Hi,
I'm a musician and I live in Auckland. I play drums around town and do a bit of teaching too. My goal over the next year is to get a bunch of information about 205 gti's and hopefully own one. keen on 1.6 and 1.9 and also interested in 106's. As a not super wealthy musician they seem to be the coolest cars around that will actually be affordable on my budget.
I would love to talk to some 205 owners about their cars and experiences. I live in Mt. Albert, Auckland and am happy to drive around to anyone's place who would be happy to show me a bit about their cars and answer some questions.
My car is a '98 Corolla, about as far from a frog as is possible but give me time and I hope to join you all!
Welcome, you're on the right track to own a fun car for relatively cheap.
205's are going up in value for nice examples, though if you don't mind living with some 'character' there are still cheap ones out there, just ensure that you budget for the likelihood of a few maintenance expenses.
106's would have to be the best bang for bucks. Cheap to buy, cheap to run & maintain, and a really fun go-kart like driving experience (perfect for inner Auckland imo).
They do pop up for sale on trademe quite regularly, though there's only one currently - the second car in this ad http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/peugeot/auction-1026083818.htm (http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/peugeot/auction-1026083818.htm) Looks a bit beat up but for $500 you could do a lot worse.
Hopefully a couple of Auckland guys will be able to show you their rides - just head along to the next meet up.
Whatever Frenchie you end up buying, this forum should be able to help you with advice to keep/get it going.
Thanks for your reply. I've been looking at those 106's. I think that as I am someone with limited mechanical experience I'd rather pay a bit more for something mostly complete and learn about the car more as time goes on.
I'm budgeting 5k, where does that sit in the 205 gti territory? From watching a lot of stuff on trademe it seems you can get something sound and with good interior/exterior albeit high mileage. I'd rather buy from someone on the forums or a specialist if possible. These engines seem to last pretty well though right? Lots of over 200k cars that the sellers reckon are still going strong.
At 5k you can get a fairly sorted 205gti in ok comestic condition.
I wouldn't worry about mileage - nearly all 205's have high enough mileage that you'd expect to have some worn components. It's more about maintenance being kept on top of, so history of work done recently is good to have. Yes the standard 8v engine is pretty robust, though worn valve seals and a bit of smoke isn't unusual - it's not a deal breaker if you budget to have them replaced.
There's a couple of members cars in the For Sale section - keep posting as you need 10 posts to view this section.
p.s. Buy one with best condition body you can if you're looking to keep it a while.
Cool oh better get my posts up quick! It's hard to post when I don't have a frog to post about >.< All good I'll find a way that isn't spam...
Is it pretty common for there to be a 205 gti for sale at any given time around these parts? I see a fair few around Auckland, about once or twice a fortnight. Thanks for the advice, I've been reading a lot on these forums about engine swaps and stuff so that backs up your advice about going for solid bones. I'm not too much of a purist, I'm definitely open to some different heart transplant options down the line
Spam is ok in the right threads, but I see you've managed regardless!
Sometimes there's none for sale for ages, then 3-4 seem to turn up for sale together. Most seem to be snapped up fairly quickly if they're in good nick, so just gotta get your timing right.
Yeah I'm pretty happy with mine after an engine swap, and many on here have done likewise. XU10J4RS out of 306 GTI-6 seems to be the most common transplant as XU9J4R from 405 mi16 / BX 16v is getting harder to find and get parts for now. XU10 is just a bit more modern and availability is better. In saying that the original 8v is a gutsy engine & still a lot of fun - you may find that you like it & a swap isn't required.