So nobody likes a Gentry, right?   Well I do. This is my first, only and everyday car since 2001. Over the years and quite some common history, I have grown a custom to it.     I will start right from the beginning before showing some of the work and modifications done to it later.   When I bought it off an otherwise Porsche-driving Lady back then, it was a quite normal 8.5 years old used car with only 60.000 kms on the clock - hence one should have probably called it a "stored" car... On second glance, i also noticed the big engine and superior equipment for it's class. I did also like the metallic paint which i first thought was black, then blue However, in 2001 it was too early for any 205 being even remotely classic or exotic. On the other hand, the times when the 205 GTI was the daddy were already over. In fact, by the end of the 90s, anything labelled "GTI" had a really bad reputation for the people normally driving it.   You probably all know the specs and equipment of a Gentry, but what really matters is that this is the Euro Version, which was equipped with either a manual or automatic gearbox by customers choice. Being a manual version, mine has a close ratio BE3 Box very similar to those of the 1.9 (Euro-)Rallye and 1.9 CTI convertible, with whom it also shares the engine (XU9J1 / DFZ, 102 bhp, Jetronic w/cat.). In some european countries, there even existed "proper" 1.9 GTIs with exactly this engine and gearbox, so i find talk about the Gentry's "inferiority" always a bit dull. The combination of low-down torque and close-ratio manual box still makes for good fun on B-roads, while the suspension is clearly on the comfy side. Lacking the optional ABS brakes, it shares beams with the 1.6 GTI (wider front track, rear drums), but with softer dampers and very long springs.   Previous owners had been that ladies father and a Peugeot dealership, who had probably (mis)used it as a demonstration car. But still, the condition and price were good, so i had my first car to go to University (and, aged 19, to learn proper driving ). Since then, i have used it mostly every day, in summer and winter (which can be harsh in Austria), and it has always been parked outside. Currently i make 60kms a day to and from my workplace, and last week i have just reached 130.000kms.   Some of the technics needed sorting over time, mostly the brakes, cooling system (new expansion tank, radiator, some hoses), and some of the electricity/ignition. The clutch was on it's way out soon after hitting 100.000 kms, and so were the dampers (first the back, and now the front ones). The rear beam still looks and feels perfect. The engine runs smooth and healty. Head gasket and compression are all good.   In 2003 (or so) the car was written off after a 200bhp Ford Scorpio wanted to race me in heavy rain, lost control, basically went through the front half of my car and subsequently into a rail, only just preventing him from plunging into river Danube. Luckily, everyone walked away uninjured, and after a good fight with that guys insurance company i got compensated with enough money to have the shell fixed to the highest standard. Looking back, i should have claimed a neck injury like everyone t**t does, but was too honest, just wanting to be compensated for the cars real worth.   Later in time, the Gentry had its grille badge, antenna and stereo nicked (seperately), people jumped on its hood, roof tiles from a collapsing barn fell on its hood (again), etc, but i always had it fixed to at least the prior condition.   These pictures show the car in 2007, including the once affected front and left sides. Bumper and plastic trim have gone from green to black after the crash, because green trim parts were unable to obtain. But I actually prefer that.