206GTi 180 or 208GTI?

Y

yertimer

New member
Tadpole
Joined
Nov 3, 2019
Messages
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Location
sydney
Hi, I am after some advice.

Later in the year I am may be in the market for a cheap pocket rocket that is fun to drive. Potential budget up to $10k.

I have had various Morris Mini’s / Cooper S (in the 70’s and 80’s), and a variety of hot hatches.

I have been considering a Clio Sports (172, 182, 197 etc) but I have always had a soft spot for Pugs having owned one previously, and in particular I have always thought highly of the 205GTI. In any case, the question – should I consider a 206GTI 180 or a 208GTI? Both are relative used car bargains, but I have heard mixed reports about both. I don’t know that much about them (other than car reviews) or how they rate for fun to drive and maintenance, and how they compare in the real world against Clio’s. The car will most be used for suburban duties and be a bit of a hobby car so could also visit the track from time to time (I have another dedicated track car, but having options is a good thing).

I have spoken to a few Clio owners at the track and they seem like a very good thing. So, should I stick to a Clio?

Yeah I know its a Pug forum, but I don"t see that many Pugs at the track, so I figure you guys will have an informed view.

What do people think?

Cheers
 
I've had 2 206GTIs and now have a 180. They're incredible value and great fun. The first one hit a roo at 280,000 and now resides in my private wrecking yard. I was impressed enough to go buy another. It was travelling 200kms a day 5 days a week for some time running quickly up to 270,000 as well. Very few problems really. Sold the GTI to my brother and bought a 180 with only about 120,000 on it. For suburban driving I'd prefer the GTI over the 180. The high first/reverse gear of the 180 seems to require a little too much finesse getting off the mark. Never taken either on an official track, but frequently drive sections of the Targa Tasmania course. The 180's power over 5000rpm is fun, and the handling tighter than the GTI.

Highly recommend them - particularly if you can find a good example.

Kim
 
Stick to the 206 180
A 208 gti will eventually get a fault hp fuel pump failure.timing chain will fail and the valves will get excessive build up causing power loss.
The plastic stat assy will leak.
Get the picture.
 
At least you will get decent aircon with a Clio, Pugs don't
Plus better reliability as well
 
There are Citroen DS3 DSport models advertised (from 2010) now in that budget.

These are very comfortable for sports oriented cars and have the PSA 1.6 turbo engine and 6 speed manual box also. They were quite a rally car in their day. I am very attached to mine.

The AC is excellent.
 
driven said:
At least you will get decent aircon with a Clio, Pugs don't
Plus better reliability as well
Click to expand...

You probably hate Peugeots and found an opportunity to show your hatred on the brand. For Peugeot 206 AC was never an issue to users, even in the hotter region over here in Nigeria. There ACs are as good as 406 ones, including their electrics.

Of course, Peugeot 206 have their own issues like rear cross member/camber issues, tachometer issues and remote control/central lock issues which can all be fixed when popped up. But every vehicle get their own peculiar issues and no exception, including Toyotas their fans pretend don't exist. All it will take to know Renault Clio issues is to visit Renault forums and feed my eyes.

The EW engines in the 206 GTi & 206 180 are among the most reliable engines PSA ever produced. They may not be the most powerful 2.0 liter petrol engines in their era, but were fuel efficient and serve their purpose intended. I have zero interest in owning a Peugeot 206, but I knew how quick and fun the 206 GTi was the first day I test drove one. I always imagine how 206 180 would be.

Honestly, all these Peugeot online bashing is becoming childish.

Ikenna351, Lion King - Monk.
 
yertimer said:
Hi, I am after some advice.

Later in the year I am may be in the market for a cheap pocket rocket that is fun to drive. Potential budget up to $10k.

I have had various Morris Mini’s / Cooper S (in the 70’s and 80’s), and a variety of hot hatches.

I have been considering a Clio Sports (172, 182, 197 etc) but I have always had a soft spot for Pugs having owned one previously, and in particular I have always thought highly of the 205GTI. In any case, the question – should I consider a 206GTI 180 or a 208GTI? Both are relative used car bargains, but I have heard mixed reports about both. I don’t know that much about them (other than car reviews) or how they rate for fun to drive and maintenance, and how they compare in the real world against Clio’s. The car will most be used for suburban duties and be a bit of a hobby car so could also visit the track from time to time (I have another dedicated track car, but having options is a good thing).

I have spoken to a few Clio owners at the track and they seem like a very good thing. So, should I stick to a Clio?

Yeah I know its a Pug forum, but I don"t see that many Pugs at the track, so I figure you guys will have an informed view.

What do people think?

Cheers
Click to expand...

Let's look at Technical perspective.

Peugeot 206 is a good reliable car, based on personal experience, diagnosing and repairing them (including feedbacks from users/customers). They are just as reliable as Peugeot 406 D9, irrespective of engines (my experience is only know of the petrol ones). Just like every other thing in life, they come with annoying sides like rear camber issues, tachometer issues and remote control issues. For some reasons, the rear camber is not durable like other Peugeot cars I know. They do fail and best approach in resolving it is replacement. Few users I know attempted rebuilding faulty ones but ended replacing them later, unless there are users that were successful with the rebuild. Here in Nigeria, the 206 used rear camber in good condition cost about N35,000 ($114 USD). Tachometer issue is common, but not all users experience the issue. The remote control issue is there but I didn't think it was a thing until someone mentioned it and I looked it up. I only came across 2 users with that issue. All I did on one of them was, I disconnected the BSI, removed and slotted back all fuses on under dash fuse box and the lion started responding to remote control command. There could be other issues users experience with 206 I do not know of yet or don't remember now, but my primary intention of this post is on the engines.

1. Peugeot 206 GTi 2.0 Litre Petrol (EW10J4) - 100kw/134hp.

EW10J4 is a reliable, durable, economical and one of the most fuel efficient engines PSA ever produced. I can authoritatively tell you this from a technician perspective, having driven, diagnosed and repaired countless of lions with that engine. Personally, I am not a fan, but I do appreciate its strength on 206. Of course, it comes with its own issues.

One annoying side of EW10J4 is the Ignition Coil. Not as durable as most other coils on other PSA engines. You can count number of Lions with that engine that have not replaced the coil at some point, sometimes more than once. Of course, not every user may agree with this, if they haven't experienced it, but I have lost counts have many times I diagnosed lions with that engine and the coil failure will be among the issues to be dealt with, sometimes, the only issue disturbing the engine. A new Ignition coil like Valeo of the EW10J4 cost about N30,000 ($98 USD), depending on brand or quality. Some cost cheaper though. Another annoying side of EW10J4 is the manual transmission attached on them, especially on 206 & 406. Too noisy for my liking. At 120 km/h (75 m/h), I usually search for another gear, as if it was on gear 4, when its actually on the gear 5. Swapping in EW12J4 Manual gearbox takes care of this issue, unless you don't mind the noise. EW10J4 is not a torque engine for someone like me. It's 190 N.m engine torque is ok, but you have to rev beyond 4,000 rpm to get the car moving quick. It wouldn't be my choice for a fun car.


2. PEUGEOT 206 180/RC 2.0 Litre Petrol (EW10J4S) 130kw/174hp

EW10J4S experience I have had was on Peugeot 307 and it was damn quick. Yes, you have to rev it high to get oomph, but I love the fact that you can safely push it beyond 7,000 rpm without harming the engine (in fact, it was designed to be revved very high). And that's what fun car is all about (burn the damn fuel sometimes and laugh all through the drive, not just smile. The 202 N.m Engine torque of the engine is not that high, I know, but the way engine transformed the 307 from 5,000 to 7,500 rpm was so thrilling that engine torque didn't matter anymore. I can't even imagine how a 206 RC with that engine with about 1,159 kg kerb weight would behave. While EW10J4 are known for Ignition Coil failures/issues, the EW10J4S coils are not known for that (almost same/identical Ignition coil in 2.2 EW12J4 engine). Of course, it will consume more fuel than EW10J4 when driven like a maniac like it was designed for. But you don't buy a fun car to be mindful of fuel gauge. Notwithstanding, when driven for green, you get about 40 mpg.

Annoying side of it is the rough idle users do complain of at cold start. If you can live with it or find a permanent solution to it, which I think I have (still experimenting on it, then you wont feel much negative side of owning such engine. Another annoyance to some users of the engine is limited option of engine oil. Peugeot only recommended Total Quartz 9000 5w-40 or any other 5w-40 from quality brand with PSA B71 2296 certification. Unless access to the oil is not a problem to you.


3. PEUGEOT 208 GTi 1.6 Litre THP (EP6CDTX/EP6FDTX) - 147kw/153kw (198hp/206hp)

THP engines are known for fuel economy, even though I don't have any personal experience with the 208 GTi or the THP engines in the early 208. So I cant say much on the positives.

As for the annoying sides, the turbocharged (THP) engines are known for HPF Pumps (High Pressure Fuel) and Turbocharger failures. Meaning, if you are buying a used 208 GTi, chances are that you will replace any of the two or both sooner than you expected, unless previous user(s) have done that before you made the purchase. One of the killers of turbochargers are wrong engine oils, aside natural death. The in-tank fuel pump on lions with THP engines hardly dies, except the HPF pumps which cost more than the in-tank pumps. Some users of THP engines experience weak timing tensioner issue that lead to replacing both tensioner and timing chain. There could be other annoyances of THP engines I do not know or remember to put here, but it doesn't necessary mean, you must experience them.


CONCLUSION:

The 3 PSA engines explained above are good and can be enjoyed, depending on expectation of users. But personally, my path of least resistance is to go for EW10J4S (180). The 208 GTi will be quicker, more fuel efficient and probably more to drive, but the maintenance cost will be higher (at least, I expect it to). All the annoyances listed above do not mean you must experience, but you now know they exist and can look for a way to prevent them from happening or be ok with them when they pop up. Maybe the Renault Clio may serve you better on fun, but not expecting negatives or annoyances from them as well will be being naïve.

Everything in this physical life has positive and negative sides. You just have to choose the ones you are comfortable with or that excites you the most, irrespective of their negatives. Your choice.

Ikenna351, Lion King - Monk.
 
charles said:
Stick to the 206 180
A 208 gti will eventually get a fault hp fuel pump failure.timing chain will fail and the valves will get excessive build up causing power loss.
The plastic stat assy will leak.
Get the picture.
Click to expand...

Also 208 GTi has terrible steering, featherlight at low speed although improves a bit as power assistance is reduced at higher speeds.
 
Thank you all for your replies.

I am aware that all aging cars will come with various maintenance and related challenges - especially those driven hard, some more than others. All the analysis and feedback provided above is really useful and what I was hoping to get.

It's always useful to know what a particular model's ownership story may be like - and these replies provide good insight.

I am not sure what the final decision will be yet, but the 206gti 180 is at least a real possibility now.

Thanks
 
There is currently what looks like a decent 206 gti 180 in Victoria that may be worth your while looking at. Has low km's & I would be interested in it if I needed another car at the moment. I HAVE NO RELATION OR INVOLVEMENT IN THE SALE FYI... just been keeping an eye out for another local parts car for our race car which is why I know about it.

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/elwood/cars-vans-utes/peugeot-206-gti-180/1237910647
 
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