My new 205GT

[e287yba]

I've not been on here much recently, it's been a difficult couple of years. As a treat to myself for what I've done during those difficult times I bought myself an early Peugeot 205GT in August.

 

My father had an A-reg 205GR from new, I was 13 when he got it - looking at the brochures and reading the road tests between picking my spots, I really wished he had had a GT instead! He also had a couple of GTI 1.6s later on, but I've always had a soft spot for the cooking models in a car range (given a choice, I seem to go for the top-of-the-original-range models for some reason??).

 

The car was mentioned in passing on the Footman James (Event City) show thread on here, as it was parked in the car park both days and a few people spotted it there.

 

I first saw it at Tatton Park in August, it was in the one make parking area on the Sunday. Note the lettering on the windscreen!

 

 

One of the first jobs was removing that... He was apparently sick of people asking him what the car was (I found out later from someone else). He wanted £2,500, looking very closely at the car (and, afterwards, seeing how much bodywork it's had done) this is what I paid. I have an agreed insurance value for this amount.

 

Googling the registration number throws up some (pleasant ) surprises (including a YouTube video), which 'encouraged' me to agree to pay what he was asking... It had two lady owners (the first for 4 years then the second for 25 years). The chap I bought it off was the third owner and he purchased it early last year; he owned it for about 15 months and seems to have had a fair bit of body- and paintwork done to it.

 

It has just clocked 25,000 miles (the MoTs confirm this), all the annual service & MoT invoices are present since 1992 and the MoT certificates since 1989 (but only the tax discs for the past decade). The original V5 for the second registered keeper, dated 5/2/88, is also in the history file.

 

The only work it has had in my care has been new plugs, leads, distributor cap and rotor arm and a new air filter, as well as two new Good Year tyres.

 

Autocar finished off their Long Term Test (40,00 miles) of an early 205GT by writing that the car reminded them of the old MG1100 - yes, that's right, a big Mini. This is a very fair description!

 

Enough waffle from me, on with the pictures...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It could do with a new rear bumper and valance, the left hand 'blank' in the rear valance, an ashtray (the bit that slots into the centre console has been 'trimmed' for some reason), a replacement gearknob (chewed by a dog? it's breaking up anyway) and a bit more paintwork (not that you'll spot this in the pics ).

 

The chap who owned it before me has set it back in some ways, such as the rear bumper which certainly wasn't on it when he bought it . He has also sprayed the wheels a darker shade (and not very well), rust is breaking through and they need refurbing... He also sprayed the exhaust pipe (seemingly all of it!) but that looks surprisingly OK.

 

Finally, the rev counter doesn't work... there is no electrical feed to it!! Ah well...

 

 

I'm chuffed to bits with it .

[phil_lihp]

Nice one!  Lovely colour, 205s have aged incredibly well, it still looked fresh on a P plate in 1995, never mind back in 1984.

[2MB]

I knew they were gonna go up 800% in value as soon as I sold mine! Looks lovely though

[RedSparrow]

That's lovely!

Great cosy looking interior too.

 

Guard it from car theives with you life.

[mercrocker]

Yes, that's nice!   These were never on my radar when new but just look at that interior - cars never needed to get any more developed than this.....

[trigger]

That a cracker! Love the colour and the plates too!

[cort16]

That's really nice it's like before you were famous for the GTi. It is a 1.6 carb?

[Hendry]

I actually think the shade of paint on the wheels suits it, they contrast the colour really well.

 

When you say the rear bumper wasn't on the car when the previous owner, what do you mean by that, it looks to be factory, matches the front bumper style pretty well, what should be fitted at the rear?

 

All in all, looks like a cracking wee car.

[trigger]

I'll just leave this here.

 

 

[Jim Bell]

Thats looks like a belter.

[cort16]

80bhp out of a 1.4 isn't bad is it?

[e287yba]

Regards the back bumper,

, and compare with this pic (the rear bumper and valance as bought, the bumper sags in the middle, the nearside 'fog light blank is a Phase 2 reversing light and the sides of the rear valance are about 1cm too short if you look closely whereas they are fine in the video...). 

 

 

It is now supported on the centre 'twisted metal support' (it wasn't as purchased and it was a serious pain for two of us to sort out) but a straight bumper and valance which reaches the ends of the bumper and sits 'square' would be nice - and yes, I am being extremely picky!!

 

 

Cort16, yes, it's the 1360cc 80bhp "suitcase" engine; with short gearing (fifth feels like third-and-a-half in my other cars ) it goes!

 

And Trigger, thanks for the article .

 

 

[Cavcraft]

That's awfully brilliant. Strong money but probably an unrepeatable buy and you'll need a mop to wipe off the collective Autoshite dribble if you ever bring it to one of our 'shows.'

[forddeliveryboy]

Agree, probably the best incarnation of a 205. More fun to drive quickly than a GTi version and no cambelt worries, either! Like^3.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Yes!!! I'd love to have a shot in this, often do a scan of leboncoin for them in fact. There was a lovely one for sale on Kapaza for only 450€ a few weeks back, easily the cheapest and best I've seen for a while, but I sat on my hands like a twa7 and missed it. No decent ones on leboncoin for under 1500€. Someone on here used to have one in a shed along with a Tagora and several imps I think.

 

Must say the PO seems like a bit of a mental case, what other explanation can there be for the lettering? If a lot of people are asking questions about your classic car, and your answer is to make yourself look like a bell end, i'm afraid 'mental case' is the only logical conclusion.

[Stroller133]

I had a 205XS which must be the same/similar spec engine and I loved mine. Surprisingly quick and economical.

[mat_the_cat]

/\ 3 doors and a TU(3S) engine, with similar bhp though. We've had a few (including the XS) although not a suitcase engined one yet. Really did rate the engine in the XS, single twin choke carb and it always felt very willing to rev. Just as well, as it was so low geared!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I think the mega rare XT is the 3 door equivalent of this, with the suitcase engine and that.

[e287yba]

Thank you all for the compliments .

 

RedSparrow, it always has a bright yellow DiskLok on, force of habit for me .

 

And Hendry, I'm inclined to keep the wheels the same shade when they are refurbed (the 'standard wheel silver' in the YouTube vid I linked upthread seem too beight/shiny in comparison?) - but while they look fine from a metre away they're (expletive-deleted) grim up close with fisheyes and everything . I've mentioned the rear bumper etc in my last post.

 

Mr_Bo11ox, you're not wrong about the PO in some regards, but he was harmless and well-meaning enough. Not only was the lettering a bit blatant, though - of more concern were the (taper seat) spark plugs which were bad-taste-in-the-mouth-tight when hanging off the end of a ratchet (they're meant to be 12 lb-ft not bleedin' 70 or 80! ) and I thought I was going to snap some of them... He had checked them, he said, and pronounced them fine (they were well past their sell by dates judging by the "leakage" marks up the porcelain).

 

And yes, the XT was a 3 door GT, also mechanically identical to the Lacoste special edition with the GT's 80bhp XY8 "suitcase" engine .

 

The XS had the TU3S engine with 85bhp - as did the 5 door SR model... They were faster-accelerating in fourth from 40 to 60 than the GTI 1.6, and not much slower in other higher speed increments either!

 

 

[Sudsprint]

Yes, that's nice!   These were never on my radar when new but just look at that interior - cars never needed to get any more developed than this.....

 

Absolutely.

 

Small, practical, comfy, classless, fast, capacious, frugal, joy to drive, pretty….etc etc

[scruff]

Great car!! I love that early interior. My best pal had a Lacoste, we had a total ball with it, wonderful motah. 

[Angrydicky]

Lovely! I saw you coming the other way when I was heading to the Manc show in my beige B reg Maestro, you may remember it! I remember thinking that's a bloody early 205, didn't realise you were on here then.

[Jon]

Another general note of appreciation for this. As said, it wasn't cheap but it's a very well sorted model of the exact car you were after. I actually spent a smidge more on our Visa GTi than I did on our 205 GTI 1.9 but again it was something I wanted, so pure economics took a back seat. It was much cheaper than your GT but I reckon I could easily end up spending more on achieving a lesser standard, so apply man-maths and you have a bargain which is enjoyable from day 1. Funny that I never would have considered our two cars as forecourt rivals but it does make sense in Trigger's posted test.

 

I broke up a very terminal 1985 205 GTI last year, which at the time was the only 205 I'd seen with the big chunky indicator stalks and pre-selector wipers, as seen in our old 505. They're still in our garage and I've not tested them but at least you know of a pair going if you needed some.

[mat_the_cat]

The XS had the TU3S engine with 85bhp - as did the 5 door SR model... They were faster-accelerating in fourth from 40 to 60 than the GTI 1.6, and not much slower in other higher speed increments either!

 

That makes sense, the 1.6 GTi we had later felt similar in terms of performance. And possibly more of a disappointment relatively speaking, as you always expected more from it. At least until this...

 

[Largactil]

That's proper lovely - It's amazing to think that my LNA is also of 'A' plate vintage and was on sale at the same time as this was, but looks to be of a generation before externally & internally (which it is, I suppose).

 

Really fancy an XS / GT at some point   

[carlo]

That is a beautiful car, I just love all 80s Peugeots, this was the time as a late teenager I used to drool outside showrooms at 305 GTXs and 309 SRis.  In fact the only ones I wasn't so keen on were the 205 GTIs!  Must admit I noticed the wheels straightaway, I initially thought they just shouted out "customised", but in actual fact they do suit it rather well.  Still think I'd be inclined to put them back to the original colour though, when the rest of the car is so original it would make more sense.  Those early 205s are just starting to look 'period', 30 years on!  The later ones even now just blend in, without looking old, testament to such a good design.  There was a brilliant article in Classic & Sportscar a few years back where one of them drove 4 different 205s and was just eulogising about them and lamenting the fact cars would never again drive, handle and steer like a 205 again - it was a cracking read.  Will dig it out if you fancy a copy.

[e287yba]

Thanks folks .

 

Angrydicky, I was actually based on the Allegro Club stand at Event City (and co-manned it for 3 1/2 hours) - if your car was on the Young Guns stand then I wasn't a million miles away (and if it wasn't then there was an outbreak of Beige maestros in the area that weekend!!)... I've been on here for some years, just not been much involved recently because of some problems with day to day life which have now passed.

 

Jon, thanks for the offer . And it's interesting to think about what rivals different cars had in their day, isn't it??

 

And Carlo, I'm still uncertain about the wheels - but you make a very valid point because the car is so standard (they need a refurb, regardless). The 205 is 'timeless', I would say, and does still look so "right" after 3 decades!! Also, if you could dig that article out that would be great .

[carlo]

Thanks folks .

 

Angrydicky, I was actually based on the Allegro Club stand at Event City (and co-manned it for 3 1/2 hours) - if your car was on the Young Guns stand then I wasn't a million miles away (and if it wasn't then there was an outbreak of Beige maestros in the area that weekend!!)... I've been on here for some years, just not been much involved recently because of some problems with day to day life which have now passed.

 

Jon, thanks for the offer . And it's interesting to think about what rivals different cars had in their day, isn't it??

 

And Carlo, I'm still uncertain about the wheels - but you make a very valid point because the car is so standard (they need a refurb, regardless). The 205 is 'timeless', I would say, and does still look so "right" after 3 decades!! Also, if you could dig that article out that would be great .

 

PM me your email and scan and send you a copy

[UmBongo]

A low mileage 80s classic from France.

 

What's not to like?

[Angrydicky]

Angrydicky, I was actually based on the Allegro Club stand at Event City (and co-manned it for 3 1/2 hours) - if your car was on the Young Guns stand then I wasn't a million miles away (and if it wasn't then there was an outbreak of Beige maestros in the area that weekend!!)... I've been on here for some years, just not been much involved recently because of some problems with day to day life which have now passed.

 

Ah right! Small world. Yes mine was on the Young Guns stand, right opposite you. There were a few autoshiters there over the weekend but I utterly failed to meet any of them.