Thinking of getting 106 GTi. Final Tips & Advice?

[BadBanshee]

There's a 106 GTi for sale, 120k miles, year 2000, £900, says FSH. Is this good value? Is it too cheap to be true or just right? Too much mileage or doesn't it matter if FSH is provided?

It's my first time buying so I have a few questions. How do I know if it has FSH on the day I go to view the car? I've accompanied my gf when she bought her car and the FSH just baffled me tbh. I didn't know exactly what I was looking at. Is there anything in a FSH that I should try and spot and avoid if I see?

Is there anything else I should look at in particular when I go look at this car?

Also, does anybody know if I can fit a single din stereo with aux input and/or bluetooth?

Insurance is going to be £1050 and I understand Tax is going to be £270! I better not regret buying then if I do!

Any help greatly appreciated!

[BadBanshee]

Thanks everybody for the informative replies, I would be none the wiser otherwise, so I greatly appreciate the help. The one I'm looking at doesn't have a sunroof so that's one less thing to worry about any leakage

I've discovered that the servicing intervals for this car is 2 years or 20k miles. What should I do if there is a gap in the SH when they show me it? Maybe I'm being unduly pessimistic about this but I'm anticipating that for a car this old with such high mileage, the FSH isn't going to be flawless?

Also, I read somewhere to look out for track day abuse, but apart from the checks you guys have recommended I'm not sure how preoccupied I should be with such a worry?

Autosdirect said:

Great cars iv had plenty well 7 in fact (amix of 106/saxos) been a few years since I drove one now but IMHO they are still the best small hot hatches of there era

Main point have already been covered,the pas pumps have always been a weak point but are still readily available for 30-80 depending on witch one it is

Also the beauty of them is pretty much everything can be done on them with basic knowlage and a basic tool kit!

That's exactly what has attracted me to the 106 GTI. I want to dabble in my kitting-a-car-up fantasy and a cheap French car seems a perfect place to start. Reliability issues, with it being French, will serve as lessons for me starting off my journey into car ownership. I read in a review about the curious nature of its raw-ness; it makes the lower powered 106s feel crude and the sporty ones even sportier. Sounds promising!

[BadBanshee]

Out of all the 106 GTIs I have looked at, this one I've seen is the only one with advertised FSH. I'm beginning to think FSH is a loose term in itself. What counts as full? Is there an official time when it should be done and who decides when that is?

Yeah I wouldn't buy one where I couldn't see the top of the wheel under the arch.

Long throw gear changes don't bother me in the slightest, especially since I learnt about the effects of "snapshifting" in the other thread.

[BadBanshee]

What do you think to this as a plan, I'm going to text him now for first time asking him:

- How often it has been serviced with proof
- Proof of when the cambelt was last changed
- Any modifications
- Any previous major damage
- Any other issues with engine, bodywork, etc.

Thinking of texting him cuz I don't know when I would be able to see it just yet. If he sends back a satisfactory reply I will phone him once I know when and ask if it's possible to test drive it. I think he is a freelance trader so I doubt he has any test driver insurance?

[BadBanshee]

rb5er said:

Given up on the Lupo then?

Yeah there was just a mental block that stopped me from taking the next step when I considered that I would be paying a minimum of 3k for the car, 1.2k for insurance. When push came to shove I guess I just wasn't ready to depart with that sum of money. Might seem small for some, alot for others, but all I know is, my instinct told me not to do it. When I considered that I could get a 106 GTi for £900, managed to get a quote for 1k, my in-self just said "YES, DO IT!" lol

I know someone at work who had a Mini Cooper which she said the petrol and tax was too expensive so she downsized to a brand new Corsa on finance. Now me, personally, I just cannot comprehend how somebody who wants to downsize for financial reasons would then take out a brand new car on a loan. I'm generally very tight with money though, I just don't know how to spend it half the time. I don't know the financial details of how much she is actually saving but I'm sure my view on borrowing money is radically different to her's.

[BadBanshee]

I'm going to be using the car for social use only. I walk to work. I'm insured as a second driver on my gf's Aygo which is always on the driveway when I need to use it. I'm an aspiring mechanic that actually wants to get his hands dirty fixing something.

Does that change anything?

I do admit that I'm usually very averse to high mileage cars, but given my situation, I don't think it matters much. What do you think?

[BadBanshee]

Out of curiosity, why wouldn't you buy one that's over 100k miles? Why 100k? That's a very significant figure to humans but does the car know that it has hit the magical one and five zeroes and decide it's time to become a headache to its owner?

[BadBanshee]

rallycross said:

I've had a couple of these 106 16v gti's with 120k+ miles and fsh and they were still well screwed together and drove really well dont let 100k put you off if backed up with history.

Also use vosa mot history check to verify recent mileage and mot advisories.

Condition more important than mileage on these old things now. If its been well maintained could be excellent, if its beeen absused and poorly maintained likely to be a pile of junk.

Look out for worn rear beam, worn gear linkage, slippy clutch, bumps and bangs from suspension over pot-holes, driver seat worn look for fore and aft movement on its runners.

If you get a good one they are terrific, sub £1k is banger money for these as good ones fetch £2k plus.

How do I look for a worn rear beam and slippy clutch? Gotta be honest I'm not 100% sure what a rear beam is :/

My gf is telling me there has to be something wrong with it for £900 but from the pictures, it looks like one of the more legit ones out there. Looks in original condition apart from stereo, if it's been lowered then it looks like just the right amount, interior although a bit dusty on the fabric part of the seats, looks in very good condition, leather not too tired looking.

[BadBanshee]

edit: If you click on that pic you can see the other 3 I posted :s

[BadBanshee]

Baryonyx said:

+1 Your money will go much further with the almost identical Citroen Saxo VTS. Or even the cheaper the insure VTR. The Peugeot 106 GTi attracts a considerable premium over similar Saxos because it's a small Peugeot with a GTi badge...

Just did a quick quote all else being equal apart from the make and model:
106 GTI: £1050
Saxo VTS: £1180

[BadBanshee]

Baryonyx said:

Seller's premium, I should note. More Saxos will have been binned because they sold more, and gave them with free insurance when they were new.

£1000 will get you a much better VTS than it will a GTi. The same could be said for the top end of the market too. £2000 will get you a good GTI or a mint VTS.

You sure about that? The ones that I can see on autotrader for the same price either have dents in them, have had modded bodywork, seats with a horribly 90s pattern on them. I don't see what's 'much better' about them.

[BadBanshee]

Baryonyx said:

You'll find that there are is more chaff than wheat when you look at either. Given the type of car it is, and the type of people they attract. As a guide, having owned a VTR and looked at buying GTi's/VTS's before (and now considering a 106 Rallye), your money will go further on the Saxo. The good Saxos don't come with the premium that the good 106 GTi's do. Funny, but that's the badge for you. The cars are nearly identical, save for some differences in the rear beam IIRC. Both will suffer from battered or corroded rear beams, and the parts aren't interchangeable.

So would you say that from the pictures (last post on previous page), there might be something wrong with it because it's only £900, or does it seem about right?

[BadBanshee]

I'm not scared, I just want to make sure I've got everything covered before I make a purchase. I'm only going to take my gf with me so that she can drive the car we came in back. I don't have any mechanics for friends who can come and give the vehicle a proper once over, so I'm just going to go with the checks already suggested, test drive it, and if I don't smell a rat then he's made a sale.

I've texted the guy and I haven't received a reply so I'm going to call him tomorrow and if it's still for sale, arrange an appointment on Saturday.

[BadBanshee]

It'll be my first car and I get to sample one of the last of the golden era of hot hatches! I know the dash is drab but I actually like it, it takes me back to my childhood.

Yes, it has the leather interior, looks smart!

[BadBanshee]

I definitely want a 106 GTI, not a Saxo VTS. Looks better, plus the 106 comes across as more of an enthusiast's car. The VTS, more of a hoodie's car.

Is that your 106 GTI in those pics?

[BadBanshee]

pthelazyjourno said:

It was.

It didn't cost me a penny to run.

Bought for £1,500, sold for £1,500.

Lovely little car. Wish I kept it. Will have another one day when I need a practical second car, love hot hatches and it's a bit closer to older cars like the 205 GTI etc - less grown up than the 172 and the like.

Sounds great and I can't wait to own one.

So it's S reg worth £1,500? Wow, that's really making me wonder what's wrong with this £900 W-reg now :s

[BadBanshee]

I've just set my heart on the Pug tbh. Insurance wise the Saxo is more expensive for me, so even if I went based on cost alone, the GTI would work out cheaper for me.

My Dad bought me a 206 when I was learning to drive. I ended up not passing my test until 3 years after, and by then my Dad had sold the 206 long before. That wasn't 3 years of trying, I'm not that awful a driver :P I gave up for 3 years when I went to uni. It broke my heart but I knew the reason behind my failing my tests (6 in total :P) was because I still needed to mature neurologically lol. I was right because I passed my test first time after I graduated. That's how I like to think of it, first timer Anyway, in those months when I was first learning to drive I used to sit in the 206 in the garage and just imagine driving it. Sat in front of a steering wheel with that lion staring me in the face may have hypnotized me into preferring it over the twin arrows, but hey what's done is done!

[BadBanshee]

pthelazyjourno said:

Is W post 2001? Obviously only a 1.6, but what does the tax cost when it's based on emissions?

£900 is very cheap, irrespective of year. Worth a look.

It says registered 2000 so a year or two younger than your previous S reg. Was it less than 120,000 miles?

I'm not sure about the tax. I'm expecting it to be over £200.

[BadBanshee]

Baryonyx said:

Given the fact that they're essentially the same car with a different badge on, that is a curious conclusion to jump to. I've already mentioned the Pug GTI-tax. They are of course rarer (and I don't think they were ever offered with free insurance, something that sold loads of hot Saxos). I prefer them based on looks. But you'd be silly to rule one out over the other simply because you think it's a hoodie's car.

They've both had some fairly chequered pasts...

pictures

I feel sorry for the cars! I don't see the fascination in hiding the wheels under the arches. I think arches that are close to the wheels look nice but if the gap between the wheel and the arch isn't equal all the way round it just looks messy! It must be causing tyre wear or even wall damage at that height aswell. I wonder if they do their research but don't care, or just don't do their research at all.

[BadBanshee]

Just realized the number on the reg. 747 is a good number to have