1993 Peugeot 205 D Turbo 1.8 turbo diesel
Summary:
Excellent low budget pocket rocket
Faults:
Nothing major went wrong, the previous owner replaced a lot of worn parts due to the mileage, including radiator, glow plugs, timing belt and brakes.
The most annoying issues are the condition of most electrical connections and the alarm that has been build in afterwards. Many connections have been 'repaired' by using tape, including one connection of a headlight. It got pretty hot after a while so that explained the plastic smell under the hood. I have replaced most of the connections with new ones.
I still have to do the alarm. It has been 'taped' in as well, resulting in part-time alarm function.
Front window blower no longer works.
Nothing else so far.
General Comments:
Excellent driving machine, love it when the turbo kicks in in fourth or fifth gear on the highway. A bit noisy, but that's inherent to a diesel in a small car; not much room for sound isolation.
Good handling too, especially after I've replaced the 15' 195/50 tires & Speedline rims with 13' 165/70's. Far less sensitive to trenches in the road. 205's are known to lean to the sides when taking fast corners, but it's not really bothering me. And despite cruising at +130 kmh most of the time, the fuel consumption is in the worst case still 1 liter for 16 kilometers. Not bad at all.
The only thing is the ugly spoiler on the boot lid, it looks like a picnic table. I cannot take it off because holes have been drilled through the boot lid. Luckily the car is black, including spoiler, so that makes up a little.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 5th February, 2002