This is a great car, second car after within first year of driving and best thing i ever did!
There are so many things that can go wrong but hey its 20 years old!
Value for money is the best thing as the amount of money you spend doesn't compare to the amount of fun you have!! £850 mine was, bit of a service and this got me hooked!!
Im only 19 now and couldn't careless about insurance price.

RECOMMENDED TO ANYONE WHO DOESN'T WANT TO MODIFY THIS CAR!!

Ladies and gentlemen!
I bought my 1.9 Peugot 205 Gti new, in Saudi Arabia in 1993. At the time l was working for a Saudi Oil Company, on the east coast of S.A.
I drove it in and around the Eastern Province of S.A. in 40-plus degrees. No problems at all, the A.C. worked impeccably and the car started up each day at the first turn of the key. Extreme Test number 1. Passed 5 Star. In 1995 i drove my car back to U.K. overland from the east coast of S.A. 1,600 kilometers to Jordan. Over very bumpy, unmade roads part way along the TAP Line (Trans Arabian Pipeline) the speedometer cable stopped working. It had jumped out of its housing. A quick pull on the cable from under the bonnet cured the problem immediately. Not the car's fault, mine. Passed through border control and flew through Jordan, excellent roads en route for Syria. Filled the tank for the umteenth time but fuel economy brilliant!
Passed through border control into Syria and again, the "Pug" was in its element on the wide Syrian highways. After stopping part way on a wide section of the highway to take some photos of villagers, made contact with the Syrian "Highway Patrol" who were really good fun to talk to. The exclaimed their surprise at the fact when l explained to them l was driving all he way back to U.K. in this little "Peejoo"(their pronunciation), wished me God's blessing and sent me off with a salute.
Crossed the border into Turkey and proceeded up quite high mountain passes and down the other side quite scary at times but the Gti took everything in its stride, brakes, steering, handling, impeccable!
Same story: Turkey, Greece and after the car ferry from Igoumenitsa(Greece) to Brindisi (southern Italy) and through the border at Ventimiglia, into France. Beat up through France to Cherbourg in time to get the 5 p.m.ferry to Poole. Up to the M4 and then down to Wales. Total mileage; 8,500 kilometers (5,000 miles) in four and a half days!!! At every stage, the Gti never murmured, got on with the job happily and, considering the incredible amount of varying conditions, fast roads, mountains, sharp bends etc, this Gem of a car kept me safe and secure, even though it was put to extreme tests many times en route. Later that year in November, the 205Gti was driven to Sweden, where l stayed through a Swedish winter until february. Typical temperatures ranging from minus 10 degrees C to minus 25 degrees C (often minus 30C). Ice, wind and snow!
There was no space in the garage so the Gti had to stay outside even at night under 5/6 inches of snow. All throughout these extremes of climate and temperature changes, the car started up first time, with the heater clearing the screen and warming the interior in a matter of minutes. Now that is a car worth talking about!!
The car has only covered 42,000 kilometers(25,000(ish) miles, serviced at Canterbury Motors Peugeot agent where the cambelt was changed by request. And that's it! The car is now with me in my garage here in Southern France and still on Arab plates.
The idea of this "travelogue" is to point out the incredible features of this time-defying classic of all time. I defy anyone to deny that my 1.9 Gti has proven it can handle anything that has been thrown at it with safety, security and confidence. As the Swedes do, my 205Gti will be buried with me when l go to the happy racetrack in the sky!

The Peugeot 205 Gti is an all time classic.
Handles brilliantly and is second to none. (never been beaten by anything around corners)
Its been extremely reliable with the 1.6 engine (for 11 years i've never had any major faults with the car)

I've owned the same car for 13 years with the 1.6 engine for 11 of those years then changed the engine to a low mileage 1.9 because it was cheap which only lasted 6 months (blew it up testing my nitrous set up)..then the mi16 engine which has been unreliable due to a BAD CONVERSION (not wired up correctly)... But have loved every moment of ownership even though its cost me a small fortune.
I have aquired another one of these cars and I am still on the look out for a late example of this car... if I can find one thats not been crashed.

I bought a 1.9 GTI on an F 1989 (133,000 miles) for my first car. I wanted a fast car and didn't really mind about the insurance as fast is better than slow. I'm 19 and I pay £2600 insurance 3rd party only with admiral. This car was rapid, beating Escort RS Turbos the lot and the car was standard. I had a few problems at first,
1)Laquar on roof come off
2)Dry bearing in crankshaft, making a sweaky noise
3)Fuel gauge playing up
4)Heater motor not working

I thrashed this motor around Romford, Southend, Thurrock and it handled like a go kart, I beat an Impreza round bends once but it was close. A knocking sound from the n/s wheel started and the car was idleing really rough but I took no notice. I put on a max flow induction kit and this baby was even faster. I was losing water by the day and before I knew it a month after I had bought it a pipe split and it overheated. I put a new pipe on which went to the cold water valve and topped up and carried on. I was travelling down the M25 The night after I got the hose and it lost power and come to a standstill. I tried to start it and it was not having none of it. I rang the recovery and waited to get picked up. He managed to start it with the jumpers and the bottom end had blown up and the alternator had gone, I was in a world of shame having paid £460 for it. I had to get another car but I fell in love with mine and I had to get it going. I rang around and got a Brand new recon engine fitted for £1000. It come with a 5 yr guarantee as long as I take it back there to get serviced. The car was running so smoothly it was like it come out the showroom, but the car was still idling funny and it still is to this day, the breather pipes have been cleaned and so have the injectors so I don't know what it is. The clicking from the wheel was still there so I put in a driveshaft and the clicking went. The car is holding back a bit but with a little bit of messing about I'm sure I can get the thing as fast as it was when I first got it. I love this car and all other 205 GTI's, there the nuts.
If you need cheap parts try GSF, they're well cheap. If you wana know the firm about the new engines then email me on [email protected].

Respect to all 205 gti owners.

Ive had my Peugeot 205 Gti 1.9 for 2 years and I still cant sell it, I wouldn't unless I could upgrade to something really great like an mr2 turbo.
The best thing is the handling which is fantastic but you can really feel the car around the corners unlike other cars.
They will never make cars like this again where weight is just 900kgs, the closest thing is the Clio cup.
value for money this has to be the best car I have ever seen. You can get a great one for £1k. even an old rs turbo which has had the nuts thrashed off it goes for around £2k same with a Golf 16v andcrx.

As of yesterday I am now a proud owner of a Peugeot 205 1.9 GTI. its going to be garaged until April which is when im 21 and insurance ain't such a cainer! Ive owned 1 litre 205s since I was 17 and 3 years on I have invested wisely in its bigger bro. No one knows why but for all you lot who own one, you certainly know the reason. Ive been in a few other fast cars before but a 205 is like driving a racing car! (espeacially with a nice exhaust system!WHAT A ROAR!!) And they still have that *eat my rubber* aggressive look! the best car ever made

wahayyyyyy well what can i say about my Peugeot 205 1.6gti apart from the fact that is was the best 700 squid i have ever spent, it is fast and reliable. these boyo's in there corsa's and saxo's aint got nothing on these french wonders. a lil word of advice tho, if ya gonna get one, make sure ya slam it, cause sometimes it feels like ya driving a bowl of jelly, but apart from that there spot on, SO GO GET A AUTO TRADER, SELL THAT SAXO (HEAP) AND JOIN THE REAL BOYS WITH THERE 205'S.

i Bought my 1993 GTi about 3 months ago now and i cant drive it enough. Ive only just got my licence and for a first car its great. It color is Sorrento Green and ive read somewhere that there were only 1200 of this color and the Miami Blue made. Does anybody know if this is true. Mine also has a factory sunroof and ABS brakes. Lowerd 30 mm on koni adjustables. I live in Australia and not many people know what they are being a european car, and dont expect how fast they actually go. Im putting a MI16 motor in this summer. Cant wait.Anybody now good websites to go to about mi16 conversion. My e mail [email protected]

I have had my J reg Peugeot 205 1.9 Gti for 5 years now, and I love it so much that I am reluctant to get rid of it! It constantly amazes me how well it handles. I have read before that the 205 has a tendency to under steer because of the weight in the front end... These people are not driving it right! Go into a corner on the brakes and if you don't turn in... Then I will give you your money back! Then once turned in, get back on the power and you will slingshot out of the corner at unbelievable speeds! Even if the back steps out (which it will do occasionally) there is no need to apply opposite lock, just apply the power, the back end will neatly step back into line... I sometimes wonder if there actually is a limit to the speed you could take any corner in this way! It will only under steer if you go into a corner on the power... check out the laws of physics for FWD vehicles and you can hardly blame it! Its quicker than its stats suggest too. I have a friend with a 170 bhp MR2 that I can get away from on back lanes and used to have another mate with a 180bhp RS turbo that could not get away from me! (Mine is standard) For a serious car, whack in an Mi16 engine with the mi16 gearbox (don't put 1.9 gearbox back in) on twin 45 webbers put £700 of ride height adjustable bilsteins on the front and a Limited slip diff! I have a rally car with this spec and it is truly awesome. Stage times equivalent to Escort Cosworths etc. So if you are looking at something like a Nova etc don't bother, get the 205!!

I have a 1.9GTi and it goes like hell!
I can go flat out at 95mph and only rev it up to 6,500 rpm on a bend around the countryside!
I love the sound of that pure 1900 GTi engine and it purs like mad!!
I have got it to do 0-60mph in just over 6.8secs!
I have a stage 2 ball bearing turbo from an American part sales!
I purchased a Nitrous Oxide kit and it contains:
2 NOS tanks (with emergency shut-off valve)
1 Racing flywheel.
4 Brembo brake disks and callipers!
18" alloys (OPTIONAL) The original alloys are 14" or 16"

These cars are so fantastic. Forget all the other boy-racer heaps, like the R5 GTT and Nova to name but a few. The pure unadulterated thrill of taking a corner flat out in a 205 and PLAYING with the lift-off oversteer is immense. God help the sad people in the world that think a modded Saxo or Corsa etc is better than a Reliant Robin. I'd rather not drive than be in the same boat as them