1985 Peugeot 205 GTi review from UK and Ireland
"Lots of fun, now affordable - go for it!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Almost every part of the car needed attention at one point or another, probably because it was in a right state when I bought it and I thrashed it mercilessly. As far as I remember:
Gearchange linkage broke, stuck in 3rd gear.
Front wash/wipe packed up.
Stereo speakers are crap and got progressively worse.
Brake pads wore down VERY quickly.
The car would sometimes run on three cylinders, etc etc etc.
General comments?
When it ran properly, it was a very, very quick front wheel drive hatchback. Considering the abuse it had obviously endured from day one it was doing very well indeed, it never actually let me down while driving it.
The engine is one of the best I've ever driven, very smooth and lots of power (115 BHP), even more impressive considering they were all 8 valve motors, not that peaky either.
As with most main dealers, the service sucked - charged lots of money for bugger all work. Peugeot are quite expensive, compared to Ford, Vauxhall etc.
It is suprisingly comfortable and roomy.
If you're gonna buy one, make sure you get a nice clean one that's been looked after, the majority have been thrashed, crashed or generally trashed. Oh, and it's possible to buy/run one on a budget, just don't expect it to give its best!
The biggest problem you'll have is getting a reasonable insurance quote, any car now with GTi in its name gets stung big time.
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| Definitive economical diesel hatch, with almost sporting handling |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1985 |
| First year of ownership | 1997 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 1998 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.6 petrol Manual |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 6 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 4 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 65000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 74000 miles |
| Previous car | Nissan Micra |
| Date of Entry | 16th January, 2001 |