1990 Peugeot 205 1.9
Summary:
Surprise! Absolutely recommended for cheap car buyers
Faults:
Sometimes when warm, the starter will turn but the engine won't ignite.
Driveshafts weary.
General Comments:
I got the car because my other car lost cooling and over heated, which ruined the engine. I tried the 205 and it was a delight to drive, though it might seem exaggerated, the over-smooth drive was really a surprise.
I never expected the quality of the car either, I expected it to break down soon, as my driving is quite hard and not so friendly to the car, but it has never failed me. The driveshafts are making some noise when I turn the wheels, but that is something you can expect from any car that has driven so far.
It is also astonishing how everything has kept so good after 20 years and over 220 000 KM, the interior is in almost perfect condition, just dirty. I am impressed.
The car is also galvanised so there isn't a trace of rust on it!
Handling is perfect. The 1.9 engine combined with the automatic transmission is nice in the way that you can drive smoothly and calm if you like, or when you should need or want to drive fast. It's also really nice on your wallet if you drive calmly.
I am so glad the bodywork is galvanised, because I want to keep this car for as long as I live.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 3rd November, 2009
7th Jul 2001, 09:02
Like your Norwegian reader, I have had a Peugeot 205 XR since new in 1986, and have covered a similar distance (84,000 miles/ 135,000km).
I have kept a detailed record of all expenses since new. Fuel consumption has averaged 46 mpg. It has always seemed a bit fragile (its construction is very light - only around 720kg - compared with modern cars) and partly because of that has been only averagely reliable. But it has never left me stranded (save when I once left the lights on - flat battery).
The list of major items replaced over the last 15 years is as follows:
Two batteries, brake master cylinder, two sets of pads and both front discs, nearside drive shaft earlier this year, speedometer cable, four new tyres (at 70,000 miles), two pneumatic hatch supports, and a new silencer every two to three years.
Its saving grace is the ease with which repairs can be carried out by unskilled owners. e.g. the speedo cable, brakes discs and pads, hatch supports, various minor electrical repairs (interior light switch, boot light switch), and a recent carburettor overhaul, a leaking windscreen surround, armed with nothing more than a modest tool set, a Haynes manual, and some common sense.
The engine has got noticeably noisier over the last year, which adjusting the tappets (difficult, because the engine reclines by 70') has not cured. I wonder if this is valve seat recession caused by the switch to unleaded petrol in the UK last year? The interior trim has lasted a lot longer than I thought it would.
The car has benefited from being kept in a garage since new. Annual hosing underneath and Waxoyling behind panels seem to keep most rust at bay, though it keeps creeping back along the upper edges of the door window frames, and the seam in front of the nearside rear wheel.
I think I shall keep it until something very major goes wrong with it. Then I might get a 206.