New buyer advice from the forum

[NJP997 0]

Hello all, 

 

First off, just want to compliment this forum and all the members as its very active with a wealth of knowledge from all of you owners. Reminds of me rennlist for the Porsche enthusiasts, so Im ecstatic to have found such a place. I am a Porsche BMW enthusiast but have always wanted a well sorted 205 GTI. I have done a ton of research on model years and options, the debate between the 1.6 and 1.9 versions, and what the proper modifications at the beginning of ownership. 

 

I am still debating on whether I am going to buy a 1.6 or a 1.9, but I need your advice on how to go about picking the right car. I am willing to pay on the upper level of values as I prefer a car that is rust free, sorted or restored. I only want a black exterior color with a red carpet interior (It just looks so cool) so obviously that limits my options. Also I want a sunroof car. 

 

Of all the cars I have found for sale, majority have been on lebacoin.fr. Basically there are 2 restored models, one being a 1.6 and the other a 1,9. The other two for sale are factory paint, well maintained with restored interiors. 

 

So any advice on which direction I should go? Should I pay up for a restored vehicle? Or is the car complicated to restore? Or should I find a well maintained non restored car? Really appreciate any feedback from you guys. Restored cars are around 25000-27000 euros and the listings for cars that are maintained with good receipts are about 19000-20,000 euros. 

[sp_en_ny 17 1 Cars]

From my experience, I would say the cars are easier to restore now then they were some 5-6 years ago simply because there are a number of firms making a lot of the parts that you once struggled to source, such as the museum, Youngtimers, BBM etc etc.

 

Just because a car has been restored does not mean it has been restored to a high level and so no matter what level you buy at there will be good and bad examples, personally I would prefer to buy an original that to the eye looks tired but is a solid example, that way you choose to the standard you want to restore it. As opposed to one that has been restored and looks lovely today but reveals its true identity in months/years to come.

 

But only you can decide how much time and money you want to invest.