Am I too late to the party?

[Nails84 0]

I did notice the wrong interior and figured that the original interior was knackered so they changed it, not the end of the world. I also noticed the lift up reverse but figured they changed the gearbox when the MI-16 conversion was done? The suspension does look too high, I notice a lot like this, I figured this would be something I would get adjusted. 

 

I might go and see it, at the same time, the dealer is not being that helpful, it was first listed for sale by them over a year ago and the MOT expired in November and hasn't been renewed. 

Edited August 6, 2018 by Nails84

[jackherer 543]

Adjusting the rear suspension may well turn into a new rear beam which is a lot of money to do right. I'd want to see receipts and/or photos of a rebuilt GTI spec beam, if not I'd budget for a full replacement one.

 

As for the interior, if you plan on driving it you'll wear those seats out in no time, they are already on the way, the outer drivers bolster always gives it away as it is the first thing to go.

 

I'm trying to avoid being too negative but I think if you spent five figures on that you'd find yourself spending a lot more quite soon.

[speno 239 2 Cars]

Wouldn't even go and see tbh

[Telf 224 2 Cars]

I'd pass

[Nails84 0]

Ok thanks for the honest opinions guys 

[dcc 855]

https://m.facebook.com/groups/116256539050203?view=permalink&id=214067762602413

[Nails84 0]

7 minutes ago, dcc said:

https://m.facebook.com/groups/116256539050203?view=permalink&id=214067762602413

Thanks, I have seen that one on Pistonheads. I am put off by a few things, it was a 1.6, I really want a 1.9 as a base (I know people don't agree with me on this but I can't get my head around it yet). I don't like the colour the alloys have been done in (again, I know I could change it, so not a deal breaker). The driver's seat doesn't look in very good condition and the driver's side door looks to be badly aligned looking at the pics. 

 

These advisories are worrying also:

• Brake pipe slightly corroded Front to rear (3.6.B.2c)
• Nearside Rear Axle beam has slight vertical movement between stub axle and axle beam Slightly seized (2.5.A.1a)

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

Yeah a couple of minor advisories, that you've approx. £6000 left in your pocket to sort out compared with the car earlier in this thread! I wouldn't personally call them "worrying" they just need sorting out. These are 30 year old cars, they will nearly always need some minor job or other doing.

[Nails84 0]

14 minutes ago, Tom Fenton said:

Yeah a couple of minor advisories, that you've approx. £6000 left in your pocket to sort out compared with the car earlier in this thread! I wouldn't personally call them "worrying" they just need sorting out. These are 30 year old cars, they will nearly always need some minor job or other doing.

I see where you are coming from Tom, but I don't want to be in a situation where I am constantly chasing my tail trying to get the car the way I want it, the way I see it, this one has too many things I would want to change. I am happy to make some changes, I may even buy one that is for example, mechanically excellent but needs a re-paint (or vice versa), but then I would expect it to be priced accordingly. This one is a bit of both, probably needs a re-paint, some interior work and some bodywork if I want it looking A1, and it also sounds like there are some mechanical's to sort out. I don't think it's for me. 

Edited August 7, 2018 by Nails84

[dcc 855]

The car i linked has had a brand new rear axle built. Id imagine Mike also sorted the brake line. Neither would worry me.

 

Painting wheels is circa £45ea, the fact its not a 1.9 is near enough impossible to overlook if it bugs you THAT much

[Nails84 0]

17 hours ago, dcc said:

The car i linked has had a brand new rear axle built. Id imagine Mike also sorted the brake line. Neither would worry me.

 

Painting wheels is circa £45ea, the fact its not a 1.9 is near enough impossible to overlook if it bugs you THAT much

I think you are right Dan, the 1.9 thing bugs me too much as things stand. Also, thinking about it, I would rather inherit one that was totally sorted rust and paint wise, but perhaps needed some mechanical work doing. As I have half an eye on getting a GTI-6 or MI-16 this would make more sense for me. I would also be open to having one that needed nothing doing at all, it all depends what I can get for my money. Unfortunately the two best ones that I have come across so far (well actually I was approached by both via this forum) are up in Scotland so I can't just go and have a look. If I traveled all the way up there I would have to go in with the mindset that I will be buying the car, I really don't want to do that, I want to view, mull it over, and in an ideal scenario I want to see a few so I can get an idea as to what is out there and what I should be expecting. As I say, it has been nearly 15 years since I last owned a 205!

[GLPoomobile 958]

Distance is a problem, but I'll tell you this.....up here in sweaty sock land we are at a disadvantage when it comes to buying and selling. PLaces seem to be farther apart  

 

If I was a seller up here in Scotchland I'd be as helpful as possible for a buyer too far to travel easily. Oh, guess what, I was in that very situation last year! Sold my GTI to a guy down south who never even came up to see it, but instead took a leap of faith based on the details I was willing to provide and then arranged a transport company to collect it. We exchanged oodles of emails, I gave him far more details than he even asked for and along with loads of photos I even sent him videos showing it running and detailing various parts of the car, known faults etc. I did that more than willingly as I wanted him to be happy with the deal and not worry.

 

I'm not trying to blow my own trumpet here, I'm just making the point that distance IS going to be an issue as the right car isn't going to just fall in to your lap, so don't be scared to pester people for info and consider other approaches. And I'm not suggesting you send someone £10k for a car you've not seen in person (I sold mine for £800!), but at least try and get enough information over and above what is advertised to try and make a decision whether it's worth the travel.

 

Potentially you are going to waste a lot of time and money travelling far and wide to find the right one. Or you lower expectations and/or budget. Or, god forbid, you make a rash decision and buy something you regret simply because you had to travel some distance and didn't want it to be a wasted journey (Oh, I've NEVER been there before, humph ). Or..........you might, hopefully, get lucky and find a sorted 1.9 locally. Stranger things have happened!

Edited August 8, 2018 by GLPoomobile

[GLPoomobile 958]

I just had a look at that over priced Mi16 on Car&Classic and thought I'd offer up another bit of perspective....

 

My last GTI I bought back around 2007. Like this C&C one it had not long before been Mi16 converted. From spec and photo point of view, it was probably quite similar to this one. It had been an immaculate almost concours example prior to the conversion. The Mi had been rebuilt and dropped in, the loom had allegedly been rebuilt, the g'box was refurbed and new clutch fitted, the engine bay had been resprayed (odd considering how immaculate it had been not long before this work was done), the beam was rebuilt, the wheels refurbed, koni suspension fitted, new brakes blah blah blah. The guy who had all this work done spent a fair penny and had high standards. The company who did all this work was DES Developments, who are no longer around but back then they had a fantastic rep. The car was exactly what I wanted, down to a tee, and I paid what was strong money back then and travelled from London to Falmouth to get it.

 

I should have been pleased as punch.

 

No, it turned out to be the worst GTI I've had. I quickly became unhappy with it and the list of things I wanted to change, fix or improve grew and grew and my "not a project" was soon "a project" and I had very little use out of it over the years. Wiring was a load of crap and it kept cutting out and leaving me stranded in inner London traffic, so I had to build a new loom from scratch. AFM died. THrottle body was worn and had to be replaced. Head gasket went and pissed all it's coolant out on the way from London to Scotland, which turned out to be due to the engine block face not being even. THat was just the main reliability issues that really ruined it, but there was countless other niggles that annoyed me. Quite simply, in spite of the money spent and the rep of the company that did the work, corners were cut and some of it was sloppy as ffff.

 

Point is this - don't assume that something claiming to have had a fantastic photo documented rebuild, and being advertised at stupid money by a trader using fancy lingo is going to be worth the money. If I was spending £10k on something like that, I'd want it to be at the very least turnkey perfect and reliable even if the cosmetics weren't perfect. I'd want something that I could confidently jump it at any time and drive anywhere, and only needed routine maintenance. Now stop laughing at the back, plenty of us know that 205s can be, and ARE, this reliable when properly looked after. A lot of these over priced examples aren't going to be like that.

Edited August 8, 2018 by GLPoomobile

[Nails84 0]

@GLPoomobile Thanks for the insight. The problem with Scotland is that I am in the south east of England, I am more than willing to travel to view cars, probably a couple of hours each way to begin with, but Scotland is a totally different kettle of fish. I am not the sort of person to go all that way, to see the car, be disappointed and buy it anyway like some people would just because they have made the journey. 

 

I get your point about rebuilds and restorations, anyone that knows me would tell you how fussy I am when it comes to cosmetics, for £10k I am looking for an excellent condition car cosmetically. When it comes to the engine, my concern with the 1.9 is that it will feel gutless nowadays, it felt fine 15 years ago when I was 19/20 but I have drive a lot of other cars since then. I want the car to look the part, but I also want it to be fun to drive and quick enough to please in a straight line. I understand the 1.9's are not that tune-able so an engine transplant appears the only way. 

[jackherer 543]

27 minutes ago, Nails84 said:

I understand the 1.9's are not that tune-able

That depends on your opinion of turbo charging really...

[Telf 224 2 Cars]

I'm with Barnaby Worthington-Titwank III on the whole refurbished GTi thing. I spend a lot of time looking at so called mint examples and then sadly sit going that's wrong , that's not right etc. I would be very wary of touching any of them - maybe one from some of the guys here if one comes up for sale.

 

Maybe you should buy a reasonable condition example for reasonable money - enjoy it a bit and then spend cash getting it how you want. mine cost £1600 7 years ago, I think it was on 216000 miles then, I've driven it for 5 years solid and it broke down once. Its now on 254K and is having a major rebuild but that's fine- it will be just how I want it when its done and fit for another 5 years of hooning around.

 

Just a thought.

Edited August 8, 2018 by Telf

[Anthony 1,003]

51 minutes ago, Nails84 said:

When it comes to the engine, my concern with the 1.9 is that it will feel gutless nowadays, it felt fine 15 years ago when I was 19/20 but I have drive a lot of other cars since then. I want the car to look the part, but I also want it to be fun to drive and quick enough to please in a straight line. I understand the 1.9's are not that tune-able so an engine transplant appears the only way. 

 

Whilst still fun to drive, being realistic, a standard 1.9 GTi is going to feel a bit underwhelming in a straight line coming from any modern performance oriented car - 205 GTi's were fairly quick in the 80's, but now, a typical diesel repmobile will easily out-drag one.

 

A 16v converted one is certainly better in that regard, although they're still "brisk" rather than "quick" by vaguely modern standards.

[dcc 855]

ill give you an example, my old gti6 on throttle bodies made circa 185bhp, it was identical to a megane 225 when racing down a private road somewhere in Europe. A standard 1.9/1.6 are on par with a modern 1.4 corsa

[barneys66 122 1 Cars]

Mike - sounds like it's worth you finding a few local ones and having a drive, as it really depends on a number of factors (irrespective of the base model) as to whether it's going to meet your expectations.

 

Was it that they were fun to drive, or just because they were fast in a straight line?  You say you loved the 1.6 - was that because of the dynamics?  Maybe a GTI6 conversion won't have the same appeal.  Was the MR2 Turbo a big mistake because it was slow or that it wasn't so much fun to drive?

 

Bit like an old Mini - you can have lots of fun without going 'modern-car' fast.

[Beeluff 2 1 Cars]

Geez there’s been a lot of replies to this!!! I’m really pleasantly surprised no one had a negative word to say about mine!!!!! Thanks all for being so nice and Tom, yours looks mint, I was put off this website 3 years ago because you pulled me up on a silly typo, and I thought you were all against newbies doing renovations lol....

[Telf 224 2 Cars]

I for one don't drive my 1.9 because it's fast. It isn't at all. It's just a laugh and feels great. Well balanced, responsive and just entertaining. Fast though no not all all.

 

It feels fast I will say that slinging it through corners with those skinny door pillars, low seats and tin can metal. That's why I love mine.

[Fallowsnz 3]

6 hours ago, barneys66 said:

Mike - sounds like it's worth you finding a few local ones and having a drive, as it really depends on a number of factors (irrespective of the base model) as to whether it's going to meet your expectations.

 

Was it that they were fun to drive, or just because they were fast in a straight line?  You say you loved the 1.6 - was that because of the dynamics?  Maybe a GTI6 conversion won't have the same appeal.  Was the MR2 Turbo a big mistake because it was slow or that it wasn't so much fun to drive?

 

Bit like an old Mini - you can have lots of fun without going 'modern-car' fast.

Totally agree. way more to having fun than just bhp. I enjoy driving my xs more than gti, sure the xs is  not as quick but it delivers what power it has so nicely, and is so nice on tight windy roads, puts a smile on my face every time i drive it.

 

 And both my xs and gti are more fun to drive than my 206 gti 180. But that's a no brainer really i new it would be the case when i bought it.  

[stain 13]

You don’t live too far from me and you are welcome to look at my black G reg 62k miler. It’s a very clean car with a recent cambelt/guard and water pump service. Not currently for sale but could let it go for the right money. Message me if you want to meet up.