- Coolant hose split.
- New clutch & cable needed, the previous one had been fitted badly and was jammed half on, so wore out quickly.
- Handbrake cable broke.
- Hood slashed open by a vandal (not the car's fault), this is currently repaired by copious amounts of black tape until I can afford the money for a new one.
I had a 1984 205GT that I loved before and when it died, I had a year in between with a diesel Escort which I totally despised - it looked like a taxi, had wobbly handling and was slow. The feeling was apparently mutual as it disintegrating into rust during this period just to spite me.
I have had a few problems, mainly down to its age. But the whole it is reliable. The design still looks good, it looks nice with the roof down, and has a smart denim interior.
I always found 205's very good fun to drive. This model only has a single carburetor so there is a little less acceleration than my 1.4GT had. Being a cabriolet, it does lose some of the sharpness in the ride and roadholding because it is more flexible - on bumpy roads you get a fair bit of scuttle shake.
Overall, it's worth living through with the rattles, occasional leaks, draughts, and condensation, just to enjoy summer with the roof down. I love this car!
Was your GT a twin carb, or a twin choke 1988 onwards. I presume that you have a tu3a engine in yours, and if you want the same power in it as a pre 88 gt try and get the twin choke carb with manifold off an 88- xs or gt, about £30 from a scrap dealer. It'll bolt straight on, and will give the car an extra 10bhp.
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