total - Averaged 60mph - Covered at 45.8 mpg, and a cost of £56 in pez.

 

Happy to sit at around 75 leptons for many hours... Maintaining momentum with the 954cc powerhouse is most defo the key.

 

I was so pleased today, I handed my local motor factor a crisp tenner, and treated the 205 to a number plate, and £3 worth of new wiper blades...

 

(I did love the added chod-ness of the cracked / selloptaped dealer plates - But not the likely attention of BiB, so for the sake of £7 for a new front plate...)

 

 

I even gave it a wash and a hoover...Scrubs up well...

 

 

 

No doubts over the giffer heritage...

 

 

Still rather enjoying it - It is indeed, £250 worth of WIN.

 

(I'm even going to drive it to Aberdeen tonight, the furthest north it has been, no doubt - Although now it's all shiny, it'll probably break... )

[Skizzer]

Good effort sir. London to Scotland in a 205 - Scooters will be proud of you

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Splendid! They are rather lovely little cars.

[retrogeezer]

it looks like a great little thing and I quite fancy one for a runabout.

 

Just one thing, if you had fitted that new plate higher up on the bumper (where they are supposed to be) then it will be less likely to get smashed to fook again.

[garethj]

Much as I'd love to regale fellow AS'ers with heroic tales of HGF-repaired with chewing gum / a pair of tights on the hard shoulder of the M6, I'm afraid I can't...As it managed the trip without batting an eyelid...

I know what you mean; I've got a 205 diesel for my commute of 80 miles a day and people at work ask me how it's going, as if I'm driving without the aid of a safety net

 

Yours looks nice when it's shiny!

[wackywacerwill]

Great stuff, said it wouldn't be any drama but it's great to get a road trip report of your successful travels

 

Really chuffed it's in good hands and been appreciated for what it is. Sounds like the mpg is pretty much what my Suzuki's doing on the commute

Looks tidy when cleaned up, I never got around to shinning up the interior when I had it. I like the plate where it is too, it fits in with the line of the bumper better.

 

I see you've re positioned the anti vibration pectrums

 

No stereo yet? That is a hardcore journey with no tunes.

[retrogeezer]

my bad, it looks like that is where the plate should be but it should be fitted into a plastic surround rather than just the plate itself:

 

[Largactil]

No stereo yet? That is a hardcore journey with no tunes.

 

I nicked your mp3-player-with-speakers-on-the-dash idea, but it's not really loud enough at the legal M Way limit... I think I know how to unlock the stereo, but I'm working away right now, so won't get a chance to try until next week.

 

(Also considering a few other little remedials next week, prior to its run back south - Pull the dash / binacle to change the blown instrument bulbs, change the clutch cable, fit a fag lighter, sort the weepy dizzy, and perhaps fit unchopped front springs - It's a hoot as is, but I twatted the downpipe clamp on a speed bump the other day (with big Rich in the pax seat), so may need to go back to a floaty nose... )

[Largactil]

3.5 weeks of peasant spec motoring and a milestone of 2000 miles has been covered, after the weekend...

 

It was my flatmate's birthday, and he was keen to go sea fishing - "Could we take the Pug?"

 

Pointed the car west, went by Bristol...Down to Newquay, south to Penzance...

 

Ended up here:

 

 

 

...and back to London last night.

 

SInce acquiring the 205 from Will on March the 7th, it's been from London to Aberdeen and back, London to Land's End and back, and covered a few hundred miles of running around London and its surrounds.

 

Having only averaged 3200 miles per year since new, I'm rather delighted with how it's coped so far.

 

I've managed to unlock the OEM Peugeot stereo (Prefer the OEM look, to chucking a CD player in there - Fitted one of those cassette adapters that allow you to use an MP3 player)

 

Picked up an OEM fag lighter for a fiver from a scrappy - The plug was hiding behind the blank clock panel, so a very easy fix, and enables twat nav / phone charging capabilities.

 

Not all rosy, though; unfortunately I smacked the downpipe off a speed hump I didn't see in the low sun... Sounds a bit farty / rattly at low revs, so I'll need to have a proper looksee (nice big dent in the downpipe at first glance... )

 

I definitely need to unhit it with 'that' stick, and fit standard front springs...There's a huge amount of speedbumps in NW6, and 4-5" of ground clearance just isn't enough...

 

Few other bits & bobs to do, so I'll update as I go...I realise this isn't the most exciting motor on AS, but it does have a few ex-owners on here who might be interested in its progress...

[trigger]

2000 miles in a 3 1/2 weeks in a 954cc 22 year old 205 is pretty epic in my book! You must be some kind of hero!

[ProgRocker]

2000 miles in a 3 1/2 weeks in a 954cc 22 year old 205 is pretty epic in my book! You must be some kind of hero!

 

Agreed.

 

Every I turn just recently there is a myriad of c.20 year old Peugeot 205s. Almost as if they were built to Merc W124 standards in the last few years of its life.

[dollywobbler]

Brilliant stuff! Buy new, feeble shite and drive it everywhere. Love it. The 954cc engine is pretty tough, given how my wife used to abuse her AX. Regularly 'cruised' at 80mph on the motorway, was usually low on oil...

[wackywacerwill]

Pleased to see it still doing good service, good work racking up the miles too. Would a set of 14inch steels make enough of a difference clearance wise I wonder? Failing that these look cheap enoughhttp://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Peugeot-205-GTI-Suspension-Coil-Springs-Original-/320876657655?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4ab5bd3bf7#ht_500wt_1283

[Morgan84]

New cambelt wouldn't be a bad idea

[Largactil]

Brilliant stuff! Buy new, feeble shite and drive it everywhere. Love it. The 954cc engine is pretty tough, given how my wife used to abuse her AX. Regularly 'cruised' at 80mph on the motorway, was usually low on oil...

 

I was brought up on a diet of low-powered shite hatchbacks...Folks had a Mini Clubman Estate -> Cherry 120A -> Dyane -> Visa Club -> Mk1 Ashtray 1300... (There was a Marina with a Sherpa coupe engine in between the Cherry and the Dyane, but less said about that the better! )

 

Despite the low powered chod they owned, my old man proceeded to drive the family up and down the length of the UK, to the favoured 70's / 80's holiday resorts such as Filey, Scarborough, etc.

 

Always an adventure (and almost always the need to pull over halfway up Shap to let the car cool down... )

 

Maybe I'm trying to relive my youth?!

 

Pleased to see it still doing good service, good work racking up the miles too. Would a set of 14inch steels make enough of a difference clearance wise I wonder? Failing that these look cheap enoughhttp://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Peugeot-205-GTI-Suspension-Coil-Springs-Original-/320876657655?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4ab5bd3bf7#ht_500wt_1283

 

Cheers Will - Going great guns!

 

Did spot those GTi springs, and contemplating a pop - Cheapest my local factor can get XE springs is £36 for the pair...Hmmm...

 

New cambelt wouldn't be a bad idea

 

In time...Mileage should tail off a little, for now...And have a week's summer blitz planned, with my mechanic brother in law's help (and his collection of Snap-On's finest! )

[jonathan_dyane]

If tempted by the GTI springs, do check that they actually fit; the GTI front suspension is rather different to the 'cooking' models.

[Wilko220]

Just catching up with some old posts - must have missed this originally. So pleased to see this great car in the hands of another AS person, who is loving it just as much.

Your story of getting lost in London when you picked it up brought back fond memories of cruising around the capital late at night in it with my musician brother after one of his gigs - although in those days the only thing lowering the suspension on it was a couple of huge Marshall amplifiers in the back. He carted some stuff around in that thing...

[Largactil]

If tempted by the GTI springs, do check that they actually fit; the GTI front suspension is rather different to the 'cooking' models.

 

I'm willing to stand corrected (and please someone tell me if I'm wrong!!! ), but the main difference between the GTi's front suspension and lesser models is the mounting points of the ARB, and a couple of extra pivot points on the front wishbones...Basic shock and spring assembly should be the same?

 

(Obviously the GTi spring will be of significantly higher poundage, but I'm hardly pushing the limits of handling... )

 

Just catching up with some old posts - must have missed this originally. So pleased to see this great car in the hands of another AS person, who is loving it just as much.

Your story of getting lost in London when you picked it up brought back fond memories of cruising around the capital late at night in it with my musician brother after one of his gigs - although in those days the only thing lowering the suspension on it was a couple of huge Marshall amplifiers in the back. He carted some stuff around in that thing...

 

It's an ex-roadie van?! Awesome!

 

I feel a surprising amount of 'like' for it already - Probably comes with spending 35+ hours sitting in it, over the past 4 weeks...(!)

 

Does your brother have any pics of the peasant mobile during his ownership? (I can PM you my e-mail address if he does / it'd be easier?)

[Wilko220]

Oh yes, was a roadie van for some years (replacing an equally stoic 309!)

Not sure on the pictures - but probably I would think. He sometimes lurks on here but is not a member. I'll ask him and come back to you.

[Largactil]

Another month of minge-bag motoring, and la spécification des paysans du Pug, est magnifique!

 

It's managed another trip to Scotland, and with growing confidence in its abilities, I pushed the performance envelope to make the journey from NW London to Stirling in 5 hours 30 minutes exactly... Fuel economy did take a dip, but still averaged just under 40 mpg, which isn't all that bad...

 

(I've now done 3500 miles in it, since late March!)

 

Being oop north gave me the chance to introduce the Pug to my modern... Slight difference in wheel size...

 

 

In fact, rather larger in general...

 

 

Given the general good behaviour on the Pug's part, I made the decision to splash out and treat it to a good seeing to...

 

 

In the next week or so it will have:

 

Cambelt / alt belt / water pump and thermostat changed, with a fresh drink of coolant

 

Valve clearances checked / adjusted, new rocker gasket fitted

 

New plugs, oil and filter

 

New downpipe fitted (It's a bit rattly after I smacked it off a speed hump... )

 

New clutch cable (trying to solve the groany / heavy clutch issues...)

 

Finally, I'm un-hitting it with 'that' stick, and fitting standard front springs... I only want to have to change the downpipe this one time...

 

Does it make economic sense to do all of the above?

 

Of course not...but it's one of these fun little cars, which seems to get under your skin, and as I was driving up the M6 through the lakes on Saturday's sunny evening, Scritti Politti on the cassette player, 80 leptons on the speedo, in the bouncy / comfy driver's seat...I couldn't help but smile...And decide to lavish a bit of time & dosh to keep it going for another few years...

[wackywacerwill]

Wowzers, check out that goodies pile Now get greased up and give it some lovin'.

 

I've just got a 1.1 fiesta which had a previous giffer owner and the clutch on that does the same thing as the pug, is this just the curse of OAP clutch ride The 205 is by far the more enjoyable car out of it and the Ford despite, or more likely because of it's basicness. Really enjoying the updates and the pics too, good stuff.

[dollywobbler]

I reckon it makes much more economic sense to buy something cheap and affordable, spend money on service items and keep it going than buy something much more expensive that requires finance and STILL needs servicing. Nice one!

[The Moog]

Shouldnt those trainers be a) Moccasins worn .. in true AS stylee...