Advice Wanted Buying A 1.6 1993 205 Gti

[mda00mjc 0]

Hi All

 

I'm new to the forum and would be grateful for any advice.

 

I have the opportunity to buy a 205 GTI 1.6 1993 K in Serrento green for around £1500 with 106000 miles. The car has had 6 owners but only 2 in the last 10 years with the current owner having had it for around 6 years. The car has a partial SH but I know first hand that the car has been cared for over the recent past and had a top end rebuild last year. The car has also had fairly new cambelt, discs, pads and tyres. The car has no rust and has been described as being in excellent condition.

 

It has electric windows, factory sunroof, central locking and is totally original. The only real negatives I can see are the 14" alloys and no leather seats.

 

I've always hankered after getting a 205 GTI and feel that this would possibly be a good one.

 

What do people think to the price and specification? Is there anything that I should be specifically asking when it comes to the car.

 

Also what would be the best MPG possible from the engine?

 

Many Thanks

 

Mike

Edited May 2, 2011 by mda00mjc

[allye 530 3 Cars]

http://www.205gtidrivers.com/ > articles > 205 GTI Car Buying Guides

 

They came standard with 14inch alloys and the cloth seats do not wear any way near as bad as leather ones

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

and the cloth seats do not wear any way near as bad as leather ones

 

 

Really?!

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

It has electric windows, factory sunroof, central locking and is totally original. The only real negatives I can see are the 14" alloys and no leather seats.

 

Standard issue for a 1.6

 

 

 

Sounds like a good price

 

Is there anything that I should be specifically asking when it comes to the car.

 

Change the cambelt regardless.

Check the normal things you would on any car.

Engines are pretty good/tough - AFM and SAD are a little annoying on these and will be getting old.

Have a look from the rear. Check from about 10m away what the rear wheel camber is like, do either of the wheels lean at an odd angle? Factor in £300 odd for a beam rebuild.

Front suspension might crash around a bit but all the bits are cheap to replace.

 

Water pumps normally fail around 90,000 miles

Beams after 10 years or so

Heater matrix's around the 80,000 mile mark.

 

The later cars (J-K) rust quite badly, check the base of the B pillar and front chassis legs.

Feel under the carpet in the front foot wells for damp.

Check the laquer also - it peels off on the later cars J-K.

To be honest everything is quite cheap to replace on these.

 

Also what would be the best MPG possible from the engine?

 

35 if it's well set up, you can get it down to 20 odd if the ECU temp sensor (£15) is playing up.

 

 

It's a 20 year old car, it won't be perfect but sounds like a good starting point.

Edited May 2, 2011 by Simes

[allye 530 3 Cars]

Really?!

 

in my experience yes, the earlier grey ones that is, the later black cloth seats seem to fall apart if you look at them

[Guest]

Price is not unreasonable if the car is a good honest example, the 14" alloys and cloth seats could be taken as a sign the car has remained untampered with, as they were the original spec.

 

MPG will be 30 - 35 depending on the engine and its ancilliaries condition.

 

My advice is be prepared to get dirty, have a good look underneath car, check sills for rust where they have been jacked up badly.

 

Get underneath the engine bay and look for oil leaks, especially with a supposed top end rebuild.

 

Have a test drive, the ride should be firm and steering taught.

 

One of the biggest known failings is the rear beam, make sure to test the suspension travel at the back.

 

The engines are very robust, an uneven idle from cold is common though. Check oil filler and coolant header for gunk as a sign of head gasket failure.

 

Finally for this sort of money the car should be drive and enjoy, with no to do list for next MOT. I would expect plent of MOT and Tax.

 

Oh and always take an independent friend with you, nothing worse than buying with rose tinted glasses

[mda00mjc 0]

Thanks everyone, I was thinking of buying some leather seats on ebay but may think twice now.

 

If the worst happened and the car needed a new engine how much would one cost and where would I get one from. Also is it possible to get new 15" alloys as I'd be worried that they would possibly have seen accident damage if refurbished.

 

Mike

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Thanks everyone, I was thinking of buying some leather seats on ebay but may think twice now.

 

If the worst happened and the car needed a new engine how much would one cost and where would I get one from. Also is it possible to get new 15" alloys as I'd be worried that they would possibly have seen accident damage if refurbished.

 

Mike

 

 

Both of my 1.9 8v engines (both in good condition) I sold for £85 each. They take about around a day to swap and have running.

This forum would be your best source - as most of us tend to remove the 8v unit and go for 16v's.

I wouldn't waste money on new alloys, anyway I'm not certain whether you can still buy them new. Most of us have refurbed ones as the laquer wears and curbing of course.

 

Be different and keep the 1.6 like a 1.6, it will be worth more in the long run. That is unless you start spending time on this forum and get involved in engine swaps, throttle bodies and 3rd party mappable ECU's!

Edited May 2, 2011 by Simes

[james28 0]

a good second hand engine would probably cost you less than a set of tyres for your boxster

and 15" speedlines are always on the market and sell refurbished for a couple of hundred quid

as for buying go with what the heart tells you mate if it pushed all the buttons and makes you smile buy it and dont worry about how much it costs

[Phil H 16]

...thought the 1.6 was discontinued in 1992?

[mda00mjc 0]

...thought the 1.6 was discontinued in 1992?

[mda00mjc 0]

Was it discontinued then?

 

Are engines really that cheap then? £90 for a 8 valve? I'm presuming the 1.6 is an 8 valve then?

[richsmells 2]

Was it discontinued then?

 

Are engines really that cheap then? £90 for a 8 valve? I'm presuming the 1.6 is an 8 valve then?

 

All engines originally fitted to the 205 Gti are 8v. They can be purchased second hand very cheaply.

 

The only real difference between the 1.6 and 1.9 engine is the cylinder stroke and cam. Cylinder heads are identical. All this information is easily avaliable in the forum or on the main website

Edited May 3, 2011 by richsmells

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

Most of the main points to look for are covered. To be honest you need to look carefully as even if it looks good from the top, a suspension overhaul if it is all worn out can soon set you back a lump of cash. However if its a project to be done a bit at a time then its certainly a realistic proposition to do it gradually. Rear beam as mentioned is commonly in need of work, but aside from that most other bits are not expensive and easy enough to get hold of.

Engine wise they are pretty strong and don't generally explode without warning, however they are getting on so look out for burning oil etc blue smoke on start up.

If it is not a million miles away and you'll cover the fuel I don't mind coming to look over it with you. I've had a fair few of these little beasties now so you could say I have a fair idea what to look at.

[james28 0]

best thing about the forum mate plenty of people willing to help well done Tom

[mda00mjc 0]

Most of the main points to look for are covered. To be honest you need to look carefully as even if it looks good from the top, a suspension overhaul if it is all worn out can soon set you back a lump of cash. However if its a project to be done a bit at a time then its certainly a realistic proposition to do it gradually. Rear beam as mentioned is commonly in need of work, but aside from that most other bits are not expensive and easy enough to get hold of.

Engine wise they are pretty strong and don't generally explode without warning, however they are getting on so look out for burning oil etc blue smoke on start up.

If it is not a million miles away and you'll cover the fuel I don't mind coming to look over it with you. I've had a fair few of these little beasties now so you could say I have a fair idea what to look at.

 

Many thanks. The car is Cheshire, was planning to go in a couple of weeks as the owner is away on business.

[lfallgti 12]

...thought the 1.6 was discontinued in 1992?

 

I'd imagine it may have been sat awhile before being registered.

 

 

I've seen a few on K plates.