Purchasing A 205 Gti 1.9 - Few Questions

[alan-1991 0]

Hi guys,

 

I have long been an admirer of the 205 GTI 1.9 and have dreamed about owning one since i was a little boy. I am now 22 and feel that the time is right to purchase one while the prices are still affordable. My dad had a cherry red one in 1999 and i have missed the car since he sold it.

 

Before signing on the dotted line and exchanging paperwork i want to do a few checks to make sure it is 100% affordable for me.

 

Firstly, as im 22 i cannot get classic car insurance however i have been given reasonable quotes from Elephant (£500 to be precise - full comp, 0 ncb as i have them on my other car). However, i am a little concerned as this is not an insurance company that specialise in classic cars. Do such companies offer an agreed value for the vehicle in the event that it gets written off ?

 

Second question - this might sound a bit odd to some but i want to m ake sure before making any commitments. Does the 205 GTI 1.9 run on unleaded fuel ? I was sure that my dads old one had to have a lead addictive added.

 

Thanks

 

 

[Anthony 1,003]

Most mainstream insurers don't offer agreed value policies in my experience, although I can't speak for Elephant.

 

Non-CAT 1.9 GTi's need super unleaded (97 RON) fuel. It is possible to retard the ignition timing sufficiently to run it on regular unleaded (95 RON) but it noticeably impacts power and resposiveness of the engine and is why I suspect Peugeot never officially sanctioned the engine to run on the lower octane fuel like they did other models.

[willis 18 1 Cars]

Does that apply to 1.6's, too?

[Alan77 78 1 Cars]

I'm with Elephant, I don't have an agreed value but they are ok about modifications like braided brake hoses etc...

[Ryan 99]

Does that apply to 1.6's, too?

 

Yes. The owners manual says to retard the timing by 2 degrees to allow the 1.6 to run on 95 RON. It doesn't give a figure for the 1.9, but it's probably similar.

 

A lot of older guides say that GTIs need leaded fuel. That information was probably written in the 90s when leaded fuel was more easily available than super unleaded. It's the octane that matters, not the lead content, so super unleaded is fine.

[Anthony 1,003]

Does that apply to 1.6's, too?

1.6's could be run on regular unleaded (95 RON) acceptably.

 

From memory, earlier B6D engines needed the ignition timing retarding slightly, and later B6E engines needed no adjustment (owing presumably to the slightly lower compression ratio they ran).

 

For the sake of completeness, 1.9 CAT models were specced for regular unleaded (95 RON) thanks to Motronic 1.3 management and lower compression ratio.

[stufarri 98 3 Cars]

I would recommend all 205 GTI owners have agreed value policies wherever possible - admittedly younger drivers may struggle here though but phoning around to places like Footman James, Heritage and Adrian Flux may be worthwhile if the car is a rarely used second car and has restricted mileage.

 

Often total loss or theft unrecovered settlements without agreed values are likely to disappoint and add extra grief in the event of something happening. Often normal policies will not allow salvage buy-back which for smaller repairs that write a car off can be beneficial.

 

Glass' guide and CAP black book rarely reflect a classic car's true value in my experience.

[cRaig 273 1 Cars]

I managed to get agreed value insurance through Adrian Flux before I was 25 (which is the usual cut-off for agreed value policies) as Stu mentions, its worth considering.

[Grantecosse 1]

Do you have a car in mind Alan? I am also looking for a 1.9 Gti but not had any luck yet. There's not much in Scotland available but im prepared to travel for the right car.

[Roon 29 1 Cars]

My car has been on classic car insurance since I was 22 now 23.

 

A full tank of super really isn't that much more than a tank of standard fuel it won't break the bank.

[alan-1991 0]

Cheers for all the replies. It is much appreciated. I think my plan is to insure it via elephant 10 month bonus accelator so that i can get one ncb on the car. I have 5 on my other policy but unfortunately i aint allowed to mix and match them. Yeah the fuel costs will not be a problem - would rather run it on the correct stuff than find myself with an expensive problem.

 

Grant, i have been looking for a wee while now and havent really found any. Ive enquired about a couple and im waiting on responses from the owners.

[dcc 855]

speak to Neil @ green light - They've quoted me happy, offering insurance for agreed value, no extra cost, but it needs to be a 2nd car and have at least 1yr ncb on the first car.

[johniban 59 1 Cars]

i would advise you not to use elephant car insurance.

 

they same a good company untill you need to change your policy and you get put through to their call center in india, witch you cannot understand anything they say.

 

they tried to charge me an extra £1000 for not telling them i had points on my licence, i took out the policy online and had the cover note in front of me with the points on it. yet they still would not accept it.

 

every time i asked to speak to the manager they would hand up on me, 7 times in total i rang to cancel to policy and they just kept hanging up.

 

Very rude and poor customer service, if i wasnt so lazy i would have wrote a letter to watch dog.

[johniban 59 1 Cars]

im only 24, have my 106 gti insured with aviva for £400 a year, plus with the multicar i added my 205 rallye onto the policy for an extra £100, bargain!.

 

but i would give adrian flux a ring, see if they will agree a value on it

[will1991 11 1 Cars]

I too am 22 and insure mine on a limited mileage, agreed value policy with Adrian Flux. The car is kept garaged in a good area and costs about £500 with any mods insured (not that I have any).

 

Greenlight offered a very similar policy although for me Flux was marginally cheaper and I already had an agreed value with them.

 

With regard to NCB, both Flux and Greenlight will mirror them for you.

[Ryan 99]

Cheers for all the replies. It is much appreciated. I think my plan is to insure it via elephant 10 month bonus accelator so that i can get one ncb on the car. I have 5 on my other policy but unfortunately i aint allowed to mix and match them. Yeah the fuel costs will not be a problem - would rather run it on the correct stuff than find myself with an expensive problem.

 

Grant, i have been looking for a wee while now and havent really found any. Ive enquired about a couple and im waiting on responses from the owners.

 

Watch out because accelerated NCB is often not transferable to other insurance companies.

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

My car has been on classic car insurance since I was 22 now 23.

 

A full tank of super really isn't that much more than a tank of standard fuel it won't break the bank.

 

It used to cost me £29 to fill up my first 205GTI!

With regards to insurance, use one the specialist companies who advertise/post on here.

Mainstream haven't a clue.

[Mac Crash 78 1 Cars]

Think Tesco's premium fuel is actually 98 RON and you can buy Castrol's additive (Recommended) which comes in a thin bottle with a syrette style measuring nozzle.

The additive boosts octane and has lead substitute for valve seat protection although I've never heard of 205's suffering from pitted seats/burnt valves etc.

Not essential but definitely boosts octane, the best combination I have used (Tesco Super 98 and Castrol additive - you will notice the difference)

[alan-1991 0]

Cheers for the replies. Do the inusrance companies use this forum ? If so what are their usernames and ill get in touch. Just wanting to tot up all the costs so I can budget the appropriate amount for the car. It will be a second car probs do less than 3k a year in it.

[AlexRS2782 136 1 Cars]

I've been putting Momemtum 99 in my 205 since I bought it in '08 with no ill effects reported to date

 

As for insurance, as others have said phone around the specialists like Greenlight, Need 2 Insure, Sky, Footman James, etc, etc, and avoid mainstream to get a decent level of cover. If it's not a car in regular use so a 2nd car / no commuting, I'm sure a lot of the specialist insurers might be able to mirror the NCB from your main vehicle.

Edited January 15, 2014 by AlexRS2782

[will1991 11 1 Cars]

Cheers for the replies. Do the inusrance companies use this forum ? If so what are their usernames and ill get in touch. Just wanting to tot up all the costs so I can budget the appropriate amount for the car. It will be a second car probs do less than 3k a year in it.

 

http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?showtopic=141244

 

http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?showtopic=156269

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Cheers for the replies. Do the inusrance companies use this forum ? If so what are their usernames and ill get in touch. Just wanting to tot up all the costs so I can budget the appropriate amount for the car. It will be a second car probs do less than 3k a year in it.

 

Check the group buy sections.

[Mac Crash 78 1 Cars]

seriously, try direct line, I was surprised when they came back to me with £200 fully comp for my 1.9 (albeit with 7 years NCB and Cobra) naturally I bit their hand off and have had nothing but good comms with them since. Avoid Footman James, they're crooks!

[alan-1991 0]

Cheers for the replies. I am fortunate enough to live in a good postcode area so my insurance is quite cheap compared to some people who live 5 minutes down the road. I cannot wait to get the GTI but like i say i need to do research into them to make sure i dont cause myself too mcuh financial strain lol.

[Mac Crash 78 1 Cars]

quit smoking, drink only at the weekend... money's just money, GTi is a GTi - plus life is short at times