Young 205 Owners?

[Joshy 0]

I always thought that I was something a bit special. I was under the impression that not many other young guys would be into a car like a 205 considering the fact that I sometimes have to spend HOURS explaining to my peers why I actually WANT to drive a car that first entered production before I was even born, but Surprisingly I met two guys this week that own and drive 205s. Granted not GTIs, but rather one owning a 1.1 base model and the other owning a not STDT 1.9 TD, but both claim they are looking for GTI (despite one thinking that he could pick up a minter for £600 ), but it was still nice to know that at least some other guys my age understand that a 205 is far from being a "Banger that should be traded in on scrap-age". (I got that comment from someone who drives a 53 Plate 1.4 Fiesta on illegal insurance. Luckily I didn't hear it at the time or I may have been arrested for murder )

 

Do you think that 205s will ever really appeal to the younger generations, I mean in the sense that particular VAG cars like the MK2 Golfs and Beatles are seen by many of that sort of age as "retro" and therefore cool. I always tend to think of these cars being owned by a slightly older generation who admired them Back in the day when the 205 GTI reputation was still fresh . At least that's what I've gathered from the countless times I've had the "Nice car, I had one back in my Youth" comments I get from blading middle aged men

 

How many other "young" 205s owners are out there, and why do you CHOOSE to drive what you do?

 

For me it is all about the ownership experience. The Ups of it being a sunny, warm day with the roads clear ahead of you, and even the downs of lying in a puddle of water in the pouring rain readjusting your clutch for the 2th time that week. Every drive, no matter how fast or slow you go is an adventure. I love my car because it is far more than just "a car". It is "my car".

 

I'm sure I wouldn't get the same little grin on my face everytime I take a cheeky glance back at my car after a good drive if I owned a 1.4 Fiesta

[davey205 7 1 Cars]

Good post. I tend to prefer old stuff from the music, fashions attitudes and cars im 22.

EDIT: I hate it at times and something always needs doing but i can't imagine myself driving anything else than a 205 of some description whether a GTI or anything really not 5 door though yuck!

Edited March 5, 2010 by davey205

[hexhamstu 9]

I'm 23 and bought my first GTI when I was 18. My group of friends had an 80s car fetish, one had an fiesta rs turbo and another even had the horrible Metro GTA

[MerlinGTI 3]

My 205 was my first car Always wanted one.

 

Everyone appreciates the 205 GTI, I get people from 18 to 50+ come over for a perve and a chat when filling up. Its a true modern day classic.

[Jrod 7]

First car was a 205 aged 18, I still have one aged 22.

[davepug205 7]

I know what you mean, Im 23 and all my mates drive audi's, Beemers and Golfs. I love the 205's for the way they drive.

 

Going down the motorway in my mates car at 140, with the air-con on watching bloody tv does absolutely nothing for me

 

205's all the way, apart from my work van I cant see myself driving anything else.

[Kobayashi 35 2 Cars]

most 205 gti drivers i know (including myself, buying it at age 19) are in their 20s or early 30s, as are many youngtimer enthusiasts.

 

it the beginning, i loved my 205 plainly because it was "my car", as you say. later on, i discovered that it's also a much more rewarding drive than others. and nowadays it's becoming increasingly cool when compared to newer cars.

Edited March 5, 2010 by Kobayashi

[stuRALLYE 5]

my first car was a 205 rallye and i bloody loved it! even though it was a dog. im 19 now and have a gti with an mi and throttle bodies soon to be fitted. I love it and as i drive all sorts of modern cars during the day its always a treat to get back into the 205 to go home! money to fun ratio is brilliant!

[Cameron 16]

My first was a 205 XS at 18, and I got it because it was the best quick (relatively) car I could afford, but I instantly fell in love with it. Now 7 years on I've had a couple of other cars but came back to the 205, nothing else compared.

[richsmells 2]

Got mine at 18 had it for 5 years.

[lloydgti 0]

yo, had my 205 when i was 15/16 to do up a bit, im 19 now and still got it putting the xu10 from the 406 in it

[kjd4000 0]

I bought my first 205 gti at 18 now im 22 and still love it. i drive modern cars all day and getting back in the low, noisy, rattly, 205 is GREAT!

Although driving around all day with power steering, then driving the 205 home without it takes a few minutes to get used to!

 

The hunger for more power is growing ever stronger but i still love it. (even when it needs fixing) but thats half the fun of 205 ownership........right?

[welshpug 1,626]

I didn't take my test till 22, and got mine at 24 and still have it

[24seven 104]

I bought my first 205 at 18 and still have it now at 22. I'm convinced I was supposed to be a teen through the 60s/70s, from the music to the care free attitude and drugs. I look like something out of the early-mid 90s and I prefer cars from this era too.

 

The 205 is what I really count as my first car - the Polo was given to me free and the Almera I bought cheap off my dad. This was the first car I went out and chose for myself. I think it's one of those car's I'll always own or linger for if I don't. It's just one of those things that sticks.

[Daviewonder 533 3 Cars]

I got a 1.6 GTI as my first car when I was 19, it was awesome! Then 2 years later I part exchanged for a 106 GTI which in my opinion was just as awesome. Then 7 years went by without a 205 until one day I had some money burning a hole in my pocket and I saw a red 1.9 for sale with tax and mot outside someones house so I decided to stop and have a look as it had a red reflective boot trim on it and it caught my attention. Anyway I bought it for £420 but as I was leaving to come home a guy I used to work with pulled up and said "Ive got a 1.6 one of those for sale for £350 if you want it" so I went and had a look (it was red too) and ended up buying that aswell. So I went from owning zero 205's up to two in about 30 minutes! It felt good to be back

[arwel 43 2 Cars]

Bought mine in August, I'm 23 and its been bought for road rallying. It gets used 2-3 days a week at the moment to keep it running nicely and it's brilliant. Far more fun than my 07 plate Astra 1.9cdti. Only time its let me down was a good few weeks ago when tempereture went down to -14... it didnt like that and decided it didnt want to take me to work.

 

Never thought about owning one before we decided to have a crack at rallying and considering its over 20 years old and got 158,000 on the clock its brilliant.

[Dan Ingram 1]

I got my first one when I was 18. I'm 26 now and have owned about 10 of them all together. I'm now in the process of trying to get rid of my Impreza so I can get another one I think I'm always going to own one from now on. Even if it sits on the drive for months at a time.

[swordfish210 20]

I bought my 205 at 17 and i still have it now going on 22. I'm much more in to my old cars than the modern s*itboxes that trawl the roads these days. I could go on and on but i'll restrain myself. Nice thread by the way.

[2-Pugs 57]

I'm not particularly young myself (34 now!), but my 2 year old nephew seems to like my 205 Just need some blocks for the pedals....

[woo83 0]

I bought my rallye about a year before I passed my test, so it was moted and ready to go when I did. That was when I was 20, I'm 26 now so 6 years and 5 205s (and a 309) later Im on no. 6 .

 

A lot of my mates really do hate to 205s, because there used to power steering and air con they tend to view the 205s as dated and somehow inferior, But I have this theory that the older a car gets the more character it acquires, And to be honest thats all that really matters to me.

[grantley1988 1]

I'm 21 and bought a saxo as a first car, which got me into the french scene and me getting an admiring for a 205. I then sold my saxo for a ep3 type r for help with the ladys....I bought the 205 last week and have loved every minute of it. I love the fact that the crazy ratios on the be3 box keep me wanting to fing 6th gear! I love the fact that when I'm cleaning it 40 year old men come up to me saying what a car it is, and you don't see many around. The way I have to turn the music up when my girlfriend is in the car to hide the rattles! Yet when I'm driving on my own the cd player stays in the glove box. I have wanted a 205 for years and so far it has more than lived up to its expectations

[lemmingzappa 75 1 Cars]

I then sold my saxo for a ep3 type r for help with the ladys....

The way I have to turn the music up when my girlfriend is in the car to hide the rattles!

 

[Joshy 0]

Awesome replies guys, thanks!

 

It would seem there are many more young owners of 205s than I first thought. When I come to think of it, I get "abuse" about my car from all age groups not just other youngsters, so I guess it balances out. Unless people actually get "retro" cars they are always going to come up with junk like "Why don't you buy a normal car" regardless of age. - It is just what you get for driving a car that is pretty much the polar opposite of what a Modern Hatchback is - Quiet, slow, Comfortable, easy to drive, easy on the eye and easy to park .

 

It is just the "scrappage banger" comments that REALLY annoy me. I know, I know, "Don't let it get to you". But the sheer ignorance makes me what to punch people. This is the guy who defends to the death the 118D company car he was given for the week, stating that it is "Well Quick". £20,000 for a car that does 0-60 in 7.9 seconds? "Well quick"? Really? I guess it goes back to many this generation being more focused on Fame/Money/Brand/Image rather than a product is good or not. I suppose a 53 Plate 1.4 Fiesta has a better "image" than a F Reg 205, and something tells me that for the mainstream of people this isn't going to change, at least for a while...

[MerlinGTI 3]

Who gives a s*it what other people think?

[Tom Fenton 1,526]

All my cars are owned by me and paid for. So who gives a toss what Chesney with his 118d company car thinks?