Why do I want a 206 GTi 180?
Discussion
For some reason I've got a hankering for these. I know the 206 is not the best of Peugeot's efforts, but something about it still appeals. And just looking at these pics here, it is a tempting, slightly left-field alternative to the ubiquitous Clio 172/182 (which I don't really fit in, so they're ruled out). I think it's just the interior I like - those seats, and from those pics it seems to do a reasonable impression of a good quality car, although being French I'm sure it's not. But hopefully still cheap to fix and can handle some hard driving?
And any car with an oil temperature gauge has got to be serious!
Go on, please ruin it for me. It's probably not that economical? And feels slow? Definitely somewhat unreliable, not to mentioned the wheels look ridiulously oversized and doubtless give a crap ride..?
And any car with an oil temperature gauge has got to be serious!
Go on, please ruin it for me. It's probably not that economical? And feels slow? Definitely somewhat unreliable, not to mentioned the wheels look ridiulously oversized and doubtless give a crap ride..?
The seats are nice, I have to admit. I have a friend who has had one from brand new and still hasn't sold it. It's not that he loves it, he just likes the seats. 
When I did drive it, it was fairly decent. Not amazing but enough to keep you happy. Mind you, this was over a year ago now.
When I did drive it, it was fairly decent. Not amazing but enough to keep you happy. Mind you, this was over a year ago now.Boring cars. I owned one for 7 months.
By all means i didn't hate it but then nor did i like it. It had no character, no real feel, It lacked a lot of things.
I think the only thing it really has going for it are the seats! There are definitely better cars out there!
Not wanting to put you off but they're just not a very rewarding drive.
And now for a picture of mine...naturally.
By all means i didn't hate it but then nor did i like it. It had no character, no real feel, It lacked a lot of things.
I think the only thing it really has going for it are the seats! There are definitely better cars out there!
Not wanting to put you off but they're just not a very rewarding drive.
And now for a picture of mine...naturally.
I had one and loved it. Totally different from the 138Gti.
You'll get everyone on here banging on about how its french and s
te. Do yourself a favor and take one out for a couple of hours.
The seats are as good as they look. I drove all the usual suspects before I bought mine, and for "real world" driving, the 180Gti was the one for me.
I bought mine with the intention of keeping it for 2 years. Kept it for nearly four.
Nothing at all went wrong with mine apart from a rogue airbag light glitch(sorted under warranty)
You'll get everyone on here banging on about how its french and s
te. Do yourself a favor and take one out for a couple of hours.The seats are as good as they look. I drove all the usual suspects before I bought mine, and for "real world" driving, the 180Gti was the one for me.
I bought mine with the intention of keeping it for 2 years. Kept it for nearly four.
Nothing at all went wrong with mine apart from a rogue airbag light glitch(sorted under warranty)
Nasty little car. Cost Peugeot a fortune. It was supposed to be a new variable valve timing head, designed by Lotus, fitted to the existing 2.0 bottom end. IMO the *only* reason they carried on with the project was the Clio 172.
To say they had problems during development would be an understatment, by the time it got to production, some 3 years after initial design work was done, the only part that remained of the 138 engine was the block.
I worked for a company that produced the inlet manifold, worst design of manifold ever, they wanted a certain length of inlet and the only way to get in under the bonnet was to twist it this way and that.
The joke at work, was the inlet manifold did several thousand miles before it ever met the car. The manifold and oil seperate canister, bolted to the underside of it, were cast in Spain, transported to the UK for machining and assembly, transported to France for assembly onto and engine and then back to the UK for final assembly into the car... What a joke!
To say they had problems during development would be an understatment, by the time it got to production, some 3 years after initial design work was done, the only part that remained of the 138 engine was the block.
I worked for a company that produced the inlet manifold, worst design of manifold ever, they wanted a certain length of inlet and the only way to get in under the bonnet was to twist it this way and that.
The joke at work, was the inlet manifold did several thousand miles before it ever met the car. The manifold and oil seperate canister, bolted to the underside of it, were cast in Spain, transported to the UK for machining and assembly, transported to France for assembly onto and engine and then back to the UK for final assembly into the car... What a joke!
harryowl said:
miniman said:
Slack gearchange, interior quality inspection by Stevie Wonder, driving position best suited to contortionist... if you hanker after a chuckable Peugeot then I would save yourself a load of money and get a proper one.
THIS is a proper chuckable peugeot.
There was a crashed (rear-ended) one in my local scrappy. I rang up my mechanic to enquire about nicking the engine to put into my 205. He just laughed at the prospect. Apparently very peaky, bugger all torque and a terrible clattery noise.
A few months later I drove a Citroen C4 by Loeb (same engine) and I was inclined to agree.
As for the handling - well I'm sure you all saw it on Top Gear beating a (knackered) 205 in a straight line. Round the track it would have been an entirely different story.
A few months later I drove a Citroen C4 by Loeb (same engine) and I was inclined to agree.
As for the handling - well I'm sure you all saw it on Top Gear beating a (knackered) 205 in a straight line. Round the track it would have been an entirely different story.
Well the thing is I already have a 206 1.6 8v which I do quite like. Therefore I'm ready prepared for the wobbly gearchange, crap driving position, and average build quality! (Any chance the gti has a reach adjustable steering wheel? Or at least better under thigh support?) But although my current 206 is a good car for only £2k, I don't know whether, once you go up to say 4-5k for a nice condition 180, and start paying the extra running costs (any comments on this please folks?) it's going to be a case of diminishing value, and will end up actually being a worse choice than the 206 I've already got.
106 GTi - would love one, other half has a 106 but the driving position would never work for me! Also wouldn't feel as comfortable going quickly in it on road - light years between the passive safety of the 106 and 206
.
Would consider alternative suggestions in this vein - newish (post 2000), cheapish to run & fix, good to own and drive, mildly interesting to look at inside & out, n/a petrol nice but would consider diesel/turbo, reasonably practical... you get the idea. But something a smidge more exciting than a Fabia vRS.
106 GTi - would love one, other half has a 106 but the driving position would never work for me! Also wouldn't feel as comfortable going quickly in it on road - light years between the passive safety of the 106 and 206
.Would consider alternative suggestions in this vein - newish (post 2000), cheapish to run & fix, good to own and drive, mildly interesting to look at inside & out, n/a petrol nice but would consider diesel/turbo, reasonably practical... you get the idea. But something a smidge more exciting than a Fabia vRS.
Pentoman said:
Well the thing is I already have a 206 1.6 8v which I do quite like. Therefore I'm ready prepared for the wobbly gearchange, crap driving position, and average build quality! (Any chance the gti has a reach adjustable steering wheel? Or at least better under thigh support?) But although my current 206 is a good car for only £2k, I don't know whether, once you go up to say 4-5k for a nice condition 180, and start paying the extra running costs (any comments on this please folks?)
The gearchange isn't "wobbly". The driving position isn't crap. (imo)The steering wheel isn't' reach adjustable.
Im nearly 6'5" and it found it very comfortable/supportive.
Driving sensibly you'll get 30mpg ish. Its a group 17 insurance, so may be quite expensive to insure.
Don't be talked out of it before you've driven it yourself. Honestly.
When you next go to look at one, look at how the brake pedal is connected to the master cylinder.
Assuming it's the same as the normal 206's, When they were converted to RHD they didn't bother moving the master cylinder over to the right hand side of the car. Instead they just ran a couple of metal bars across the entire width of the cabin, connecting the new pedal to the mechanism on the passenger side where the pedal in the LHD versions was. A bodge of epic proportions. Get a 106, 205 or 306 instead.
Assuming it's the same as the normal 206's, When they were converted to RHD they didn't bother moving the master cylinder over to the right hand side of the car. Instead they just ran a couple of metal bars across the entire width of the cabin, connecting the new pedal to the mechanism on the passenger side where the pedal in the LHD versions was. A bodge of epic proportions. Get a 106, 205 or 306 instead.
The ride is so bad on these that it's unbelievable. Imagine how much fun it would be working in an office where a colleague crept up behind you and scared the living crap out of you every few minutes. That's what it's like driving a 206 GTI 180 on anything other than a billiard table smooth surface. KER-ASH!!! Wince...
If it is in good condition, from the reliable owner, why not. I have driven lower powered 206s and they are good cars. Comfortable and agile. Steering not as feelfull as previous pugs, but still good. Not so oversteery as 106, but front end is still very neutral. Also better crash protection than 106. Gti 180 is on the same basis, cannot be much different, except much faster. Most rational would be 1.4 hdi, excellent little car, really. Better than Golf V, more agile and sporty, and similarly comfortable.
I used to work for peugeot and had to drive the gti 180, sorry but it was horrible the driving position means that it felt like you were realy high up, for 180bhp it wasnt particularly quick and didnt feel it, the gear box is like stiring a tin of paint lol, the seats however were amazing shame about the positioning of them! Id suggest polo gti, seat ibiza fr but everyone has there own taste! Have to say i loved the 207 gti though my the best hot hatch but not the worst ever and much better than the 206!
....lupo gti would be a quality alternative!
....lupo gti would be a quality alternative!
Edited by zippyprorider on Friday 19th March 23:15
Don't know so many people have a downer on this little car, My friends mum has one and we took it a road trip round scotland 900 miles in 3 days, The seats are great, although you have to sit bolt upright to be in a proper position, so I chose to recline like a beach chair lol. But seriously I was really quite quick, handling was direct and smooth, grip was insane as far I was concerned gave motorbikes a run for they're money on the twisty roads, engine wasnt peaky or laggy as soon as i put my foot down it went and pulled up to the red line ( great engine note ) ride was quite hard which i like but isnt for everyone, plus you really have to watch for potholes and rough parkin areas! Fuel consumption is somewhat crap if your not hangin about we spent around 200 quid on petrol in 3 days, plus sitting at 4 to 5k revs on the motorway from 70 to 85 mph kills your mpg, driving normally it isn't to bad considering the power you have to play with.
Im looking to buy one, plus is 850 quid for me to insure at 22, where as its over 2k for a type R, so for the 17 bhp different, ( and i have driven a type r, amazing car but bad understeer lol) i think its a great compromise, 206 is around 2k cheaper to buy and cheaper to insure perfect car for me to have until i can afford to insure a scooby! lol
Hope my endless rant was of some use!!
Im looking to buy one, plus is 850 quid for me to insure at 22, where as its over 2k for a type R, so for the 17 bhp different, ( and i have driven a type r, amazing car but bad understeer lol) i think its a great compromise, 206 is around 2k cheaper to buy and cheaper to insure perfect car for me to have until i can afford to insure a scooby! lol
Hope my endless rant was of some use!!
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