Peugeot 205 Gti

This is a great car, second car after within first year of driving and best thing i ever did!

There are so many things that can go wrong but hey its 20 years old!

Value for money is the best thing as the amount of money you spend doesn't compare to the amount of fun you have!! £850 mine was, bit of a service and this got me hooked!!

Im only 19 now and couldn't careless about insurance price.

RECOMMENDED TO ANYONE WHO DOESN'T WANT TO MODIFY THIS CAR!!

Ladies and gentlemen!I bought my 1.9 Peugot 205 Gti new, in Saudi Arabia in 1993. At the time l was working for a Saudi Oil Company, on the east coast of S.A. I drove it in and around the Eastern Province of S.A. in 40-plus degrees. No problems at all, the A.C. worked impeccably and the car started up each day at the first turn of the key. Extreme Test number 1. Passed 5 Star. In 1995 i drove my car back to U.K. overland from the east coast of S.A. 1,600 kilometers to Jordan. Over very bumpy, unmade roads part way along the TAP Line (Trans Arabian Pipeline) the speedometer cable stopped working. It had jumped out of its housing. A quick pull on the cable from under the bonnet cured the problem immediately. Not the car's fault, mine. Passed through border control and flew through Jordan, excellent roads en route for Syria. Filled the tank for the umteenth time but fuel economy brilliant!Passed through border control into Syria and again, the "Pug" was in its element on the wide Syrian highways. After stopping part way on a wide section of the highway to take some photos of villagers, made contact with the Syrian "Highway Patrol" who were really good fun to talk to. The exclaimed their surprise at the fact when l explained to them l was driving all he way back to U.K. in this little "Peejoo"(their pronunciation), wished me God's blessing and sent me off with a salute.Crossed the border into Turkey and proceeded up quite high mountain passes and down the other side quite scary at times but the Gti took everything in its stride, brakes, steering, handling, impeccable!Same story: Turkey, Greece and after the car ferry from Igoumenitsa(Greece) to Brindisi (southern Italy) and through the border at Ventimiglia, into France. Beat up through France to Cherbourg in time to get the 5 p.m.ferry to Poole. Up to the M4 and then down to Wales. Total mileage; 8,500 kilometers (5,000 miles) in four and a half days!!! At every stage, the Gti never murmured, got on with the job happily and, considering the incredible amount of varying conditions, fast roads, mountains, sharp bends etc, this Gem of a car kept me safe and secure, even though it was put to extreme tests many times en route. Later that year in November, the 205Gti was driven to Sweden, where l stayed through a Swedish winter until february. Typical temperatures ranging from minus 10 degrees C to minus 25 degrees C (often minus 30C). Ice, wind and snow!There was no space in the garage so the Gti had to stay outside even at night under 5/6 inches of snow. All throughout these extremes of climate and temperature changes, the car started up first time, with the heater clearing the screen and warming the interior in a matter of minutes. Now that is a car worth talking about!! The car has only covered 42,000 kilometers(25,000(ish) miles, serviced at Canterbury Motors Peugeot agent where the cambelt was changed by request. And that's it! The car is now with me in my garage here in Southern France and still on Arab plates.The idea of this "travelogue" is to point out the incredible features of this time-defying classic of all time. I defy anyone to deny that my 1.9 Gti has proven it can handle anything that has been thrown at it with safety, security and confidence. As the Swedes do, my 205Gti will be buried with me when l go to the happy racetrack in the sky!

I have a Peugeot 205 1.6 Phase 2 gti, owned for three years. These cars must be the greatest hot hatches of all! Extremely fun to drive and they never get boring. Be aware! These cars have reliability issues due to age and being thrashed to death. Not an ideal daily runner! Idleing faults, oil seals wearing out (blue smoke), exhaust manifold prone to cracking, rear beam etc etc etc. But I have Done 20,000 miles in mine and I still love it! Makes life easier if you have 2 cars though, backup for when your 205 lets you down again.

I have the 1.6 version, its great to drive and is a brilliant little first car, even though the insurance so high as im only 18! It needs a little bit of work, don't know why it idles funny and doesn't start in the morning...... trying to work that one out. :-)

Want to get it lowered on the 1.9 wheels and find some ways to try to make it a bit more responsive without shelling out the big bucks....

Bought an F-Reg Peugeot 205 Gti 1.6GTi with 100k on the clock off father-in-law for 50 sovs. BARGAIN!!

Unmodified as yet had it for 6 months no problems so far.

Its quick when you floor it. Top end very responsive, scream the knackers off it boy!

Handles better than any car I ever owned (I've owned a mini and a lowered belmont sri both went like stink and stuck to the road like poo to a blanket, but the 205 is something else, throw it round as much as you want and you don't need to brake for corners!

Would like 1.9 15" alloys, induction kit and better exhaust, but unmodified it kicks out around 90-100bhp which'll do fine!

Classic pocket rocket!

The Peugeot 205 Gti is an all time classic.

Handles brilliantly and is second to none. (never been beaten by anything around corners)

Its been extremely reliable with the 1.6 engine (for 11 years i've never had any major faults with the car)

I've owned the same car for 13 years with the 1.6 engine for 11 of those years then changed the engine to a low mileage 1.9 because it was cheap which only lasted 6 months (blew it up testing my nitrous set up)..then the mi16 engine which has been unreliable due to a BAD CONVERSION (not wired up correctly)... But have loved every moment of ownership even though its cost me a small fortune.

I have aquired another one of these cars and I am still on the look out for a late example of this car... if I can find one thats not been crashed.

I really like the looks and handling of the Peugeot 205 Gti, but the engine is poor it splutters a lot in second gear and top end leaves a bit to be desired if anyone has any tips on how to make it run better please let me know.

I bought a 1.9 GTI on an F 1989 (133,000 miles) for my first car. I wanted a fast car and didn't really mind about the insurance as fast is better than slow. I'm 19 and I pay £2600 insurance 3rd party only with admiral. This car was rapid, beating Escort RS Turbos the lot and the car was standard. I had a few problems at first,

1)Laquar on roof come off

2)Dry bearing in crankshaft, making a sweaky noise

3)Fuel gauge playing up

4)Heater motor not working

I thrashed this motor around Romford, Southend, Thurrock and it handled like a go kart, I beat an Impreza round bends once but it was close. A knocking sound from the n/s wheel started and the car was idleing really rough but I took no notice. I put on a max flow induction kit and this baby was even faster. I was losing water by the day and before I knew it a month after I had bought it a pipe split and it overheated. I put a new pipe on which went to the cold water valve and topped up and carried on. I was travelling down the M25 The night after I got the hose and it lost power and come to a standstill. I tried to start it and it was not having none of it. I rang the recovery and waited to get picked up. He managed to start it with the jumpers and the bottom end had blown up and the alternator had gone, I was in a world of shame having paid £460 for it. I had to get another car but I fell in love with mine and I had to get it going. I rang around and got a Brand new recon engine fitted for £1000. It come with a 5 yr guarantee as long as I take it back there to get serviced. The car was running so smoothly it was like it come out the showroom, but the car was still idling funny and it still is to this day, the breather pipes have been cleaned and so have the injectors so I don't know what it is. The clicking from the wheel was still there so I put in a driveshaft and the clicking went. The car is holding back a bit but with a little bit of messing about I'm sure I can get the thing as fast as it was when I first got it. I love this car and all other 205 GTI's, there the nuts.

If you need cheap parts try GSF, they're well cheap. If you wana know the firm about the new engines then email me on [email protected].

Respect to all 205 gti owners.

I have had my F reg Peugeot 205 Gti since year 2000. And it is a lot of fun to drive. But, before I bought it many cowboy outfits had tried to 'improve it'. Items like really low springs, power boost valves, etc do not help performance, ride, handling or comfort. If yours has these get rid of them. You'll be surprised. Honest. And if you don't believe me then go to Castle Combe and watch the 205's race and beat the Impreza's and later Peugeot's as they go around the track. Those cars aren't that low and they don't have the gimmicks either.

The engine has non-hydraulic tappets and so the top end should sound rattly. The valve guides tend to wear out at around 80,000 miles. And these are cheap to replace. Anyone who quotes you a large bill is ripping you off. If the engine uses oil it's probably the valves that have gone. Other than this annoying niggle the engine is bullet proof. I should know. I ran my engine without oil from Bristol to Alton! By accident of course!! But... replaced valves and a new oil fill later the car is running as sweet as a nut!

An average condition 1.6 produces very similar power to a 1.9 so if you're in the market for one and you haven't had a 205 before you'll get equal pleasure from either. But, the gearbox in the 1.9 will make motorway driving more relaxing.

The car doesn't leak but, rain water will form in the passenger footwell if left out in a heavy soak. It comes in from the vent under the windscreen scuttle on the passenger side. This is a design fault of the car.

If you want cheap insurance for these vehicles I recommend the following. Get yourself a racing license. Go to a specialist insurer and get a limited road milage policy. My vehicle is very heavily modified - 192.8bhp from an 8valve! Doing the above cut the cost of insurance from £2,500pa fully comp to less than £750pa fully comp. This is for a 5000 mile policy. The cost of the race license is around £250.

As for practicality - the boot is tiny but I have travelled the length and breadth of the UK with 4 adults very comfortably.

I hope you find this review useful.

I bought my Peugeot 205 Gti 1.9 GTi for cheap off a mate because it wasnt running at the time, I then took it to a lad at motorsport and he got it running. Since then I have really enjoyed the performance and the handling it is spot on but beware of the reliability because I am sick of mine now after what I thought was a cheap good bucks per bhp beast has now turned into a wallet draining pain in the bum. I hate to say it but my girlfriend was right when she said dont get one because it'll only cost you a fortune in the end so the moral of this story is go ahead buy a 205 gti if you have two cars (for when the 205's in the garage) and a large wallet to foot the bills! because my 205 story aint one with a happy ending!