Faults:

The rear of car dropped and drivers side rear wheel turned in at the top, it needed new rear axle/suspension assembly at 130000 miles. £350 fitted.

Starter motor failing at 139000 miles. £16 for second hand one.

Oil pressure a little low, but found dipstick seal had fallen off, replaced dipstick and the oil pressure is now fine. £5 for new one.

Current knocking from suspension which looks like it could be due to worn bushes.

General Comments:

Great car. Very fast, but its best feature is the handling where it behaves when you want it to, but can also have fun with overstear.

Faults:

Cam belt snapped in the first two weeks of ownership. The engine was rebuilt by myself on a very cold November night.

Clutch went at 89,000 miles.

Brake master cylinder died at 90,000 miles.

Alternator went at 99,000 miles, and left me stranded on the M5 at 2am in the middle of winter.

Carb kept getting clogged up when the car was low on juice.

Wiper motor burnt out at 122,000 miles.

Head gasket blew at 134,000 miles.

Speedo cable snapped at 134,000 miles.

Rear axle replaced at 149,000 miles, due to a fight with a ditch.

Drive shafts went at 56,000 miles.

Gearbox lost 2nd and 4th gears at 160,000 miles. New gearbox was found on the cheap.

Bottom end getting noisy.

Interior scruffy.

Bodywork getting rough too.

General Comments:

In general, my little Pug has been a great car, especially as it's done 86,000 miles in 4 years.

It's only broken down twice. Once with the alternator, and once when a drive shaft lost its will to live.

It's fairly quick for an 1100cc car. I've had 110mph out of the old girl.

It's getting very scruffy now. The seats are very dirty, and the front ones are badly ripped too. The bodywork isn't much better with flakey blue paint (the lacquer is coming off slowly). It has 3 large dents. One on the front wing, following a fight with a wall.

The boot is badly bent after a trip through a ditch, and the driver's side door is bent after some muppet in a Fiat Uno drove into me.

My car also sports GTI bumpers and alloys, which liven up the car a treat.

Faults:

Replaced the stereo when I got the car.

Engine was dirty (short journeys...)

Needed a new rotor arm and distributor cap at 83000 miles.

Mixture was over-rich at purchase.

Exhaust clogged/dirty.

General Comments:

This car is amazing. I bought it for £300, and it was in perfect running order, maybe just not at peak performance. The instrument panel is a bit bare, and doesn't tell you much, but I have fitted a tachometer (which wasn't as easy as it should have been, thanks to the weird French style engine layout), so that's a start. Looking to modify the engine and get peak performance soon... :)

Faults:

All the main things have gone wrong with my 205.

Torsion bar bearings.

Anti roll bar drop links.

Punished leather seats etc etc.

General Comments:

I am a motor mechanic so fixing the car is not a problem, yes it is tight in the engine bay and many a spanner has been flung out while I am under the bonnet however...

The main engine design is superb, the handling is involving, you get to drive the car rather then being driven.

With a few tweaks you can modernize your 205, my 205 will cruise at 90 at 3500-4000 rpm, less fuel consumption, less noise, overall a much nicer car to drive long distance and the part cost me nothing from the scrap yard!!

This car is a classic in the making, they maybe cheap and cheerful for some, but I advise all who are into there motor cars to take a 205 1.9 for a long drive!!!

I'll watch this space for your comments!

If your 205 is not quick enough for you, email FP1_Racing@btopenworld.com.