Peugeot 205 GRD

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★★★★☆
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redrebo's review of Peugeot 205 GRD

“Peugeot 205 GRD”

★★☆☆☆

written by redrebo on 15/09/2014

Technically Speaking, the 205 GRD is a good Car.
My mother had owned a 205 GRD when I was young. In fact, it was the first car I drove, a little bit, back when I was 15. In fact, I think it's the Perfect Driving School Car. It practically drives itself.
The 1.9 Diesel Engine ( some models have smaller Athmospheric Diesels ) is nimble and while it does not "puke" out its power, it shows moderate pride at speed and the car actually can perform up to 150 kph decently, which is about all my late Father, God Bless his Soul, could pull out of it.
Despite the fact that the vehicule is solid and feels together, there is something not quite alright about it being free on the highway, because of the light steering. It almost feels like it is equipped with power steering from a Ford Taurus, and that is very nice for parking in the city, but feels somewhat stiff on the highway.
This is about my mother's 205 GRD, a 1984 Model imported from Italy. It was good, inside the city, and outside the city. But when problems appeared, it would stay in the garage for months and years on end. Because finding the problem is tricky, and also because it is somewhat of a burden to have to replace the whole car piece by piece as you discover its history because you opted for second hand. Expensive, if you know what I mean. People often stop somewhere halfway through, discovering they have been scammed. By their love for the car.
However, up until the year 2000, peugeot still made, produced, and sold Peugeot 205 diesels and petrols, as one of their economic people carriers, or towncars, across Europe and Africa, and even the Middle East.
The latest models, "Generation", "Numero Sacré", and "Open", are one of the best models offering you decent equipment ( I suspect you would find A/C or Power steering on any of the models, but some have electric windows or power door locks, alarms, ... ).
The most recent 205 I had driven belonged to a friend, a 1999 1.0 Liter Petrol 205 Generation, and it could almost top 140 kph, knowing it was not my car, and I am not a risk taker, I hadn't toyed with it beyond 110 kph, which sounded correct, better than a Dacia Logan, for example, and also smoother and more comfortable. However, the car is small, and can be a nightmare in rain / snow / hills because it does not have much power in the engine, but also because the steering is very light and the car itself not very heavy. The metal is tough but no airbags can be a problem ( some of the latter generation 205s have steering wheels with "airbag" on them, though I suspect this is an error from the factory or the owner replaced the parts with parts from other models like the 306 or 206 for lack of it ).
A 2002 model I had rented could perform barely at will, reaching 160 kph is like choking the 1.0 liter engine, but when I felt like just simply cruising, I could hardly notice myself reach 150. What happens in that 10 kph gap is a mystery but it seems the car's limit is the car's limit, and 150 kph is amazing for a 1.0 liter petrol, but get this, the economy is alright at that level. Meaning that if you stick to 120, or preferably 110 kph, which is the reasonable limit of the car for a very good driver in perfect road conditions. Apart from that, it's a good four seater, decent trunk space for a backpack for each occupant and perhaps a tent, and it's a hippie hippoe, if hippies rode hippoes and not elephants. But we prefer elephants.
Which is why I mention the GTI.
My sister had owned a 1.6 petrol model, a 1983ish one. This car was in "seriously bad shape", and needed urgent medical attention. With only four gears, the car would completely cut off and decelerate at third gear, while first was impossible to unlock unless you had the cheat code for it.
And I had loathed the thing for merely the amount of dust accumulating on it. Especially after my sister had nicely splattered the front end against a wall. And it had been repaired, and it had been reput in its place in the garage.
One day I was drunk and took it for a spin. For a change. Against a Petrol Golf VI GTI or a 309 Diesel. I took the 205 for a spin.
Because I was drunk, I was courageous.
And because I was courageous, I could sprint.
So I coiled up the engine in first gear because it could only be put there if the engine is off. All the way. After it had done that, for some time, I decided to call Mr. Second. Wise choice, at about 80 kph, which lead to a sudden manoeuvre to avoid third altogether and jump right into fourth.
Now for some mysterious reason, it seems as if we had entered another dimension. The car somehow responded. Quickly. All the way to 120 kph.
I had stopped applying pressure on the gas because I had serious doubts as to what I was experiencing and wasn't entirely sure it was a good idea.
So I pushed more. And there it was, 140. My friend, also drunk, started to rise up from his seat, and look at the dash, in puzzled looks. There was no stereo, so the engine was clearly denouncing my savage acts. But my friend didn't speak. Yet.
I floored it.
The thing flew off and hit 190 like it was tickling my toe. In fact, it felt as if the whole car car simply vanished and something else had appeared and replaced it. I knew the car had been in a recent accident so steering might be tricky, but I pushed even further anyways.
When my friend had nicely suggested that I had better look at how the dashboard was pointing at 200kph+ figures, that we were drunk, and that this, was "the" 205.
It was fun, for a few seconds. An amazing storm across the highway because for some reason I had forgotten about this memory, having been daily on a Golf VI GTI which could handle third gear without password.
In fact, the 205 was just as solid and stuck to the road as a Golf. And also it was a two door. Which marked me as different from the four dour versions.

  • 1983 / 1984 ???

    Year Manufactured

  • 1 Year

    Length of ownership

  • 2

    Doors

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