RE: Tell me I'm wrong: Peugeot 205 GTI
Discussion
The 205 came just a bit before I was able to drive, so I got straight into 106's and particularly loved the amazing 106 GTI, of which I had the most well known one on the planet thanks to the (tasteful) mods I did at the time...wish I had a storage unit like Harris so I could have kept it.
750turbo said:
Sexual Chocolate said:
You know that GTi that, if you where unfortunate enough to order a sun roof, would ensure you got drenched even if it was just spitting?
842616: Sun roof seal: Sorted!!Fek knows how remember that one...
A very interesting read, i've had my 205 1.6 gti for 3 years now, 2 with a 1.6 and now running a gti 6 16v engine. Have also driven my friends standard 1.9 a few times and I personally prefer the drive of the 1.6 - its just more involving (to me).
Have you ever tried a gti-6 or MI16'd 205 chris?
Have you ever tried a gti-6 or MI16'd 205 chris?
kilauea said:
How come? I drove them back in the day and have one today and I can't think why I would be any better judge than a more recent convert.
I think it's pretty obvious you may not agree with me but in my opinion, when judging a classic car, you need to understand the impact it had, how much better it was than it's peers or cars that came before it... everyone's opinion is clouded by experience, in this case Harris is not old enough to truly appreciate the 205 GTI....for that matter nor am I....BUT I am more likely to value the opinion of someone who experienced the car in the context of 1988 and the other dogs
t that was aboutDaveyraveygravey said:
+2 here! Mind you, the real debate was whether the 309GTi was better than the 205. But this is counter to Chris's argument...the same journos Chris thought were wrong about the 1.6 205 said the 309 was the better car, sweeter handling (ie a lot less likely to exit a bend backwards)
The 309 had the 1.9 engine and alloys from the 205 (so the best bits from that car!) plus the 4 fogs/driving lamps at the front. Ugly in an Apache ugly kind of way, to my eyes...
The 205GTI 1.9 is an all-time great. A late 1.6 GTI is very good too, much better than an early one. One of the advantages of the 1.9 is that they are all late cars, in 205 terms. The 1.6 GTI went through several evolutions of suspension before it settled down and they got it right. Some of the early cars were very arsey indeed, and had a somewhat questionable tendency to hop-skip and jump across irregularities a late car, or a 1.9, would just flow over. The 309 had the 1.9 engine and alloys from the 205 (so the best bits from that car!
) plus the 4 fogs/driving lamps at the front. Ugly in an Apache ugly kind of way, to my eyes... Although in general I like manual steering, when it comes to the 205 I preferred them to have power steering. It is very good power steering (shared with 309GTI), full of feel, and the quicker rack is handy. In addition to the 1.9's straight-line performance advantage and nicer interior, I appreciated its longer gearing. It worked a lot better than the 1.6 as a car for cruising at a true 80-85 mph with occasional bursts to the ton
I was a great fan of the 309GTI too. True, it was not as pretty as the 205, but was better handling than any of them, more secure and more mature, perhaps less spectacular. Although inevitably a bit slower in a straight line than the 205 1.9 it was still a quick car, midway between the contemporaneous Mark II Golf GTi and the Golf 16V.
If I had to drive 200 miles on unknown fast roads in the wet, I would be faster in the 309 than the 205 1.9. If I only had to do half an hour's worth, I might be faster in the 205. The 205 was like a little four-wheeled motor-bike sometimes, always up for it, a little terrier always trying to hump your leg, but in such a lovable way. The 309 was much more useful as an actual all-round everyday car. Though the later incarnation of the R5 GT Turbo was huge fun too, providing you could live with the prodigious thirst, and could get it started after refuelling.
Of all of them, the one to have now for weekend amusement is definitely the 205 GTI 1.9.
205 1.9 all day long... It was my 2nd car, kept is for 6 years and every trip was a grin. Yeah it was tinnie and low rent but, nothing broke and it never let me down. A Clio 16, a GTi-6 and 2 TT Quattro's have followed but the 1.9 as a back road tool betters all those. Along with the handling, fantastic steer and feedback through the seat the icing on the cake was the instant throttle response.
One day I will have on in my garage for Sunday morning blasts.
If you never wanted one fair enough... but you've never driven on, you really don't know how good they are.
One day I will have on in my garage for Sunday morning blasts.
If you never wanted one fair enough... but you've never driven on, you really don't know how good they are.
LuS1fer said:
I couldn't care less if you're right or wrong.
I test drove a 1.6 GTI and it left me colder than a wet fish on the supermarket slab and I bought the R5 GT Turbo which I found better in every way and a "superchip" bumped the performance up a notch. It could be flung in true Renaultsport stle as hard as you dared until it went into a 4 wheel drift which was easily caught. It was a real barrel of fun and Renault used torsion bar rear supension to distance it from the lesser-handling 5s which, to my mind, showed real commitment to making it the better driver's car.
Took the words out of my mouth. I did just the same thing, and even stepped back into a R5 years later such was the impression it left on me. As for the Golf, meh... The 8v GTI I had just felt sluggish and overweight by comparison.I test drove a 1.6 GTI and it left me colder than a wet fish on the supermarket slab and I bought the R5 GT Turbo which I found better in every way and a "superchip" bumped the performance up a notch. It could be flung in true Renaultsport stle as hard as you dared until it went into a 4 wheel drift which was easily caught. It was a real barrel of fun and Renault used torsion bar rear supension to distance it from the lesser-handling 5s which, to my mind, showed real commitment to making it the better driver's car.
Flat6 said:
LuS1fer said:
I couldn't care less if you're right or wrong.
I test drove a 1.6 GTI and it left me colder than a wet fish on the supermarket slab and I bought the R5 GT Turbo which I found better in every way and a "superchip" bumped the performance up a notch. It could be flung in true Renaultsport stle as hard as you dared until it went into a 4 wheel drift which was easily caught. It was a real barrel of fun and Renault used torsion bar rear supension to distance it from the lesser-handling 5s which, to my mind, showed real commitment to making it the better driver's car.
Took the words out of my mouth. I did just the same thing, and even stepped back into a R5 years later such was the impression it left on me. As for the Golf, meh... The 8v GTI I had just felt sluggish and overweight by comparison.I test drove a 1.6 GTI and it left me colder than a wet fish on the supermarket slab and I bought the R5 GT Turbo which I found better in every way and a "superchip" bumped the performance up a notch. It could be flung in true Renaultsport stle as hard as you dared until it went into a 4 wheel drift which was easily caught. It was a real barrel of fun and Renault used torsion bar rear supension to distance it from the lesser-handling 5s which, to my mind, showed real commitment to making it the better driver's car.
Had 2 205s over 4 years, both with sunroofs, both over 10years old when I bought them. Neither ever leaked or needed any parts replacing to the sunroofs. They were vacuum operated, so pretty obvious whether they were closed fully and working properly.
First 205 was non-pas and probably felt more direct to drive than the pas model. However, I had a Quaife ATB fitted to both and the pas acted as a kind of steering damper and was better to drive with the diff.
1.6 good, 1.9 better, Mi16 great, 1.9 Turbo-Technics best
I had a 1.6 gti and then a 1.9 when a teen the 1.9 was a better car all day.
Ive also been lucky enough to have a williams 1 and that was the best car i have ever had the balance was amazing in corners.
Ive had a few cars aswell over the years.
AXGT , Mk3 Golf GTI, Mk3 VR6, 182 cup, Elise, E36 m3 track car, 205 GTI's, R5GT, Mk4 Golf Gti
Williams was the best!!
SPOT ON!
At the time ppl who could not afford the 1.9 would say the 1.6 was better..
rubbish the 1.6 was XR3 pace, the 1.9 GTI was a much faster with the same fun handling..
lets not start the debate that the 8v golf gti was better than the 16 valve .. total tosh..
on the same front my personal fave 80's hatch S1 Escort RS Turbo was on different planet next to the humble XR3i
NUFF SAID!
At the time ppl who could not afford the 1.9 would say the 1.6 was better..
rubbish the 1.6 was XR3 pace, the 1.9 GTI was a much faster with the same fun handling..
lets not start the debate that the 8v golf gti was better than the 16 valve .. total tosh..
on the same front my personal fave 80's hatch S1 Escort RS Turbo was on different planet next to the humble XR3i
NUFF SAID!
I had a 1.9 back in the day and loved posing about in it
the back end wanted to swap ends easily compared to my previous XR2 (understeer was normal here)
the car was totally annoying in the fact it would have persistent electrical problems - in the end i got shot of it
I bought a Fiesta RS turbo and it was totally in a different league - 200 hp was soon on the cards and it was a supercar slayer (back in the day)
i never really fell in love with the 205 like i did with other cars - i guess it wasn't powerful enough
was a good car - but a little overrated imho
the back end wanted to swap ends easily compared to my previous XR2 (understeer was normal here)
the car was totally annoying in the fact it would have persistent electrical problems - in the end i got shot of it
I bought a Fiesta RS turbo and it was totally in a different league - 200 hp was soon on the cards and it was a supercar slayer (back in the day)
i never really fell in love with the 205 like i did with other cars - i guess it wasn't powerful enough
was a good car - but a little overrated imho
I owned both new from launch. The 1.6, a red one, was a hoot, was sweet and certainly drew attention to itself as it was one of the first around. But then when I heard the 1.9 was to be launched, I just had to have one (it was the 80's after all!). It was made easier as I lost nothing on the 1.6 as there were more buyers than cars. My grey metallic 1.9 was just in another league; the noise, speed, torque and coolness was sometimes too much to take in at times (I was very young!!). Just so happens, it made way for a 16v Golf GTI (which for the reasons just articulated, was a league ahead of the 8v!).
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