Peugeot 205 GTI and CTI: PH Carpool
A £400 CTI to go with his 205 GTI was too good to turn down for this Pug-mad PHer
Cars: 205 1.9 GTI and 205 1.6 CTI
Owned since: 2006 (GTI) and 2009 (CTI)
Previously owned: Mk1 XR2, Orion 1.6i Ghia (no sniggering), modified Mk2 Golf GTI, Clio 172, BMW 330ci Coupe, E46 M3 convertible. Currently we have an R56 Mini Cooper S and BMW Z4 M roadster.
Second time around on GTI ownership
"The year before my wife and I got married in 1993 we bought a Cherry Red, one-owner, 24K, three-year-old, 205 1.9 GTI. Coming from a Mk1 XR2 this fragile French hatchback felt like it had the power of a supercar. On the drive home it completely blew me away - If only I'd had the hindsight to keep the XR2 as well as I'd love another. When my daughter was born in 1994 the 205's tiny boot meant that transporting all the baby paraphernalia that everyone had in the 1990s was a 'no go' - an Orion 1.6i Ghia had no real chance of replacing it.
"In 2006 we had a bit of spare cash and I fancied another 205 GTI. I bought the first one I seriously looked at- a rare non-sunroof (they were delete options in 1993) cat-equipped 205 1.9 GTI. I remember the 200-mile drive home - a nervous drive on the M6 watching all four warning gauges the whole way. For my 40th I saw an early 205 1.6 CTI advertised on a forum and for £400 and a 40-mile round trip it had to be mine."
CTI was an impulse buy to finish off the fleet
"How different these cars are to drive. The CTI was touted at the time as being a convertible GTI - it unfortunately isn't. The GTI, as we all know from our youth, was one of the most sublime handling front wheel drive cars of its era and it still makes me smile every day. The CTI is very woolly and its standard raised ride height (to minimise scuttle shake) means it hasn't quite got the same majestic handling as the tin-top. When the sun is out it still has the 205 character in spades though."
Things I love:
"The look of them and the fact that both get a lot of attention in a positive way. The handling, although totally different dynamically- the GTI as the hot hatch and the CTI, a roofless, watered down version, echoing the 205 XS that it shares its underpinnings with. Because the GTI is a later cat equipped car it idles perfectly, which is something that some of the earlier cars now lack. It frustrates me when people are advised to avoid these later cars - they retain most off their 122hp too."
GTI has taken pride of place at Peugeot shows
"The way that recently, parts that we took for granted are now 'NLA' and as a result have escalated in value. £17 mudflaps for sale on Ebay for £175 says it all and things are going to get a lot worse now that they have officially reached classic status. I am also not keen on the fact that even after six years I cannot convince my wife to go further than a few miles in either one of them. She hates their rattly, noisy characters and feels that time has moved on. She loved our original one in 1992 which just goes to show why the 208 GTI and others are now 'softer'."
Costs:
"Substantial, but having said that I have replaced virtually everything on both to make them reliable. 205 GTI ownership is a cheap-ish hobby if the cars are used occasionally. Both mine are used frequently and as such do approximately 5,000 miles between the pair. Bodywork is the greatest expense so, if you're looking for one, get the best conditioned car that you can find. Everything else is very reasonably priced. I have gone a bit OTT I suppose as the GTI has heated seats, mirrors and windscreen and, soon to be fitted, ABS and air conditioning - all using factory parts where possible. The all manual CTI (hood/locking/windows) makes do with just heated seats. None of the modifications take away the real vibe of these cars. They just make them more enjoyable and comfortable, if that's possible with a 205.
Fun in the sun with the CTI - honest!
"My GTI was on the Peugeot Sport Club UK (PSCUK) stand at the NEC Classic Motor Show in 2012, where it received a lot of admiration. Either one of the cars attends an annual Lakes trip in March/April and then several shows throughout the year, including the biggest Peugeot only gathering, Pugfest at Prescott Hill, Gloucestershire in July.
What's next?
"Air conditioning and ABS in the GTI and the CTI will be getting a wheel refurb and paintwork over the coming months, along with the period correct seats. I've finally managed to locate some, as the originals didn't last long from new. The CTI has taken a lot of my time over the past few years as it was in a bit of a state when I bought it. I just need to enjoy them both, keep on top of them maintenance-wise and hopefully see them appreciate in value over the coming years."
There's a lot of affection out there for cars of this era. I have very fond memories of my white 1991 205 1.6 GTi. It was a cracking little car and I wish I'd kept hold of it...
I covered 600 miles in my GTI last week including doing the recce for the Jim Clark Rally. Ran faultlessly all the time despite water, some helpings of mud and general clutter from spending a lot of hours in a car.
Not yet scratched the CTI itch but might have to before their prices increase too.
And I agree the criticism of Peugeot is almost exclusively reserved for their current range. The cars they built in the 80's and 90's were superb.
I want to fit AC as the cooling in a GTI on the motorway going to summer shows in it are uncomfortable and I luckily found a whole factory kit from another 205.
The ABS I will fit will be better than the factory version using 4 wheel ABS rather that the 2 wheeled version fitted to factory cars.
Neither will affect the driveability (unless the AC is on) just make it more modern under the skin, so I thought why not?
If you get hot open the windows.....thats what I do in Pugly
ABS would be especially useful as I've never been a fan of the feel of the brakes in the GTI.
Puts a Gti very high up the shopping list again.
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