Buying A 205 Gti In 2014

[audiobull 6]

If I had the garage space, i'd be seriously thinking about the red CTI on ebay at the moment...

thats lovely isnt it. i would too but id rather keep the space for a 1.9 gti. cti to come at a later date.

[aldworth33 45 1 Cars]

Tbh I think I bought mine at the right time, it's a bit scruffy and needs work which I'm slowly getting thru but at least I have one. I think the prices are above what they were last time I was looking for a 205 (around 2008) but you really don't see many of them on the road and they really are an 'iconic' car and most of the people that have them want to keep hold of them for as long as possible because let's face it, they are a great little car.

 

Hence the inevitable price rise as less and less become available due to breaking scraping and owners not wanting to part with their pride and joy, so less are available so people will have to pay more.

 

It's just how it is, nothing anyone can do about it.

Unless everyone wants to put their cars on ebay for a pickled egg and a mars bar?

[audiobull 6]

i have a pickled egg and 2 mars bars???

 

no i do agree i shouldnt expect to pay what i did back in 2008 which i dont expect to pay that. I paid £450 for an immaculate non sunny (see avatar) that just needed the head gasket replaced. im now looking to spend £2500 on the same type but hoping for one that doesnt need head gasket. so i am not saying they should be £450 but i dont expect to pay £3k upwards for the same type with major problems that are just hidden to boost the sale.

Edited May 4, 2014 by audiobull

[aldworth33 45 1 Cars]

Get another pickled egg and you can buy 2!!!!! Although that's one thing iv noticed about Scotland, they don't love a pickled egg like we do south of the border so maybe 2 battered mars bars for up here lol

[Alan77 78 1 Cars]

I saw a deep fried mars bar kebab pizza in Aberdeen. Total artery brutality...

[audiobull 6]

I saw a deep fried mars bar kebab pizza in Aberdeen. Total artery brutality...

what the f### heart attack in a box but i bet it tastes pretty good.....

[GLPoomobile 958]

It's not aimed specifically at you Audiobull. You've just stuck your head above the parapet and said here what many others before you have said in other topics.

 

All this talk of over priced rust buckets is still nonsense. You are stating this like it is fact. Again there may be some but it's not indicative of the whole market. They are old cars, of course they will have rust and worn components. How is this any different to any other classic market? Do you expect to buy something that has thousands spent restoring it and buy for a fraction of that cost?

 

And as for me being selfish, don't be silly. I've come close to selling mine for a pittance just to be rid of it many times. I even risked losing it when I had to abondone it at my old address. You know what stopped me parting with it? The fact that I knew if I wanted another in years to come I'd have to pay significantly more.

 

I really struggle to understand why anyone doesn't get 'it'. They hit the bottom of the depreciation curve, sat there for years, now numbers have dwindled and they are fast approaching classic status, and now they are appreciating. This is normal for cars like these, and we all know it. Stop judging the market by age, mileage, rust and wear and instead accept we are dealing with a desirable item in short(ish) supply. Of course every car has to be judged indivudually and if it's a shed it'll be at the bottom of the price bracket.

 

Yes I'm glad I'm not a buyer now. Yes it sucks if you have to pay several times what you would a few years ago, but it's the way of the world an no point whinging about it. It's not as if a 205 GTI is an essential life item. It's something you desire to own, and as with anything in life you pay what you have to for what you desire. We can't always have everything we want in life, something most of us were taught as kids!

[audiobull 6]

Of course every car has to be judged indivudually and if it's a shed it'll be at the bottom of the price bracket.

well isnt this what the entire thread is about?? the sheds are being over priced and i have been to see many which are, so its not just an opinion i have seen rust buckets for silly money. that is not nonsense, thats fact. ive seen them. Pictures dont show how bad the car is and a fair few are pictures that were taken when the seller first got the car.

 

As for we cant have everything in life, we were taught that as kids well done. However most of us also learn not to preach it to adults!

 

I wasnt calling you selfish personally, it was just an expression to try and explain what your comment was like.

 

I completely agree theres no point whinging about it but the thread was started to whinge about it so id suggest you move to a different thread so you dont have to read it ;-) Because i intend to whinge and moan more about the prices of the NON restored 205's that are overpriced.

 

On a different note there is still loads of fair priced 205's so im not saying all of them are overpriced. as for the mains thread topic the prices have doubled and the prices have gone up by at least £1200 on top. that gives no reason to be selling at £2000-£3000 car for £4000. whats with the one for sale at £12,990.00 anyway?

Edited May 4, 2014 by audiobull

[forbeslongden 32 13 Cars]

It's not as if a 205 GTI is an essential life item.

I would have agreed with this when I sold my first one, but the more I think about it, the more I think they are essential life items. We all seem to gravitate back to them.

[forbeslongden 32 13 Cars]

On a different note there is still loads of fair priced 205's so im not saying all of them are overpriced. as for the mains thread topic the prices have doubled and the prices have gone up by at least £1200 on top. that gives no reason to be selling at £2000-£3000 car for £4000. whats with the one for sale at £12,990.00 anyway?

Yeah there are quite a few decent examples out there that are very drivable, in fact, I would say it's harder to find a terminal 205 on eBay than it is one that needs a bit of a tidy at the moment. There are quite a few between £500-1000 that need welding and putting back together or need the engine sorting because some tit has tried to put a 2 litre in it and lost heart - I guess it comes down to whether you're scared off by no tax and test and willing to risk a bargain or not.

 

I'd assume most members here have bought a cheap GTi that needed work and then proceeded to repair what needed doing, I've never personally seen the point of getting one that's ready to go since there's something alluring about stamping your mark on your car.

[Mac Crash 78 1 Cars]

"Rust, rust, rust.... rotten, rust buckets...." are you serious??? there will always be exceptions, naturally, but c'mon.... the 205 simply isn't old enough yet and it was made with real steel, try restoring an old Mini (yip, been said many times before I know) or any mini for that matter, won't even mention Escorts... and that's only because Mini's and Escorts are acutally worth saving.... if you think 205's suffer from rust then you have absolutely no idea... as GPL rightly says, you still need access to tooling, welding ability, etc... but the 205 is so easily saveable in comparison, rust... pah!!!! total nonsense...

[audiobull 6]

your certainly right. a 205 is much more saveable and in comparison i would prefer a 205. I still wouldnt buy an over priced one and nor would you!

Edited May 4, 2014 by audiobull

[Ams 23 1 Cars]

Even popular 90's cars like the 200sx's 180sx's and variants are already going down this road - example thread of same complaints regarding 2014 values: https://www.driftworks.com/forum/other-chat/217630-how-muc-should-200sxs-selling.html. Although some the language used by posters is a little juvenile, the posts contain very similar points in that the prices for rusty bad examples have shot up along with the good examples, too many good ones are being broken, because motorsport etc etc.

 

As already mentioned I'm surprised 205 GTI's took so long to hit this point.

 

 

 

 

[PAGOS 15 4 Cars]

Over priced . The problem stems from those who , in the past , were so eager to be able to say ' yeah , I run a 205 ', that they would have paid with their body organs to buy a 205 GTI .The majority of the 205s bought with this type of mentality were used as weekend poser mobiles ,sunny Sunday promenade cruisers or a show piece that saw day-light and got a breath of fresh air if there was a car show and the Met office weather forecast was favourable .I was asked recently if I would be interested in a tidy , low mileage , one owner from new , ph1 .I just said - maybe , give me your number .' Eventually ,he phoned me , . I told him too much , £6500 for a Ph1 .It had sat so long the tyres were perished , the bumpers and trim were turning to dust ,there was moss growing on it ,the interior was damp and covered in mould .His reply was,' look on the net to see its value '.A1 condition , serviced and not covered in mould/rat s*it/pigeon s*it ,perhaps .One careful owner from new ? The problem is somebody WILL pay it .

[GLPoomobile 958]

EDIT: Completely re-written this post as I felt I owed it to Audiobull to at least re-read all his posts in this topic and take them as a whole before replying.

 

Audiobull, I think we've both misinterpreted each other's replies, but more so me misunderstanding you

 

It sounds to me like you've been unlucky and the ones you've been to see have been cases of sellers trying to capitalise on higher market values. If you feel such cars are overpriced for what they are, based on what you are willing to pay, then so be it, and that's a personal decision. In terms of the market, if they are overpriced then they won't sell at the moment (as has been said numerous times).

 

I've jumped the gun a bit by defending current values. But that's where I think I've also been misunderstood, because I'm clearly not defending overpriced sheds. I've not cited a single specific example of a 205 for sale and justified it's asking price. I'm justifying the increase in values across the market over the last year, and I truly believe that 205 GTIs are deserving of this value increase.

 

Can you still get a reasonable 205 GTI in running order, that is roadworthy and can be driven away and enjoyed, without needing too much attention in the short term, for £2.5k? Yes, I believe you can. A few people have already attested to that. Look at ATK's Steel Grey that he picked up for £1900! A stunning car in it's own right, let alone for "only" £1900! The difference now is that you have to work harder to find these cars.

 

Stay patient and the right one will come along eventually. I hope you find what you are looking for within your budget.

 

EDIT 2: Sorry, just wanted to add another couple of points that may or may not be useful. Decide as you see fit....

1) If you assume that a record or evidence of panel replacement is going to hide rust or dodgy work, then you are limiting your options. You are going to have to judge every car by what you can see with your own two eyes, plus a bit of gut instinct based on other things you can assess. I'm sure you are already doing this, but it doesn't come across in your comments. I would bet that a lot of us are driving 205s that look fairly solid but are hiding some bad rust. A few areas are starting to come to light recently where the rot can progress hidden from view (such as inside the roof above the rear windows, where the sealant always cracks). So the ones that look solid aren't necessarily better than ones that have had rot cut out and replaced.

 

2) Higher priced/restored examples are still likely to break down on the way home, as are the ratty ones. Nothing to do with them being old an/or French, but more likely to do with the fact that some just seem to have a bit of a disobedient soul and like to piss off their owners no matter what. Or if you don't buy in to that bulls*it the other more realistic reason is that IMO they seem to be a bit more troublesome the more they've been interfered with.

 

My own current GTI has been the most bothersome of the 4 I've owned, whilst being the most expensive by some considerable margin. In spite of being kept as a standard and near concourse condition example up until a few years prior to my ownership, and in spite of having thousands spent at DES Developments on an Mi conversion, beam rebuild, gearbox refresh and other bits just before I bought it, it has been a pain in the arse. It kept braking down after I bought it (great fun when living in central-ish London!), which was due to crap wiring. Conversely the best one I've owned was the £400 1.6 that was in near completely standard condition except for a suspected failed HG (hence the price) that turned out to be crispy fried valve stem seals. It was a good solid, reliable GTI as it had never been messed with (or restored if you prefer). Truly a Ronseal GTI. reading this paragraph back I'm not sure it makes any sense in the context of this discussion, but I'm trying to say that sometimes the ones that have had a lot of money spent on them and to all intents and purposes look like a good solid car worth the asking price can actually turn in to a pain in the arse money pit, whilst the ones that are cheap, look a bit tatty and haven't been restored might actually turn out to be the more 'honest' and enjoyable.

Edited May 5, 2014 by GLPoomobile

[cybernck 402 1 Cars]

In Leon's defense, I still clearly remember the times people were scrapping perfectly good examples

due to something as daft as getting a light bump in a door (or even a scratched wing FFS!) or finding

a small patch of rust. Especially if it's something bigger, like blown HG or dead rear beam.

 

I appreciate the fact that, at one point, the prices were SO low that ANY work that had to be carried out

on a car was actually more expensive then buying another good one (not helped by the fact that "specialist

breakers" were killing them like flies as well), but I have still been repeatedly saying that it is pure

madness to do so and that the time will come when when tables will turn.

 

And guess what? They have!

 

You can easily see it by the amount of project topics where people happily tackle really BIG issues in order

to restore cars to their former glory - and I am happy to see it at long last.

[forbeslongden 32 13 Cars]

I bought one for £400 two months ago and it cost £550 to get through an MOT - I was pretty happy with that. It was roadworthy and solid. It all comes down to how perfect you want it, I'm cool with scruffy as long as there's nothing on the car that can't be sorted. As stated above, the cars are old even the newest example GTi is twenty years old and with that comes rust that probably the current owner would never know about - hell, most owners never think to look under the back seats.

 

I personally get a tin of black Hammerite when ever I buy one and paint up the good areas and then treat the bad ones, sure my engine bay / boot area or under the car may not look as good as other examples but it at least is going to curb any problems with rust for a few years while I enjoy driving in any weather.

 

Sometimes it just is more cost-effective to buy a scruffy one and throw a little cash at it so you at least have piece of mind that the problem areas are being done in front of your eyes and you don't feel ripped off buying a two thousand pound 205 with hidden nasties under the surface.

[m_attt 31 1 Cars]

It also seams you cant give away a decent one, when you want to move on. No wonder they end up being broken for parts.

[Edp 67 3 Cars]

In Leon's defense, I still clearly remember the times people were scrapping perfectly good examples

due to something as daft as getting a light bump in a door (or even a scratched wing FFS!) or finding

a small patch of rust. Especially if it's something bigger, like blown HG or dead rear beam.

 

I appreciate the fact that, at one point, the prices were SO low that ANY work that had to be carried out

on a car was actually more expensive then buying another good one (not helped by the fact that "specialist

breakers" were killing them like flies as well), but I have still been repeatedly saying that it is pure

madness to do so and that the time will come when when tables will turn.

 

And guess what? They have!

 

You can easily see it by the amount of project topics where people happily tackle really BIG issues in order

to restore cars to their former glory - and I am happy to see it at long last.

 

Well said and I remember those times too. I remember a picture of two crushed 205s with perfectly usable parts still attached.

[hexhamstu 9]

In Leon's defense, I still clearly remember the times people were scrapping perfectly good examples

due to something as daft as getting a light bump in a door (or even a scratched wing FFS!) or finding

a small patch of rust. Especially if it's something bigger, like blown HG or dead rear beam.

 

I appreciate the fact that, at one point, the prices were SO low that ANY work that had to be carried out

on a car was actually more expensive then buying another good one (not helped by the fact that "specialist

breakers" were killing them like flies as well), but I have still been repeatedly saying that it is pure

madness to do so and that the time will come when when tables will turn.

 

And guess what? They have!

 

You can easily see it by the amount of project topics where people happily tackle really BIG issues in order

to restore cars to their former glory - and I am happy to see it at long last.

 

But technically the tables have only turned because of the now low numbers caused by people breaking them etc? Economically for a while you could get a car for £200 and break it for a lot more. So people would do it and there's nothing wrong with that. It's just a car at the end of the day.

[u47sb2 27 2 Cars]

There are quite a number up in the Highlands. 3 are mine, another 2 live on a drive about a mile away from my parents. I know of another 4 in Inverness. There's a few up near Brora too.

[willis 18 1 Cars]

I knew it wouldn't be long!

[jshep205gti 3]

I have not found a good condition 16v 205 for £2k yet. I thought my inbox would be full by now

[dcc 855]

You need to look harder! I know they are out there, recently helped a member get hold of a very good value for money example!

 

Very soon the prices are going to creep up to mk2 escort range.

[feb 47]

I think the fact that not so many of them are being advertised, its iconic status and recent media attention has led to the sudden increase in price.

 

I am with you audiobull regarding the price you are willing to pay.

 

Some people are dreamers (especially dealers that think they hold a piece of gold when the car is way far from concours condition).

 

But in general no matter the make, people advertise their cars as great condition only to find out they are far from good (I've noticed this having viewed 3-4 different cars lately).

 

You need to look harder! I know they are out there, recently helped a member get hold of a very good value for money example!

 

Very soon the prices are going to creep up to mk2 escort range.

 

Where did you source it? Local newspaper, walking/driving around and saw it, neighbour?

 

I've said it before but I will say it again, my biggest ever mistake was to sell my first Sorrento.

 

If I could find a 16V 205 in good condition for around £2k or so I would also consider one

Edited May 16, 2014 by feb