First car being a Peugeot 205 GTi? Thoughts...

lowpugV2 said:
Well, logic says everyone's first car should probably be a corolla. Hell, mine was! But it sounds like the OP Zac_ is after something with a little flair. The one thing a 'rolla really does fail at.

Although, weird admission.... I like those early 2000s wagons. Chuck some decent wheels and tyres on and throw a surfboard on the roof, go road tripping... appealing.
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I thought it was ugly as sin, frankly. Much better to look at from inside, anyway. But otherwise comfortable and certainly safe. Great trunk space. Very practical.

Not that I think my current (wife's) 2010 Koleos is a beauty. They're just appliances, really.
 
I’m very late to the party, but my comment would be the 205 will attract a premium buy-in price just because it is a 205, and if you stack it, which from anecdotal evidence is fairly easy to do on a wet corner when you run out of talent or in the slightest way hesitate, you better hope and pray you have a soft landing.
I‘d recommend a Clio sport, 2 litre. Probably the best bang for the buck In hot hatches, which caries with it a decent degree of modern safety advances ….And de badged, very much a sleeper.

Having said that, I have a modern Clio, the very non sporty base model 0.9l turbo, and gee I have fun driving it hard.
Driving a sports car is fun, but flogging the wife’s car with (cheap) high profile tyres that whinge and complain and don’t realy care if you drive over a pothole or put one foot in the rough is even more fun!
It is so forgiving and so communicative..and full povo…Thats what makes it fun to drive.
for us old guys, everything I liked about a r12, I like about this car…except this one has AC.
and I still have no demerit points on my licence.
 
jo proffi said:
I’m very late to the party, but my comment would be the 205 will attract a premium buy-in price just because it is a 205, and if you stack it, which from anecdotal evidence is fairly easy to do on a wet corner when you run out of talent or in the slightest way hesitate, you better hope and pray you have a soft landing.
I‘d recommend a Clio sport, 2 litre. Probably the best bang for the buck In hot hatches, which caries with it a decent degree of modern safety advances ….And de badged, very much a sleeper.

Having said that, I have a modern Clio, the very non sporty base model 0.9l turbo, and gee I have fun driving it hard.
Driving a sports car is fun, but flogging the wife’s car with (cheap) high profile tyres that whinge and complain and don’t realy care if you drive over a pothole or put one foot in the rough is even more fun!
It is so forgiving and so communicative..and full povo…Thats what makes it fun to drive.
for us old guys, everything I liked about a r12, I like about this car…except this one has AC.
and I still have no demerit points on my licence.
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It's the old adage.
Driving/riding a slow car/bike fast is a lot more fun than driving/ riding a fast car/bike slow.🙂
 
DoubleChevron said:
70km/h is an immense impact.
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Volvo's aim is to build an injury proof car.
Here is an immense impact for a Volvo.
The passenger cell is intact, engine bay is gone, wheels pushed out sideways, all absorbing energy
A car you can have for life, Think about this.
 

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driven said:
Volvo's aim is to build an injury proof car.
Here is an immense impact for a Volvo.
The passenger cell is intact, engine bay is gone, wheels pushed out sideways, all absorbing energy
A car you can have for life, Think about this.
Click to expand...

Hmm.... Let me see, will I drive a volvo or a 2cv sitting in the driveway ...... Wanna guess which one will sit and gather dust .... and never ever get driven ?
 
I get the whole 2cv thing and the fun of driving cars like that and even bikes, but you pick your times for that. Not when you are tired, at night, when the weather is bad or the traffic is incredibly heavy.

Also consider that once the crush areas of the modern car with a very rigid cabin have absorbed all the energy they can, (and there is more energy as weight + speed increases) the rest of it becomes relatively unyielding. Then the weakest part involved in the crash becomes the older car made of softer materials. Think of it like an iron-cored Nerf ball meeting an orange.
 
I guess how safe you feel depends on what you "plan" on running into. Here's a couple more Volvos.

images (2).jpeg
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You could make a car so the cabin withstands the second impact, but the forces involved would likely be too much for the human body to survive anyway so there is little point from an engineering perspective.
 
driven said:
Volvo's aim is to build an injury proof car.
Here is an immense impact for a Volvo.
The passenger cell is intact, engine bay is gone, wheels pushed out sideways, all absorbing energy
A car you can have for life, Think about this.
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I've spoken to a few emergency rescue people over the years and their views are that volvos are more likely to have people in them that don't survive
 
6 point harnesses, HANS, carbon fibre seats, helmets, fire proof suits, on board fire systems and roll cages would probably slow down getting the kids ready for the school run a wee bit.😉
Air bags are there to assist the seat belts in a relatively low speed impact. Obviously there are better solutions to surviving high speed impacts, but cost and convenience have to be taken into consideration.
 
pugrambo said:
I've spoken to a few emergency rescue people over the years and their views are that volvos are more likely to have people in them that don't survive
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They were just bored to death....

In seriousness though, I wonder if that anecdotes holds truth then what is the factor? The drivers of Volvo's doing silly things or that post 2000 they are not engineered as well as they used to be?
 
I was wondering where on Aussiefrogs I should post these pics, and I guess it's here.
Get a Toyota ute (at least I think it was that). But don't carry LPG tanks in the back.

Pickup 1.jpg



Pickup 2.jpg
 
Beano said:
I was wondering where on Aussiefrogs I should post these pics, and I guess it's here.
Get a Toyota ute (at least I think it was that). But don't carry LPG tanks in the back.

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Well I did start the following thread as a repository for photos/videos of recently bent vehicles - that ute certainly qualifies! The name came from the first video I posted. I suppose no-one found my thread because it is in "General Chat"

 
There is a 1988 205 GTi project on Tassie M/place for $6K. Ad states "engine has been pulled out ready for rebuild, looking for around $6K".🤷‍♂️

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Greenpeace said:
There is a 1988 205 GTi project on Tassie M/place for $6K. Ad states "engine has been pulled out ready for rebuild, looking for around $6K".🤷‍♂️

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My naivety will definitely shine through in this question. Might be a laughable question given some of you guys have been apart of this forum for longer than I’ve been on this planet for!

So having essentially zero experience with cars, how hard would it be to just jump right into the deep end to do an engine rebuild of a 205 GTi. I understand it could/will be ALOT of work, but not understanding what the work required is, it’s a little hard to even comprehend.
 
Zac_ said:
My naivety will definitely shine through in this question. Might be a laughable question given some of you guys have been apart of this forum for longer than I’ve been on this planet for!

So having essentially zero experience with cars, how hard would it be to just jump right into the deep end to do an engine rebuild of a 205 GTi. I understand it could/will be ALOT of work, but not understanding what the work required is, it’s a little hard to even comprehend.
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Normally you'd pay a an engine builder. So question is not "how hard", but "how expensive"! The owner will no doubt have plenty to do on the rest of the vehicle!
 
Zac_ said:
- Pre-2000 Mini (My favorite cars in terms of looks, but I worry these lack the power to enjoy driving properly around the Adelaide hills in)
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A few things:

First: I have never sold a car (or washed one either). What I buy as a toy, I intend keeping. In such decisions, it helps to get something that is well enough thought of that bits will always be available by reproduction.

Second: I learned to fang cars by driving around the Adelaide hills as an undergraduate. Vehicles were my mother's bog standard Renault Dauphine on cross-plies &, later, the bog standard R8 1100 which replaced it & 3 Renault 4CVs of mine. The R8 was inherited & is (mildly modified) still owned by me The third 4CV was bought from the original owner by me in early 1968. It has gone through various stages of modification & is now wildly modified.

These cars are parts-supported by the cult status of Alpine A110 & R8 Gordini vehicles.

Another toy is my 1979 Moke (again, mildly modified). This is parts-supported by the Mini-Cooper cult industry.

The last of my four toys is a Matra Djet. The club in France manufactures bits that are bespoke to it & much of it is R8 & R8 Gordini based so see above.

So: all old but all easy to keep on the road. I don't have a "daily driver" & cycle through the four toys. Yes they break down but I have never had more than two out at once.

Third: yes they are all slower than modern stuff but, echoing an earlier post, each is a hoot to fang. The secret is "feel" & exploitable limits. And yes, each is much more dangerous than modern stuff were it to ever be in a serious prang. One can ameliorate the problem (three toys have four point harnesses & two have roll cages & all have good tyres) but not eliminate it. Mind you, each is super-responsive & intuitively controllable in dynamically extreme circumstances (especially the Djet) so I have a better chance of avoiding a problem than in something more lumpen, though modern, especially as their behaviour in extremis is familiar from decades of use.

Which brings me to my suggestion: buy a classic Mini. Most available will be the square-fronted Clubman & even the lesser ones are easy to upgrade to the 1275cc engine & front disc brakes. Adelaide no doubt has at least one Mini specialist & a good club. The standard 4.5 x 10 wheels will take a 165/70 tyre & a half way decent tyre (Yokohama A008) is still available. From experience with my Moke, I'd also recommend a "fly-off" handbrake kit.

If you do seek to get one, the main thing is to have the body thoroughly inspected (rust proofing was minimal although Adelaide's dry heat helps).

cheers! Peter
 
Zac_ said:
My naivety will definitely shine through in this question. Might be a laughable question given some of you guys have been apart of this forum for longer than I’ve been on this planet for!

So having essentially zero experience with cars, how hard would it be to just jump right into the deep end to do an engine rebuild of a 205 GTi. I understand it could/will be ALOT of work, but not understanding what the work required is, it’s a little hard to even comprehend.
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I can't help on the cost I'm afraid. I've never paid anyone to rebuild an engine, I've always done my own.
Unfortunately you don't know 100% for sure what they need until they are apart. Assuming it was running OK (not knocking or rattling badly), still had good oil pressure and was just getting a little smokey or using a little oil, you would probably get away with a freshen up, ie: a hone, rings, bearings, gaskets, reseat the valves, and do the water pump and timing belt obviously.while you're at it. I had a quick look and without actually "shopping around",came up with a $1000 figure for the parts to do a freshen up. You would have to add the machine shop cost to dismantle/reassemble the head, reseat the valves and shim the valve clearances.
At the other end of the scale, if you do a total rebuild and start replacing pistons, liners, oil pump, camshaft, valves, valve guides,and grinding the crank etc, and worst case scenario the cam bearings are damaged too (new head). The cost could get a little on the high side. I'm not familiar with the intricacies of these Peugeot engines but I'm sure someone else on here will give you a better idea.
Unfortunately the days are gone where pretty well any mechanic had the ability to pull an engine down and rebuild it.
What an engine specialist would charge for labour??? Seeing how he would have to guarantee his work he would be more likely to replace parts that a owner builder would be OK with reusing.🤷‍♂️
I spoke to a guy yesterday that just paid to get the valve clearances checked on his European motorcycle, they charged him $1200 and found that all the clearances were still within in tolerances anyway.🤦‍♂️
 
4cvgordini said:
Which brings me to my suggestion: buy a classic Mini. Most available will be the square-fronted Clubman & even the lesser ones are easy to upgrade to the 1275cc engine & front disc brakes. Adelaide no doubt has at least one Mini specialist & a good club. The standard 4.5 x 10 wheels will take a 165/70 tyre & a half way decent tyre (Yokohama A008) is still available. From experience with my Moke, I'd also recommend a "fly-off" handbrake kit.

If you do seek to get one, the main thing is to have the body thoroughly inspected (rust proofing was minimal although Adelaide's dry heat helps).

cheers! Peter
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I agree a good early Mini is a great drive.
I would suggest if you went that route pay a bit more for one (if need be) that already has a 1275cc engine in it. Not sure about down your way, but up here a 1275 engine will set you back $3K to $4K for a rebuilder. Then it has to be rebuilt (the Mini engines are as simple as dirt however) but whoever swaps it out onto your transmission needs to be familiar with that process in a Mini. Unlike most transverse FWDs the gearbox is in the engine's sump.
I have 2, a stock 998cc '75 model and a highly modified 1275cc '73 model.
The 1275 is obviously way faster, but the 998 is still fun to drive on the twisty back roads around here.
 
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