Hello everybody!
The time has come to sell my faithful hack – the 205 is now ready for a lovely new owner
Here it is…
I bought the car two years ago when I was living and working in Bath. With the trip back home to Yorkshire having almost doubled in mileage at that point, economy motoring was what I needed most, and the little Pug didn't disappoint. Current mileage is 124,500, of which have been responsible for 17,000.
When I first got hold of it, the car had a few niggles that needed addressing, all of which were sorted over the first six months or so of my ownership. Works taken on are detailed below:
Suspension refresh with a Gaz kit, consisting of coilovers up front and adjustable dampers at the back, the whole lot costing £500+ at that point. The car now stays nice and flat in the corners.
Replaced the squeaky rear beam with a good quality secondhand, squeak-free item from 205 Nuts in Radstock. i also fitted new rear wheel bearings at this point.
Brakes serviced front to back, so new discs, pads, drums, shoes and wheel cylinders.
New fuel lines front to back, in place of the garden hose that was previously on there…
New radiator.
New exhaust back box.
New engine mounts.
Replaced diesel filter.
New Falken tyres all round.
Oil and filter every 6000 miles.
New TCAs.
New wiper blades all round.
Renewed gearbox/steering rack oil.
XS seats front and back.
I used to work for Classics Monthly, and most of the work was detailed in 'Staff Diaries' from mid-2013 through 2014. I now work for Practical Classics, and have also reported on the car in there, too. There is a large folder with receipts for the above, plus plenty more invoices and MoTs from previous years prior to my ownership, too.
The 205 is now a pleasant and throughly reliable daily driver. It's taken me all over the UK, been as far as Belgium for the 2014 Spa Classic, as well as numerous house moves.
Fuel economy is low-mid 50s on average, while I've seen over 60mpg when cruising gently on the motorway. The lowest figure I ever recorded was 42mpg, when I had to get to an important family event in double-quick time. These non-turbo XUD lumps really are legendary for being good on fuel, and I can't disagree.
As ever, it's a 26-year-old car, so there are some bad points:
The lacquer on the roof has peeled quite badly, which doesn't bother me, but I'm sure it wouldn't be tool expensive to remedy if you so desired.
Sunroof seal started to leak, so I sealed it with black gaffer tape as a temporary measure. Find a seal and you'll be able to enjoy some 'wind in the hair' motoring this summer.
Passenger front window doesn't wind down properly. I meant to get the door card off and investigate, but never got round to it as I'm in the driver's seat 99% of the time.
Driver's door doesn't lock with the key. I did actually get the door card off and get this working for a little while, but not anymore. I got used to reaching over from the passenger side to lock it from the inside, it really isn't a big deal.
Bodywork has a few scratches and marks here and there, but there isn't any obvious rust to speak of. It actually looks smart when you wash and polish it up.
This little beauty has MoT until June 2016, and I reckon you'd struggle to get on the road and motoring for a year for much cheaper. N0ow surplus to requirements as I'll be driving my Triumph through the summer months.
Tax runs out at the end of June, at which point the car will go on SORN, unless it goes by then.
I also have a reasonable set of GTi alloys that I never got round to fitting, plus the correct bolts, all of which will go with the car if the full asking price is met.
Interested parties can PM me on here, or preferably email mattDOTgeorgeATpracticalclassics.co.uk
Here are some more pics for your general delectation, taken on my phone, so apologies if they're a little soft…
The time has come to sell my faithful hack – the 205 is now ready for a lovely new owner
Here it is…
I bought the car two years ago when I was living and working in Bath. With the trip back home to Yorkshire having almost doubled in mileage at that point, economy motoring was what I needed most, and the little Pug didn't disappoint. Current mileage is 124,500, of which have been responsible for 17,000.
When I first got hold of it, the car had a few niggles that needed addressing, all of which were sorted over the first six months or so of my ownership. Works taken on are detailed below:
Suspension refresh with a Gaz kit, consisting of coilovers up front and adjustable dampers at the back, the whole lot costing £500+ at that point. The car now stays nice and flat in the corners.
Replaced the squeaky rear beam with a good quality secondhand, squeak-free item from 205 Nuts in Radstock. i also fitted new rear wheel bearings at this point.
Brakes serviced front to back, so new discs, pads, drums, shoes and wheel cylinders.
New fuel lines front to back, in place of the garden hose that was previously on there…
New radiator.
New exhaust back box.
New engine mounts.
Replaced diesel filter.
New Falken tyres all round.
Oil and filter every 6000 miles.
New TCAs.
New wiper blades all round.
Renewed gearbox/steering rack oil.
XS seats front and back.
I used to work for Classics Monthly, and most of the work was detailed in 'Staff Diaries' from mid-2013 through 2014. I now work for Practical Classics, and have also reported on the car in there, too. There is a large folder with receipts for the above, plus plenty more invoices and MoTs from previous years prior to my ownership, too.
The 205 is now a pleasant and throughly reliable daily driver. It's taken me all over the UK, been as far as Belgium for the 2014 Spa Classic, as well as numerous house moves.
Fuel economy is low-mid 50s on average, while I've seen over 60mpg when cruising gently on the motorway. The lowest figure I ever recorded was 42mpg, when I had to get to an important family event in double-quick time. These non-turbo XUD lumps really are legendary for being good on fuel, and I can't disagree.
As ever, it's a 26-year-old car, so there are some bad points:
The lacquer on the roof has peeled quite badly, which doesn't bother me, but I'm sure it wouldn't be tool expensive to remedy if you so desired.
Sunroof seal started to leak, so I sealed it with black gaffer tape as a temporary measure. Find a seal and you'll be able to enjoy some 'wind in the hair' motoring this summer.
Passenger front window doesn't wind down properly. I meant to get the door card off and investigate, but never got round to it as I'm in the driver's seat 99% of the time.
Driver's door doesn't lock with the key. I did actually get the door card off and get this working for a little while, but not anymore. I got used to reaching over from the passenger side to lock it from the inside, it really isn't a big deal.
Bodywork has a few scratches and marks here and there, but there isn't any obvious rust to speak of. It actually looks smart when you wash and polish it up.
This little beauty has MoT until June 2016, and I reckon you'd struggle to get on the road and motoring for a year for much cheaper. N0ow surplus to requirements as I'll be driving my Triumph through the summer months.
Tax runs out at the end of June, at which point the car will go on SORN, unless it goes by then.
I also have a reasonable set of GTi alloys that I never got round to fitting, plus the correct bolts, all of which will go with the car if the full asking price is met.
Interested parties can PM me on here, or preferably email mattDOTgeorgeATpracticalclassics.co.uk
Here are some more pics for your general delectation, taken on my phone, so apologies if they're a little soft…
