17 replies to this topic

[robson]

Evening all. My mini is becoming far too impractical for daily road use, so I need a daily car.

I am very fond of the peugeot 205 (for an unknown reason) but I am concerned that it amy not live up to 'daily driver' status as it would likely be older than the mini! Reliability and 24/7 road worthiness are crucial here.

What im after are some opinions from owners or previous owners of peugeot 205's to comment on their reliability compared to that of a mini. My mini has been very reliable, however I spend a very large amount of time on it. I am not looking to spend much time on the 205, just for it to do its job.

Its no problem if they arent highly reccomended, as ill just get something more mainstream.

(Thought i might get a biased set of opinions from a pug forum, hence asking here)

Thanks

[Sam Walters]

slow noisy smelly when you floor them, gear change is horible on the two ive driven.

but for a cheap daily drive you cant complain.

[captain kirk]

i had one a few years ago nothing fancy just a normal 205 it was ok got me from a to b it was very reliable good for a run around

[miniman retford]

My son has just sold his 205 1.6 gti which he owned for 18 months with 96k miles on the clock & the only trouble we had was coolant hoses splitting but that was just an age thing i suppose,

He now has another 205 this time with a 2.0 ltr mi16 engine

Found no problems with rust as they were galvanized from new

It's nearly as much fun as my mini

[robson]

How is the quality of ride? Is it comporable to a more modern car in terms of comfort or are they harsher?

[captain kirk]

How is the quality of ride? Is it comporable to a more modern car in terms of comfort or are they harsher?

to be honest it was that long ago when i mine,but as far as i can remember it was ok
not much help i know

[supermotolee]

my mate had a 205 rallye dead slow due to loooooong final drive but he swapped engines with one of his other 106 rallye engines went really well super comfy and stood up to months on abuse! and lift off over steer with the torsion bar rear end, very easy to drive on the soft ones but the gtis will bite (so i'm told)

[supermotolee]

i just got a golf gti off my mum for next to nothing but if i was looking for a fun daily drive i'd have a 205 gti or a suzuki swift gti without a doubt

[daveholman]

I got a 1.9 GTi and while the ride is firm, it's not uncomfortable. I drive to work in it every day and have no trouble at all. My mum has also had a couple of base models and had no problems at all with them. The only problems I've had really have been caused by general wear and tear or me generally not looking after it. On the plus side with the GTi's you can cruise quite happily through towns with traffic and the like, then when you get in the open you can have a bit of fun.

Edited by daveholman, 09 May 2008 - 07:03 AM.

[Natalie]

He now has another 205 this time with a 2.0 ltr mi16 engine

:lub:

I was thinking of getting a 205 diesel for a daily drive as i want to keep the miles down on Daisy, one finished on ebay yesterday for £205 but I can't afford a second car at the mo

[205 tref]

i'm probably biassed, but i love 205's!

gti's are getting very iffy, expect to look hard and pay money for a good one, as most have been ragged mercilessly and had servicing ignored. oil changes are far more frequent than on modern cars(3000-6000 miles alternating filter & oil with just oil), so the same sort of people who don't understand/do anything about grease nipples can wreck the engines quite easily.

gti's can have a frequent roughness at idle in traffic, this is just something you learn to live with.

i've just given up on my ex-current gti project and changed it for a 2 owner XS from a jaguar xf owning household (was wife's runabout).

used the gti daily on a 70 mile round commute and it was fun and reliable. only didn't start once in a year, because i'd left lights on after getting used to warning buzzers.

if you're looking at diesels, the 1.9 is not the way forward. the 1.7 td is a much better bet.

shells and chassis tend not to rust unless they've suffered damage and bodgery. watch out for areas around the wishbone-subframe on gtis and back seat floor over the petrol tank on all cars.

if you see one with a saggy back end the rear beam is probably fubar and while it's not a huge job to change, it's about £100 just for parts to recon the beam, making finding a rebuilt one attractive as some bits of the job are a s*d to do. changing beam is a 2 person job!

i'm a fan of the 1.4 TU versions as they're less complex and more practical as cheap daily transport. the standard models (not rallye or xs) can achieve a reallistic 45mpg - if you get much less you're driving hard or there's something wrong.

1.6 gti will struggle to make much better than 35mpg but is fun to drive. 1.9 gti suffers chronic lift off oversteer and tries to bury its tail in a hedge if you let go of the throttle mid corner. 1.6 gti has funny brake circuit (not diagonally opposed) 1.9 gti is the way forward if big alloys are likely to be wanted. watch out for signs of bodged repairs at either end.

all the panels and most of the parts are still easily available.

there are a lot of dogs out there. gti's worth having that come ready to use (not needing work) are unlikely to be much less than £1000, and may be quite a bit more. My XS (89f) cost me £335 privately and is very near mint. CJ convertibles (1.4 TU) seem to be moving quite cheaply on the 'bay, but no convertible can really be described as watertight. they are excellent fun though. we're just in the process of getting rid of our second one.

hope that helps!

if you're going the gti route 205gtidrivers is a good place to be...

[Baldspeed Racing]

yay another 205 driver, im just doing an engine swap on mine to a 1.9 Gti lump running on some weber 40's. They are wicked little cars but beware of liftoff oversteer they are little bitches for that.......as yes ive been there and done that.

heres by baby, minus its badges but they have since been stuck on

Edited by Baldspeed Racing, 09 May 2008 - 08:44 AM.

[daveholman]

oversteer they are little bitches for that.......as yes ive been there and done that.

I think the majority of 205 GTi drivers have, especially taking roundabouts in the wet during a bit of spirited driving.

[robson]

Some great replies, keep em coming! Oversteer is nothing new to me
I was planning to get an mi16 jobbie (already in car) as I really dont want a slow car and dont want another car I have to transplant engines with, 1 is more than enough!

Some reassuring replies, I didnt want to get lumbered with a car just as impractical as my mini and equally uncomfortable (though they are fun, there is a time and a place, as I have come to realise)

Failing to get a 205, ill get a cheap scooby / skyline, some go for around £2k however some OK ones seem to go for about £3k. Not sure if I want to do this though as maintainance is likely to be higher and parts will cost more, but then its a more visually pleasing car. (I will of course be fully maintaining any car I get, though I want as little effort as possible)

I am always drawn to 205's though, almost got one instead of a mini (almost wish I had, even still now) so this is a really hard decision

[RobJaxon]

how much money do you have to spend

insurace/tax/purchase?

Edited by RobJaxon, 09 May 2008 - 11:43 AM.