RE: Peugeot 309 GTI: Spotted
Tuesday 11th October 2016
It was a little over four years ago when the 309 GTI last came up in a PH classifieds discussion. Back then a meticulously maintained car with just over 100,000 miles would have cost you £1,750. Whoever bought that car made a great purchase...
The 205 GTI, essentially. As values for that have skyrocketed, so the mechanically similar 309 has been brought up by association. It's happened elsewhere too: E28 M5s appreciated to a crazy level, drawing attention to the E34 M5 with which its engine was shared. As 964s became out of reach, so buyers moved to 993s to get their air-cooled 911 fix. And as Ferrari 355s continue to head towards six figures, the 360 Modena becomes more desirable as the next (and slightly more attainable) V8 berlinetta down the Ferrari line.
While discussion will inevitably be around the price, it shouldn't be forgotten that the 309 GTI was a damn good car too. It's said to be better balanced (i.e. probably less likely to spin) than a 205 and, well, if it's anything like a 205 then it's going to be pretty special. Arguably it looks more appealing at £10K than an Astra GTE did at £9K.
Peugeot 309 GTI: Spotted
Looks like the days of cheap 309 GTIs are over too!
Because in 2016, another three-door 309 GTI - with a much lower mileage, granted - is for sale at £10,000. Sure, it's a nicer example, but not that much so. What's happened then?
Now, when a 205 has sold for more than £30K and others are heading that way, the 309 was inevitably going to attract more attention. Good news for those trying to sell them, bad news for those who wanted one of Peugeot's best hatches on the cheap. Get a 306 GTI for sensible money while you still can...
This particular car must be as good as 309s get in 2016. It's said to be in stunning condition (and certainly appears so from the pictures), with just 59,000 recorded miles and two previous owners. It's the more desirable three-door, the wheels are immaculate and even the mudflaps look pristine. Is it too good to use? We'll leave that to you...
While it's galling to see cars that once were cheap now a lot more expensive, there is at least one saving grace. If the 309 does indeed continue to follow the 205, could it be worth more money further down the line? It's worth considering. What might also be worth looking at is this lovely Golf GTI, an 8V MkII in very 80s white at £8,995. Just don't imagine what both the 309 and Golf were worth about five years ago...
PEUGEOT 309 GTI
Engine:1,905cc, four-cylinder
Transmission:Five-speed manual
Power (hp): 132@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 119@4,750rpm
MPG: 28
CO2: N/A
First registered: 1988
Recorded mileage: 59,000
Price then: £9,599
Yours for: £9,995
See the original ad here
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Discussion
I had one of these as a pool car in 1989. It was my first experience of driving on rails and in a car that begged to be pushed. I had a 55 mile motorway commute and regularly took the A/B road alternatives home on dry summer evenings. Exhilarating at times. Had to get rid of it as OH could not stand the ride once she reached 8 months into pregnancy. Yes build quality was poor but didn't seem to matter given the other attributes of the car. Replaced it with a E30 BMW 318i. Could not compete on fun but nice to drive a car that did not rattle!
My time with a 309Gti probably came about because of the little 205Gti below in the mid 80s
One of my friends got a B-reg 1.6gti only a couple of years old to start with - it was the early 105bhp engine but we could all recognize it was a proper little driver's car. Very different to rwd Escorts and Sunbeams but nicely trimmable on the throttle all the same
As the months progressed we all got wind of the forthcoming 1.9 version - One hundred and thirty brake horse power!
Might seem a little lame now but when you're 20 years old this seemed tremendous in a small 205 sized/weight car. One of my friends got his order in and got the first one available from the local Telford dealer. We all went down to help him take delivery - the half-leather seats, the lovely 15" alloys, the SMELL of a new car..............
Plus after it was run in that distinctive smell from the hot engine bay and the lovely 'guzzling' noise from the exhaust at low revs as you pull off.
It was soon apparent that it was a particularly capable little car cross country especially in those trips to the Welsh Coast in the early hours of a summer Sunday morning. It had that extra bite that the 105bhp 1.6 didn't have, plus it seemed to have an even more lively rear end in extremis which you could 'play' with.
Soon another friend was hooked and, like the afore-mentioned buyer, earning good money as a mechanic with Mazda Rally Team, his order for a new 1.9 205 went in as well. I think it was a smidge under 10k for a new one back then. The demand for them was such that he had to wait a few months and didn't get it till the 'E' plates were out
I think soon about four of my friends had new or nearly new 1.9s. Having got a house they were out of my price-range but I did get to drive them quite often in exchange for a return drive in my old rwd car
I was quite tempted to get one myself.....................but one day my friend got a courtesy 309Gti whilst his 205 was in for a service. Bearing in mind how many cars he'd sold to us all the local Peugeot dealer told me to have a go in it as well. I did mention to him that with other outgoings I wasn't really in a position to afford a new car......but he insisted. To me, it seemed even better handling. Maybe not so twitchy over bumps but still the same keen engine and lovely steering ( only with power assistance ) and certainly the dealer demo seemed no slower than at least one of my friends' 205s
It wasn't long before a nice condition second-hand one came up ........and having had the Manta for a fair few years and really enjoyed it I decided it was time for a change
It was a good condition one with about 35000 miles and had just passed its first MOT - it was a great car on the Welsh B-roads and had a fair few good drives in tandem with the 205s, often heading up to the coast and running down Wales.
Here it is up by the Menai bridge looking fairly 'road-worn'
At the same time the mags were pouring praise on the car and I think at least one of my 205GTi owning friends would have gone for one if they could have got over the looks - a fact registered by old 'Performance Car' mag with the tagline to the article below
They also labelled it Peugeot's 'Best Handling Car' in their Knowledge section, which later got upgraded to the 'Best Handling Hot Hatch'
'Autocar' also did an article praising the handling compared to its brethren - certainly never felt short-changed following the 205s and although it carried an extra 80 kilos of weight over the 205, never noticed a shortfall in performance either.
'Performance Car' ran one as long-termer and it was the test mule for their 1991 Tyre Test
That certainly came in handy for selecting tyres and I ran mine on the Yokohamas they recommended, firstly in the proper 185/55 fitment and also in 195/50 size when I had trouble getting the 55 profiles.
'Autocar' also included it in their 1990 Annual Handling Day selection amongst the bigger, faster stuff. It won a fair amount of praise too.
They also included it in a fair few group tests against the faster hatches of its time where it did well on account of its handling
As mentioned in one of the earlier posts, 'CAR' pitted it against both variants of the GTi at the time
I liked the fact that Peugeot gave you a full set of instruments, oil temp and pressure and water temp. I never had any big problems with mine in 45000 miles and just over 3 years use. Just the usual stuff like tyres, oil and filter changes and brakes. Plus the battery just gave up without warning one cold winter's day. The rear remote opening quarter vents used to rattle slightly over broken tarmac but it was well worth opening them as the exhaust note was quite nice to listen when you were out for a bit of a drive. Had to buy a new engine undertray as the fittings bent when it came off one. Mine didn't really y ever suffer from the erratic idle either although I must admit I never did much town driving and it generally had a good run out most drives. One of us even bought the the special Peugeot sump plug key so oil changes weren't a hassle looking for the special adapter for your socket set.
One of my friends with a 1.9 205 moved onto a Williams partway through me owning the 309. Although it had a bit more straight line go I have to say I still preferred the 309 for handling - even he conceded that it was 'swings and roundabouts' after we had a swap and run up the Berwyns. The Peugeot had a lovely flow through fast bends and you could even bring the tail into play with it if you had a little lift and then got back on the power. Never quite as severe as in the 205s I drove though
Good as it was, I still enjoyed a rwd fun car and thanks to the Peugeot not costing me much through my ownership stint I was able to buy a rumbly V6 for an alternative driving experience. I can remember one of the mechanics at Peugeot Talbot Sport telliing us 80K miles was a good point to swap the Gtis in at, as although they would soldier on provided you spent money on them, this figure was often the point when they might need several more expensive jobs doing.....especially if they'd been driven quite hard.....and I knew we were all guilty of that.
I ran both cars for a fair few months as I enjoyed them both but in the end after 3 years of good fun I sold the 309 on. It's rare to see them anymore ( although I do see a Goodwood quite regularly ) and it looks like mine came to an end in the early part of the new millenium. I often wonder if the subsequent owners enjoyed their time with it as much as I did.
One of my friends got a B-reg 1.6gti only a couple of years old to start with - it was the early 105bhp engine but we could all recognize it was a proper little driver's car. Very different to rwd Escorts and Sunbeams but nicely trimmable on the throttle all the same
As the months progressed we all got wind of the forthcoming 1.9 version - One hundred and thirty brake horse power!
Might seem a little lame now but when you're 20 years old this seemed tremendous in a small 205 sized/weight car. One of my friends got his order in and got the first one available from the local Telford dealer. We all went down to help him take delivery - the half-leather seats, the lovely 15" alloys, the SMELL of a new car..............
Plus after it was run in that distinctive smell from the hot engine bay and the lovely 'guzzling' noise from the exhaust at low revs as you pull off.
It was soon apparent that it was a particularly capable little car cross country especially in those trips to the Welsh Coast in the early hours of a summer Sunday morning. It had that extra bite that the 105bhp 1.6 didn't have, plus it seemed to have an even more lively rear end in extremis which you could 'play' with.
Soon another friend was hooked and, like the afore-mentioned buyer, earning good money as a mechanic with Mazda Rally Team, his order for a new 1.9 205 went in as well. I think it was a smidge under 10k for a new one back then. The demand for them was such that he had to wait a few months and didn't get it till the 'E' plates were out
I think soon about four of my friends had new or nearly new 1.9s. Having got a house they were out of my price-range but I did get to drive them quite often in exchange for a return drive in my old rwd car
I was quite tempted to get one myself.....................but one day my friend got a courtesy 309Gti whilst his 205 was in for a service. Bearing in mind how many cars he'd sold to us all the local Peugeot dealer told me to have a go in it as well. I did mention to him that with other outgoings I wasn't really in a position to afford a new car......but he insisted. To me, it seemed even better handling. Maybe not so twitchy over bumps but still the same keen engine and lovely steering ( only with power assistance ) and certainly the dealer demo seemed no slower than at least one of my friends' 205s
It wasn't long before a nice condition second-hand one came up ........and having had the Manta for a fair few years and really enjoyed it I decided it was time for a change
It was a good condition one with about 35000 miles and had just passed its first MOT - it was a great car on the Welsh B-roads and had a fair few good drives in tandem with the 205s, often heading up to the coast and running down Wales.
Here it is up by the Menai bridge looking fairly 'road-worn'
At the same time the mags were pouring praise on the car and I think at least one of my 205GTi owning friends would have gone for one if they could have got over the looks - a fact registered by old 'Performance Car' mag with the tagline to the article below
They also labelled it Peugeot's 'Best Handling Car' in their Knowledge section, which later got upgraded to the 'Best Handling Hot Hatch'
'Autocar' also did an article praising the handling compared to its brethren - certainly never felt short-changed following the 205s and although it carried an extra 80 kilos of weight over the 205, never noticed a shortfall in performance either.
'Performance Car' ran one as long-termer and it was the test mule for their 1991 Tyre Test
That certainly came in handy for selecting tyres and I ran mine on the Yokohamas they recommended, firstly in the proper 185/55 fitment and also in 195/50 size when I had trouble getting the 55 profiles.
'Autocar' also included it in their 1990 Annual Handling Day selection amongst the bigger, faster stuff. It won a fair amount of praise too.
They also included it in a fair few group tests against the faster hatches of its time where it did well on account of its handling
As mentioned in one of the earlier posts, 'CAR' pitted it against both variants of the GTi at the time
I liked the fact that Peugeot gave you a full set of instruments, oil temp and pressure and water temp. I never had any big problems with mine in 45000 miles and just over 3 years use. Just the usual stuff like tyres, oil and filter changes and brakes. Plus the battery just gave up without warning one cold winter's day. The rear remote opening quarter vents used to rattle slightly over broken tarmac but it was well worth opening them as the exhaust note was quite nice to listen when you were out for a bit of a drive. Had to buy a new engine undertray as the fittings bent when it came off one. Mine didn't really y ever suffer from the erratic idle either although I must admit I never did much town driving and it generally had a good run out most drives. One of us even bought the the special Peugeot sump plug key so oil changes weren't a hassle looking for the special adapter for your socket set.
One of my friends with a 1.9 205 moved onto a Williams partway through me owning the 309. Although it had a bit more straight line go I have to say I still preferred the 309 for handling - even he conceded that it was 'swings and roundabouts' after we had a swap and run up the Berwyns. The Peugeot had a lovely flow through fast bends and you could even bring the tail into play with it if you had a little lift and then got back on the power. Never quite as severe as in the 205s I drove though
Good as it was, I still enjoyed a rwd fun car and thanks to the Peugeot not costing me much through my ownership stint I was able to buy a rumbly V6 for an alternative driving experience. I can remember one of the mechanics at Peugeot Talbot Sport telliing us 80K miles was a good point to swap the Gtis in at, as although they would soldier on provided you spent money on them, this figure was often the point when they might need several more expensive jobs doing.....especially if they'd been driven quite hard.....and I knew we were all guilty of that.
I ran both cars for a fair few months as I enjoyed them both but in the end after 3 years of good fun I sold the 309 on. It's rare to see them anymore ( although I do see a Goodwood quite regularly ) and it looks like mine came to an end in the early part of the new millenium. I often wonder if the subsequent owners enjoyed their time with it as much as I did.
s m said:
My time with a 309Gti probably came about because of the little 205Gti below in the mid 80s
One of my friends got a B-reg 1.6gti only a couple of years old to start with - it was the early 105bhp engine but we could all recognize it was a proper little driver's car. Very different to rwd Escorts and Sunbeams but nicely trimmable on the throttle all the same
As the months progressed we all got wind of the forthcoming 1.9 version - One hundred and thirty brake horse power!
Might seem a little lame now but when you're 20 years old this seemed tremendous in a small 205 sized/weight car. One of my friends got his order in and got the first one available from the local Telford dealer. We all went down to help him take delivery - the half-leather seats, the lovely 15" alloys, the SMELL of a new car..............
Plus after it was run in that distinctive smell from the hot engine bay and the lovely 'guzzling' noise from the exhaust at low revs as you pull off.
It was soon apparent that it was a particularly capable little car cross country especially in those trips to the Welsh Coast in the early hours of a summer Sunday morning. It had that extra bite that the 105bhp 1.6 didn't have, plus it seemed to have an even more lively rear end in extremis which you could 'play' with.
Soon another friend was hooked and, like the afore-mentioned buyer, earning good money as a mechanic with Mazda Rally Team, his order for a new 1.9 205 went in as well. I think it was a smidge under 10k for a new one back then. The demand for them was such that he had to wait a few months and didn't get it till the 'E' plates were out
I think soon about four of my friends had new or nearly new 1.9s. Having got a house they were out of my price-range but I did get to drive them quite often in exchange for a return drive in my old rwd car
I was quite tempted to get one myself.....................but one day my friend got a courtesy 309Gti whilst his 205 was in for a service. Bearing in mind how many cars he'd sold to us all the local Peugeot dealer told me to have a go in it as well. I did mention to him that with other outgoings I wasn't really in a position to afford a new car......but he insisted. To me, it seemed even better handling. Maybe not so twitchy over bumps but still the same keen engine and lovely steering ( only with power assistance ) and certainly the dealer demo seemed no slower than at least one of my friends' 205s
It wasn't long before a nice condition second-hand one came up ........and having had the Manta for a fair few years and really enjoyed it I decided it was time for a change
It was a good condition one with about 35000 miles and had just passed its first MOT - it was a great car on the Welsh B-roads and had a fair few good drives in tandem with the 205s, often heading up to the coast and running down Wales.
Here it is up by the Menai bridge looking fairly 'road-worn'
At the same time the mags were pouring praise on the car and I think at least one of my 205GTi owning friends would have gone for one if they could have got over the looks - a fact registered by old 'Performance Car' mag with the tagline to the article below
They also labelled it Peugeot's 'Best Handling Car' in their Knowledge section, which later got upgraded to the 'Best Handling Hot Hatch'
'Autocar' also did an article praising the handling compared to its brethren - certainly never felt short-changed following the 205s and although it carried an extra 80 kilos of weight over the 205, never noticed a shortfall in performance either.
'Performance Car' ran one as long-termer and it was the test mule for their 1991 Tyre Test
That certainly came in handy for selecting tyres and I ran mine on the Yokohamas they recommended, firstly in the proper 185/55 fitment and also in 195/50 size when I had trouble getting the 55 profiles.
'Autocar' also included it in their 1990 Annual Handling Day selection amongst the bigger, faster stuff. It won a fair amount of praise too.
They also included it in a fair few group tests against the faster hatches of its time where it did well on account of its handling
As mentioned in one of the earlier posts, 'CAR' pitted it against both variants of the GTi at the time
I liked the fact that Peugeot gave you a full set of instruments, oil temp and pressure and water temp. I never had any big problems with mine in 45000 miles and just over 3 years use. Just the usual stuff like tyres, oil and filter changes and brakes. Plus the battery just gave up without warning one cold winter's day. The rear remote opening quarter vents used to rattle slightly over broken tarmac but it was well worth opening them as the exhaust note was quite nice to listen when you were out for a bit of a drive. Had to buy a new engine undertray as the fittings bent when it came off one. Mine didn't really y ever suffer from the erratic idle either although I must admit I never did much town driving and it generally had a good run out most drives. One of us even bought the the special Peugeot sump plug key so oil changes weren't a hassle looking for the special adapter for your socket set.
One of my friends with a 1.9 205 moved onto a Williams partway through me owning the 309. Although it had a bit more straight line go I have to say I still preferred the 309 for handling - even he conceded that it was 'swings and roundabouts' after we had a swap and run up the Berwyns. The Peugeot had a lovely flow through fast bends and you could even bring the tail into play with it if you had a little lift and then got back on the power. Never quite as severe as in the 205s I drove though
Good as it was, I still enjoyed a rwd fun car and thanks to the Peugeot not costing me much through my ownership stint I was able to buy a rumbly V6 for an alternative driving experience. I can remember one of the mechanics at Peugeot Talbot Sport telliing us 80K miles was a good point to swap the Gtis in at, as although they would soldier on provided you spent money on them, this figure was often the point when they might need several more expensive jobs doing.....especially if they'd been driven quite hard.....and I knew we were all guilty of that.
I ran both cars for a fair few months as I enjoyed them both but in the end after 3 years of good fun I sold the 309 on. It's rare to see them anymore ( although I do see a Goodwood quite regularly ) and it looks like mine came to an end in the early part of the new millenium. I often wonder if the subsequent owners enjoyed their time with it as much as I did.
What a read, when was the picture of the Sierra and the 309 taken? How did your little 309 come to it's demise? One of my friends got a B-reg 1.6gti only a couple of years old to start with - it was the early 105bhp engine but we could all recognize it was a proper little driver's car. Very different to rwd Escorts and Sunbeams but nicely trimmable on the throttle all the same
As the months progressed we all got wind of the forthcoming 1.9 version - One hundred and thirty brake horse power!
Might seem a little lame now but when you're 20 years old this seemed tremendous in a small 205 sized/weight car. One of my friends got his order in and got the first one available from the local Telford dealer. We all went down to help him take delivery - the half-leather seats, the lovely 15" alloys, the SMELL of a new car..............
Plus after it was run in that distinctive smell from the hot engine bay and the lovely 'guzzling' noise from the exhaust at low revs as you pull off.
It was soon apparent that it was a particularly capable little car cross country especially in those trips to the Welsh Coast in the early hours of a summer Sunday morning. It had that extra bite that the 105bhp 1.6 didn't have, plus it seemed to have an even more lively rear end in extremis which you could 'play' with.
Soon another friend was hooked and, like the afore-mentioned buyer, earning good money as a mechanic with Mazda Rally Team, his order for a new 1.9 205 went in as well. I think it was a smidge under 10k for a new one back then. The demand for them was such that he had to wait a few months and didn't get it till the 'E' plates were out
I think soon about four of my friends had new or nearly new 1.9s. Having got a house they were out of my price-range but I did get to drive them quite often in exchange for a return drive in my old rwd car
I was quite tempted to get one myself.....................but one day my friend got a courtesy 309Gti whilst his 205 was in for a service. Bearing in mind how many cars he'd sold to us all the local Peugeot dealer told me to have a go in it as well. I did mention to him that with other outgoings I wasn't really in a position to afford a new car......but he insisted. To me, it seemed even better handling. Maybe not so twitchy over bumps but still the same keen engine and lovely steering ( only with power assistance ) and certainly the dealer demo seemed no slower than at least one of my friends' 205s
It wasn't long before a nice condition second-hand one came up ........and having had the Manta for a fair few years and really enjoyed it I decided it was time for a change
It was a good condition one with about 35000 miles and had just passed its first MOT - it was a great car on the Welsh B-roads and had a fair few good drives in tandem with the 205s, often heading up to the coast and running down Wales.
Here it is up by the Menai bridge looking fairly 'road-worn'
At the same time the mags were pouring praise on the car and I think at least one of my 205GTi owning friends would have gone for one if they could have got over the looks - a fact registered by old 'Performance Car' mag with the tagline to the article below
They also labelled it Peugeot's 'Best Handling Car' in their Knowledge section, which later got upgraded to the 'Best Handling Hot Hatch'
'Autocar' also did an article praising the handling compared to its brethren - certainly never felt short-changed following the 205s and although it carried an extra 80 kilos of weight over the 205, never noticed a shortfall in performance either.
'Performance Car' ran one as long-termer and it was the test mule for their 1991 Tyre Test
That certainly came in handy for selecting tyres and I ran mine on the Yokohamas they recommended, firstly in the proper 185/55 fitment and also in 195/50 size when I had trouble getting the 55 profiles.
'Autocar' also included it in their 1990 Annual Handling Day selection amongst the bigger, faster stuff. It won a fair amount of praise too.
They also included it in a fair few group tests against the faster hatches of its time where it did well on account of its handling
As mentioned in one of the earlier posts, 'CAR' pitted it against both variants of the GTi at the time
I liked the fact that Peugeot gave you a full set of instruments, oil temp and pressure and water temp. I never had any big problems with mine in 45000 miles and just over 3 years use. Just the usual stuff like tyres, oil and filter changes and brakes. Plus the battery just gave up without warning one cold winter's day. The rear remote opening quarter vents used to rattle slightly over broken tarmac but it was well worth opening them as the exhaust note was quite nice to listen when you were out for a bit of a drive. Had to buy a new engine undertray as the fittings bent when it came off one. Mine didn't really y ever suffer from the erratic idle either although I must admit I never did much town driving and it generally had a good run out most drives. One of us even bought the the special Peugeot sump plug key so oil changes weren't a hassle looking for the special adapter for your socket set.
One of my friends with a 1.9 205 moved onto a Williams partway through me owning the 309. Although it had a bit more straight line go I have to say I still preferred the 309 for handling - even he conceded that it was 'swings and roundabouts' after we had a swap and run up the Berwyns. The Peugeot had a lovely flow through fast bends and you could even bring the tail into play with it if you had a little lift and then got back on the power. Never quite as severe as in the 205s I drove though
Good as it was, I still enjoyed a rwd fun car and thanks to the Peugeot not costing me much through my ownership stint I was able to buy a rumbly V6 for an alternative driving experience. I can remember one of the mechanics at Peugeot Talbot Sport telliing us 80K miles was a good point to swap the Gtis in at, as although they would soldier on provided you spent money on them, this figure was often the point when they might need several more expensive jobs doing.....especially if they'd been driven quite hard.....and I knew we were all guilty of that.
I ran both cars for a fair few months as I enjoyed them both but in the end after 3 years of good fun I sold the 309 on. It's rare to see them anymore ( although I do see a Goodwood quite regularly ) and it looks like mine came to an end in the early part of the new millenium. I often wonder if the subsequent owners enjoyed their time with it as much as I did.
Just start buying the superior, better looking, still resolutely old school (and still cheap) 306 GTi/Rallye before the lunacy takes hold of that as well, to be honest Clio 172/182's are also a conspicuous bargain due to (predictably) become hot property at some point in the future when 4th gen Golf R drivers get bored of 450 bhp, more grip than you ever need and DSG gears.
Aaron_W said:
s m said:
Pic was early 90s.
I'm not sure re the 309 ending - I just looked on the MOT/Tax site and saw it wasn't about....so assumed it had been scrapped/killed
Generous of S M to share so much. I enjoyed reading it too.
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