The 205 Gti - A Dying Breed?

[allye 530 3 Cars]

So I feel very proud driving around in mine and still have to look back at it several times after parking it

 

 

I do this! Always looking back at it when I park it any where, thinking it looks amazing inbetween 2 eurobox, blandmobiles. I too feel proud driving it around, I always see people pointing it out in traffic.

[Daviewonder 533 3 Cars]

I do this! Always looking back at it when I park it any where, thinking it looks amazing inbetween 2 eurobox, blandmobiles.

 

 

I saw an awesome example of this in Sainsburys petrol station. I had filled up my Cherry red 1.6 and went into pay. While waiting in the queue I looked out onto the forecourt to see my bright red 205 surrounded by all these 'eurobox blandmobiles' that were all black, dark grey and navy blue.

 

It would have made an excellent photo, this bright red 205 sitting amongst all these dull boring motors

[feb 47]

I remember how much attention my sorrento used to get when I was in France (Andy had given it a once over with the polisher not too long ago), the french really appreciated a 205 Gti.

Most of the cars would be battered and the very few councours ones hidden in garages.

It is even more rare in Germany but I doubt how many people know what this car is, saying this I have not taken it to any classic car meetings yet.

What I have noticed is how many people are restoring them fully nowadays, cutting and replacing all rust which is a good sign.

Most people on here 7 years ago would just drive them to death as a cheap runaround whereas now they seem to hold onto them and take care of them more.

[Doof 11]

It is kind of sad but I guess things move on and with today's safe, quiet and economical cars why would anyone go for a 205 gti? It's not even like they're massively cheap for what they are now. I bet you can get all sorts of BMW's and Vauxhalls that are much newer and about as quick for not a whole lot more money.

 

Saying that, i can't imagine I'd get a bunch of people in a people carrier stopping at traffic lights asking me about my car if I was in a boring vauxhall astra or something. I love it when people recognise a 205 gti for what they are. Great fun classic cars

 

I do miss seeing other GTi's on the road and giving them a knowing nod or wave.

[Atreides 2]

Things have definitely changed a lot in the last few years mate. When I bought my 205 in 02 it was just a cheap runaround. Go shopping and every other car was some 205 base model or diesel and there were a fair few GTis about too. No problem getting parts, no waving at other drivers, nothing special about owning a GTI at all (apart from the fun of course).

 

Fast forward to the last couple of years: I drove 2500 miles in Europe and saw ONE other GTi. We all now wave at each other and get comments from random strangers usually along the lines of "I used to have one of them! Now I drive a people carrier". 90% of the cars known to the DVLA 10 years ago have disappeared (some were taken to the race track, some are future barn finds, most went to the breakers yard ). Parts are getting harder to come by. Seriously, in a few years we could well be looking at under 1000 roadworthy examples left in the entire country!

 

The cheap runaround has become a modern classic. Lots of us have or are thinking of spending more money restoring our cars than they're actually worth, although I expect values to catch up with restoration costs before this decade is out.

 

I was prompted to find this thread when I recieved an email from Pistonheads just now with the headline "PEUGEOT 205 MI16 CTI BREAKING". OK, I accept some cars are going to be rotten to the core by now or accident damaged. Let's use them for parts. But PLEASE, no more scrapping of any 205 GTI that is capable of being repaired! Certainly not while most parts can still be bought *somewhere* even if Pug don't sell them any more (although they still sell a surprising amount of bits).

 

I don't want my car to be rare. I want to wave to other GTi drivers and have meet ups and be part of a community of petrol heads who love these French tin cans like I do. No can do if they're all scrapped!

 

+1

 

Well said, that man.

[dodsworth_gti 11]

i loved all my 205's,and still when i see them i stare with amazement

 

hence why im in the market for one

 

i want to save one though,a wreck that needs love to restore it to its former glory

 

im guilty of killing 4 of them,2 accidently and 1 i broke 1 i also broke but it had rotted in the wrong places,the middle one got sold and went to scotland to be a race car i think,so ill consider that also dead

 

if people stopped breaking them,we could stop them getting so rare

 

or people turning decent ones into track cars,why not just buy one thats ready built,even if you rip it to bits and do your own thing with it!

 

even if people just offered to give away the shells rather than scrapping them for maybe 100 quid???

 

id give anyone near to me scrap value for a shell right now

 

one think is there seems to be pleanty of gti's in yorkshire at the moment,i regually see them and its always a different one

[layton1985 5]

very good read but truth be told there are lots of people out there that just can't be bothered with them, it seems a good idea at the time, I'l do it up I'l mint the engine I'l do this I'l do that, then they get it home it sits there for 6 months then they break it for parts because they didn't have a clue how to change the wheel, then there's the guys that just get them to break them, it is a shame but like the article says there alot older cars still out there needing alot more work and alot rarer parts. I do hope there are alot more 205's and deffo 309's left than it says in the article though.

[mickie 3]

very good read but truth be told there are lots of people out there that just can't be bothered with them, it seems a good idea at the time, I'l do it up I'l mint the engine I'l do this I'l do that, then they get it home it sits there for 6 months then they break it for parts because they didn't have a clue how to change the wheel, then there's the guys that just get them to break them, it is a shame but like the article says there alot older cars still out there needing alot more work and alot rarer parts. I do hope there are alot more 205's and deffo 309's left than it says in the article though.

 

or you get the people like me who spend years fixing them up and sell when its finished..

 

 

i'd have kept mine if i didnt need the money for a family car, but my daughter is worth it. that and the economy hasnt helped