Sorrento green Limited Edition

[David Simson 3]

Leslie. That's great news. No doubt enjoying this amazing weather? What's not to like? What sort of teething problems did you have? And what are the remaining jobs to do? They obviously don't stop you driving it.

 

Mine is currently having all of the front suspension replaced. I think someone in the past uprated the springs and I have no idea of the condition of the dampers. As expected, back to original. Should get her back by middle of next week and we're all good.

[Leslie green 130]

1st show I tooknit too it seemed like it wad pinking , shunting all the time at 60 mph , it did have a leaking sunroof vacuum valve o ring  and I also changed the big throttle valve o ring too   after that its been fine  but Im just not sure that was it ,time will tell.

Jobs like carpet in boot sides , 1/4 panel plastic trims need fitting after yhat , slam panel needs powdercoat snd top mounts will be swapped as one has a bad thread but these will do till the winter when its offroad again.looking for a better left side sunroof trim then I will fit my new sunroof front trim .

Would rather get some miles up now though.

I fitted bilstein shocks and eibach front springs whivh is what most fit, my rear axle height is a little too low when loaded so I may raise that too.

[David Simson 3]

Leslie. I quite agree about getting some miles done. The jobs you listed will easily wait until the winter so enjoy now. My new suspension is Eibach springs and Bilstein B4 dampers so I seem to be in the majority there. I don't know if you use silicon spray on your sunroof? It's safe for all seals so can use of doors and tailgate as well. 

[Leslie green 130]

Thanks David, same suspension as mine then . Its actually the cover trim that covers over the sunroof ,the u shaped cutouts underneath that attach to the fixings on the roofskin to hold it on  , most are broken on the left side so it doesn't sit down quite right so I'm holding of putting the new front trim on as they are easy broken removing them again.

I have used silicon spray on the guides and the sunroof slides back ok .

[David Simson 3]

The cover trim you refer to. Mine isn't broken but I rarely use it; I prefer the light the sunroof provides even when it isn't open. 

The silicon does work very well. Message from my mechanic friend today saying all of the suspension is back together and MOT is tomorrow so I'll be officially on the road if all goes to plan. Those miles you refer to are exactly the same as my view. I'm so looking forward to driving her. Out of interest, do you get offers to sell your car?

[Leslie green 130]

Nearly on the road then , my car has only been on the road a month or so and got a lot of interest at the one show I went to but no offers yet .Given how long its taken me to get it near sorted I wouldn't want to part with it as ive not seen another laser over here in Norn Iron for maybe 25 years , there are ones over here I've heard but ive not seen any so far.A friend has a sorrento limited edition 1.6 , I used to think it was black as the colour is quite dark.

[David Simson 3]

I agree about not wanting to part with it. A Porsche 911 ST or Ferrari 458 Speciale might tempt me (would do actually :)) but to me it's not just a car. It's an icon I couldn't afford as a 20 year old but I COULD afford an XR2 at the time. Insurance premiums were nuts on 1.9s especially. I agree about the Laser green. It's a great colour and I think I've only ever seen about 3. Sorrento is dark but it looks dramatically different under sunlight. I had 6 offers to buy her before she'd even been stripped down for painting. Her lights were dull, some of the red trim had lifted and the lacquer had lifted off some of the panels. But still people wanted to buy her. I'm sure you, like me, have experienced such a passion for these cars? They truly are something special and represent a unique moment in time. 

[Leslie green 130]

There is definitely a lot of interest in these even as rough resto projects , not long ago a miami blue one made 9k I think it was mathersons auctions  of bangers and cash fame  , I thought that was way too much for it as it , it had sat many years ,needed a lot of work and money spending on it and you could get a running mot'ed car you could drive tomorrow  for a little more .

Edited June 26 by Leslie green

[Tom Fenton 1,564]

I've had a 205 GTI of some description on the road for quite a while, probably nearly 25 years, its really interesting how the perception has changed, years ago they were firmly in old banger territory to most people, with the occasional enthusiast who'd give you a thumbs up in traffic or come to chat at a fuel station. 

These days I don't often go anywhere in one without some sort of positive reaction from someone. Its a nice thing.

[David Simson 3]

Tom. Thanks for your comment. Great to know you've been running one for 25 years. Why do you think they were regarded as old bangers? A lot did get stolen and thrashed in the day so many were the worst for wear so I'm guessing that's probably the reason?

 

I was in slow moving traffic on the M5 once at about 10mph. A van came up alongside me and gestured for me to put my window down and he offered to buy it while we were moving. It's interesting how many younger people I've spoken to who know what 205GTIs are even though they weren't born in the 80s. Just had a note from my mechanic saying she's just passed the MOT and I'm on holiday next week. I'd call that a result.

[Henry Yorke 270 3 Cars]

Given where you live @David Simson, and the fact you are on holiday next week, there isn't really an excuse not to drive 20 minutes down the road this Sunday to go to the Peugeot Sport Clubs Peugeot Festival and see a lot of other really nice 205's and a load of people from this forum https://pscuk.net/pscuk-peugeot-festival/

 

Not many sorrentos now as the paint was awful on them and the lacquer went milky and peeled off and a full respray was not worth it when they were £500 cars. Those that offer to buy them off you on the road often don't appreciate the stupid amount of money they now trade at

[ScoobyJawa 24]

Mine sorrento is still doing ok, the paint isn’t perfect but it’s not bad for its age. Whether to respray or keep original is an ongoing tug of war!

 

I also find that just about every delivery driver that comes to the door wants to chat about it!

[David Simson 3]

3 hours ago, ScoobyJawa said:

Mine sorrento is still doing ok, the paint isn’t perfect but it’s not bad for its age. Whether to respray or keep original is an ongoing tug of war!

 

I also find that just about every delivery driver that comes to the door wants to chat about it!

ScoobyJawa,

 

I have a couple of views on the subject of Sorrento paint quality.

 

When I bought mine the paint was tired. It was OKish but then you put it into context. These cars are 35 years old and look at ANY car that's 35 years old and see if the paint is perfect. I very much doubt it.

 

Secondly, modern paints are so much better than paints from the 70s and 80s. My car was stripped to bare metal and repainted in Sorrento green which was mixed in 2024.

 

So anyone can make comments about anything but they have to be judged against the time they were introduced. 1980s turbochargers, graphic equalizers, CDs, Ziggy Stardust, crew cuts, mini skirts, lime green suede, Bjorn Borg, Carlsberg lager.........the list goes on and on. They all represent a moment in time and comparisons against other decades - whether earlier or later - only have so much validity.

 

I can only speak from my own experience but I haven't regretted a minute of restoring it. I wanted a car which looked like it had dropped off the end of the production line in 1989 and I've succeeded in that. It's in 'production' condition. It isn't concours but then I can't see the point of cars which never get driven as they cease to be cars. 

 

These cars deserved to be preserved and if that means a fresh paint job every 30 years then so what?