205 GTI vs 100HP Panda
Discussion
I'm for selling my daily driver, a Focus TDCI in the next month and don't know what to go for??
Something a bit more entertaining than a Focus/Golf runaround.
My dream is a mint 205 GTI! - Does this make sense as a daily driver? esp coming into next winter.
On the other hand, i have a real itch for a 100 Horse Panda, this would be easily ran, insured, and provide ocmfort which the 205 couldn't offer. A nice 07 panda will also cost very little more than a Tidy GTI will fetch.
I have a 900 Turbo for the odd spin out at the weekend...
Give me your thoughts/suggestions!
Something a bit more entertaining than a Focus/Golf runaround.
My dream is a mint 205 GTI! - Does this make sense as a daily driver? esp coming into next winter.
On the other hand, i have a real itch for a 100 Horse Panda, this would be easily ran, insured, and provide ocmfort which the 205 couldn't offer. A nice 07 panda will also cost very little more than a Tidy GTI will fetch.
I have a 900 Turbo for the odd spin out at the weekend...
Give me your thoughts/suggestions!
Ran my 205 gti as a daily from jan this year never let me down once only downside its abit of a pita to defrost but if you can live with that they're a fine daily driver 
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/3914103.htm shes currently for sale
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/3914103.htm shes currently for sale
The 205 will be a much more entertaining driver's car: quicker, lighter, more powerful, better balanced, etc etc. It will also hold its value much better than the Panda (or even appreciate) provided you keep on top of the maintenance and don't throw it backwards through a hedge.
I'd be tempted to agree with the comment above about it being a shame to risk knackering a minty 205 by running it over winter. But if you can find a nice tidy one for £2.5-3k or thereabouts, that's probably the sweetspot between "still useable" and "well cared for".
I'd be tempted to agree with the comment above about it being a shame to risk knackering a minty 205 by running it over winter. But if you can find a nice tidy one for £2.5-3k or thereabouts, that's probably the sweetspot between "still useable" and "well cared for".
The Crack Fox said:
Panda ! Entertaining to drive, cheap, what's not to like ?
Since you ask, I don't like the stupidly firm ride and the poor quality plastics (forgivable in a 1980s hot hatch, inexcusable in a 2000s warm hatch), I don't like the fact that my knee and shin had to bang against the transmission column thingy as it bounced down the road, and I really don't like the gutless 1.4 16v Fiat engine.nando said:
Peugeot - daily driver . Does not compute
Believe me my friend, the 205 is from a time when Peugeot were a very, very different company....I use my laser green 1.9 daily to do an 80 mile commute, and have done for the last year with no issues. It does help that I have had 7 of these cars now (in various forms), so I know exactly what to maintain/change and when, but do your research and buy a good one, and you can't go wrong.
They really are an unbeatable driving experience, for the money. I drove a Panda 100HP when they first came out for much the same reason, and was left cold. In relative terms, they are a fun chuckable car, but only in comparison to modern cars. In comparison to the 205 GTI, it was a pretty numb and underwhelming experience.
having had threee 205 gtis i would definately say the panda. when i bought my last one in about 2006, it was a J-reg and according to the V5 had 16 previous owners. i bought it on a whim unseen and SORN'd and to be honest bodywise it was ok but mechanically it was shot to buggery. they will all by now have been ragged senseless by at least three owners and they dont seem to get much mehcnical sympathy. i know places like Just GTIs sell nice ones but you need to be properly mental before spending £4K on a 205 GTi regardless of how good it is.
the wiring is an utter joke, especially given they will all have had alarms fitted and removed at some point to meert insurance criteria. yes they are fast, look awesome and handle superbly but they are also old, french, weary, french, dated, french, prone to abuse and french.
If you are still undecided, look at a picture of Debbie Harry from her prime, now find a picture of her today....
the wiring is an utter joke, especially given they will all have had alarms fitted and removed at some point to meert insurance criteria. yes they are fast, look awesome and handle superbly but they are also old, french, weary, french, dated, french, prone to abuse and french.
If you are still undecided, look at a picture of Debbie Harry from her prime, now find a picture of her today....
Having owned a 205 GTI and spent quite a lot of time in the Panda 100 HP I'd say the Peugeot is by far the better drivers' car and the Panda is by far the better bet as a daily driver.
But as others have said, you might be better off expanding the search. I'd be very tempted by a tidy 172/182 - more modern than the Pug but a similarly feisty nature and considerably more economical.
But as others have said, you might be better off expanding the search. I'd be very tempted by a tidy 172/182 - more modern than the Pug but a similarly feisty nature and considerably more economical.
pablo said:
having had threee 205 gtis i would definately say the panda. when i bought my last one in about 2006, it was a J-reg and according to the V5 had 16 previous owners. i bought it on a whim unseen and SORN'd and to be honest bodywise it was ok but mechanically it was shot to buggery. they will all by now have been ragged senseless by at least three owners and they dont seem to get much mehcnical sympathy. i know places like Just GTIs sell nice ones but you need to be properly mental before spending £4K on a 205 GTi regardless of how good it is.
the wiring is an utter joke, especially given they will all have had alarms fitted and removed at some point to meert insurance criteria. yes they are fast, look awesome and handle superbly but they are also old, french, weary, french, dated, french, prone to abuse and french.
I'm sorry to say, I don't think think ever really did your homework on them then. The fact that you say 'bought on a whim' and 'Just GTI's' in the same post pretty much says it all. I can't say it enough....you need to DO YOUR RESEARCH when buying one of these cars (as you would when buying any older car). the wiring is an utter joke, especially given they will all have had alarms fitted and removed at some point to meert insurance criteria. yes they are fast, look awesome and handle superbly but they are also old, french, weary, french, dated, french, prone to abuse and french.
Just GTI's went out of business years ago...likely for the reason that their cars were actually utter s
te dressed up as minters, and word started to spread (again, I come back to doing some reading...).A good GTI should be ragged....that's exactly what they were made for; driving. They are not museum pieces, and never will be. They were made to be driven, then as now. Get over to 205gtidrivers.com and you'll see that no only do these highly dedicated owners 'rag' their cars daily, but they are some of the best examples left in the country. Just because a car is driven hard does not mean it isn't maintained meticulously. It still stuns me how many people think these things are mutually exclusive (on any car).
But what I find most odd is this...you clearly have no love for them, yet you've apparently bought 3 of them?
pablo said:
If you are still undecided, look at a picture of Debbie Harry from her prime, now find a picture of her today....
What?? That is truly a terrible analogy.
What's the budget? Cheapest Pandas are about £4.5k
If insurance allowed I'd get something like a 182, you'd get a tidy one at that price as opposed to a bottom of the pile panda.
Also, if you have something for the weekend, why not just buy something cheap and cheerful for daily, unless you do loads of miles, which I can't imagine you do with your 2 options
If insurance allowed I'd get something like a 182, you'd get a tidy one at that price as opposed to a bottom of the pile panda.
Also, if you have something for the weekend, why not just buy something cheap and cheerful for daily, unless you do loads of miles, which I can't imagine you do with your 2 options
nando said:
Peugeot - daily driver . Does not compute
Ive had my 1999 106 GTi for 5 years and 51k miles and apart from normal servicing it has been faultless bar the leaky sunroof. Now sitting on 105k and sailed through the MOT in Dec.
I dont understand this whole french thing around cars.
They are cheap to buy
Cheap to insure
Cheap to run
Cheap to repair
In my eyes people always see french cars as unreliable as they are cheap to purchase so are generally bought by folk with a smaller budget and in turn skip service intervals and poorly maintain them so they will fail.
If you were to poorly maintain any brand of car im pretty sure it would fail aswell.
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