Peugeot 205 Blondemobile
Discussion
My wife needed a cheapo car with low insurance, and it's her birthday to boot, so five hundred quid has netted me this shiny bargain of a 1996 205 diesel.
With just 59 BHP claimed, it's no GTi, despite the addition of 1.6 GTi alloys and side fenders, but it does 60 mpg, and is actually surprisingly nippy and pleasant to drive, displaying that classic 205 wheel at each corner quality. The rust content of the car appears, as far as I can tell, to be zero.
The poverty spec interior is fine, with power steering to heave the heavy engine about, nowt else that might break (the clock is already broken), and BANGIN' CHOONZE available on the poshed up stereo.
The car has its handbook and service book in their original wallet, and has dealer stamps up to 2008. Now it has done 137,000 miles, but that, I gather, is nothing for one of these Peugeot 1.8 non turbo diesels.
Wife happy, wallet happy. The only snag now is that the car is so much fun to drive that I want to steal it off her.
With just 59 BHP claimed, it's no GTi, despite the addition of 1.6 GTi alloys and side fenders, but it does 60 mpg, and is actually surprisingly nippy and pleasant to drive, displaying that classic 205 wheel at each corner quality. The rust content of the car appears, as far as I can tell, to be zero.
The poverty spec interior is fine, with power steering to heave the heavy engine about, nowt else that might break (the clock is already broken), and BANGIN' CHOONZE available on the poshed up stereo.
The car has its handbook and service book in their original wallet, and has dealer stamps up to 2008. Now it has done 137,000 miles, but that, I gather, is nothing for one of these Peugeot 1.8 non turbo diesels.
Wife happy, wallet happy. The only snag now is that the car is so much fun to drive that I want to steal it off her.
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 30th March 21:15
You have to stir the stick about to pass traffic on the motorway, but in town, or on a country road, the car is a blast. No rev counter, but the engine lets you know when it needs to change up. The seats are indeed comfortable, and the fabric on them is evidently hard wearing. Overall, the car feels tight and right, and does seem like another well spent monkey. If only all my car choices were so sensible.
It drives like one too, within reason. Ok, not much vroom, and not much straight line speed, but delightful nippiness and handliness.
Late in any model's life, with its replacement already available or waiting in the wings, the manufacturer will of course try to move units by conjuring up all sorts of special editions. This one was called an Inca, and has jazzy pseudo-mesoamerican details on the fabric. It would originally have had thin side stripes with Inca-ish patterns on them, but at some point in the car's life someone has done a minor bit of GTI fakery on it, albeit fooling no-one. My wife had GTis back in her younger days, and, natch, ragged them rotten, just as everyone did.
I would have preferred a 1.3 petrol GTX, but missed a couple of those, and they seem to go for a bit more money than the old smokers. The diesels are blessed with longevity, good mpg, and the virtues of low tech.
Late in any model's life, with its replacement already available or waiting in the wings, the manufacturer will of course try to move units by conjuring up all sorts of special editions. This one was called an Inca, and has jazzy pseudo-mesoamerican details on the fabric. It would originally have had thin side stripes with Inca-ish patterns on them, but at some point in the car's life someone has done a minor bit of GTI fakery on it, albeit fooling no-one. My wife had GTis back in her younger days, and, natch, ragged them rotten, just as everyone did.
I would have preferred a 1.3 petrol GTX, but missed a couple of those, and they seem to go for a bit more money than the old smokers. The diesels are blessed with longevity, good mpg, and the virtues of low tech.
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 30th March 21:39
Nice choice!
My other half needed a cheap smoker about 6 years ago and a mate of a mate gave us a 205 Style 1.8D for free. £50 spent and it went through an MOT and my missus put around 15k miles on it (spent a bit more money on it though, including a lovely velour interior from a Dturbo model). We sold it and it was still going strong with the clocks showing this:
My other half needed a cheap smoker about 6 years ago and a mate of a mate gave us a 205 Style 1.8D for free. £50 spent and it went through an MOT and my missus put around 15k miles on it (spent a bit more money on it though, including a lovely velour interior from a Dturbo model). We sold it and it was still going strong with the clocks showing this:
"kinnel!
There are some cars that make you think "why did they ever stop making this car?' When I drove an Alfa GT junior 1300 some years ago, that thought entered my head, and the same can be said of the 205.
BTW, I hear tell of some bloke opp Cheshire who may have 205 non GTi cabrio to flog off, in case anyone is interested.
There are some cars that make you think "why did they ever stop making this car?' When I drove an Alfa GT junior 1300 some years ago, that thought entered my head, and the same can be said of the 205.
BTW, I hear tell of some bloke opp Cheshire who may have 205 non GTi cabrio to flog off, in case anyone is interested.
The special mats are said to replicate the pattern that was ritually inscribed onto the scrotum of Inca Warlord Pachacuti-Cusi Yupanqui using a blunt stone knife, in an annual ceremony to celebrate the sun not exploding, or something.
Early this morning, the streets of Islington were deserted and sunny, so I went for a minor urban hoon on the spurious pretext of buying the paper. This little sweetie will fly around Highbury Corner almost as well as any Lotus that I have owned.
I will go and check later whether the pump is Bosch (in which case running veggie is reported to be straightforward) or Lucas (in which case it is reported to be less so). Peugeot used both types, more or less at random.
Early this morning, the streets of Islington were deserted and sunny, so I went for a minor urban hoon on the spurious pretext of buying the paper. This little sweetie will fly around Highbury Corner almost as well as any Lotus that I have owned.
I will go and check later whether the pump is Bosch (in which case running veggie is reported to be straightforward) or Lucas (in which case it is reported to be less so). Peugeot used both types, more or less at random.
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