A modern day daily

[garethj]

To go with other tales of using old cars every day, this is how a modern car works. How modern? Well it doesn't have: ABS, aircon, cupholders, airbags, electric windows plus a multitude of other features that are fitted nowadays.

It does have: heater, headed rear window, an intermittent setting for wipers, a stereo, good visibility and power steering. For anyone used to driving older chod, this thing is loaded

I do about 400 miles a week just commuting to and from work, so with other jaunts too that makes 20,000 miles a year. That's serious mileage for a clapped out old banger. Here it is




It's a 205 diesel (non turbo because I'd rather have the mpg than the mph) and it's one of Peugeot's lovely* special editions. This gives it the bright yet nauseating interior as shown


A year ago I decided that I'd had enough of commuting by motorbike; whilst the journey time was fast it took lots of concentration and I was mostly knackered by Friday evenings. The dual carriageway route squared off the rear tyre so badly the bike would stay upright without the side stand. The twisty road was much better but if you ride like a twat (as I do) it's exhausting to ride, watching for places to overtake yet not get knocked off. I'd also figured out that if I arrived in Cambridge by 7:15am and left at 4pm the traffic wasn't too bad so a bike wasn't compulsory.

This Pug came up on ebay about 20 miles away. I was looking for one that didn't have too many miles on it, was a 3 door without sunroof and a non-turbo diesel. Hitting all these criteria was quite difficult if you don't want to trawl the country too, but this one was bid on unseen and I went to collect it. The battery was fucked, the front tyres were smooth and the stereo was an aftermarket one that didn't seem to have an off button. But it did have an input for my mp3 player - result!

1996 is quite late for a 205 but let's be clear - in the office carpark it's barely newer than a donkey and wooden cart. There was genuine astonishment that I'd made it to work the first morning, surely there's no way such an old car would make it home again?

The wheels were very wobbly which meant that 70mph was a bouncy affair, I got that done the first evening. Because the car had been owned by an elderly gent it hadn't spent much time near the red line so even if the wheels were balanced it wouldn't do more than 75mph anyway. A service with filters and oil improved things a bit, as did some injector cleaner. I was very conscientious at giving Italian tuneups so after a while it would sing along at 90mph

These cars tend to lean quite hard on their front suspension and after a while there was a bit of clonking from the front end and creaks from the antiroll bar bushes. I got new front arms and antiroll bar bushes so the balljoints were included. By then I'd had some partworn front tyres so it gripped better too.

The driving experience is pretty good. It's got the typical feeling of space of a 1980s car, big windows with thin pillars. The power steering feels nice and the standard steering wheel is nice and chunky. The ride is on the hard side of French but the handling is really nice, the whole car feels light even with a cronky old diesel engine up front. Ah yes, the diesel engine...

I'd never had a diesel before but I've driven quite a few at work, all modern turbo jobs. This one is like the beginners guide to diesels, it runs out of breath at 45mph in 2nd gear and 65mph in 3rd but of course the pull is quite smooth. None of this modern nothing, nothing, nothing, oh wheelspin, panic, revlimiter.

The main reason for getting a diesel is fuel economy and here the little 205 is the star pupil. I started off at 50mpg and after a service and thrashing it got to 55mpg, it's now doing between 55 and 59mpg according to the fuel economy app on my phone.

And that's all there is to it, it passed the MoT last week needing a numberplate light and very soon it'll need new tyres. I'm well into the "car boredom" stage now and would love to change it, but with the mileage I do a normal car would cost me more than an extra £100 a month. That's very difficult to turn down so it looks like the 205 is staying for a while.

Everyone at work is still amazed I arrive in such a dilapidated old snotter but as we all know here, this is a new car, it's supposed to be easy.

[Leonard Hatred]

Nice work, I approve of this. Are the crazy floor mats original?
I nearly bought a 205 diesel recently, with some vague aim to put a 1.9TD in it, but commonsense got the better of me.
I like the 'big engine, small car' feel of 205 diesels, the only thing I don't like is the lack of temperature gauge, just an 'HGF light'.
Can't think of a better commuter car really.

[garethj]

Yes, the floor mats are part of the Inca special edition package.

Mrs_garethj has a 2003 Jaguar S Type where the leather interior is "coffee and cream". On the Peugeot it's "pavement and pizza"

[I.K.Brunel]

Superb misery motoring.

I do have a 'soft spot' for these. Back in the dim & distant when I achieved my BA, I 'rewarded' myself with an eight-year-old 205, another of ther special editions the 'Trio S' which got you metallic paint, groovy green seatbelts, seat & carpet piping. Jazzy. Mine was a 1.1 petrol powered variant, but of similar specification. And yes, the HGF light is very true. I got the red STOP light one day on the A1 accompanied by steamy wisps from the bonnet... though the vigour with which I used to thrash the thing probably helped hasten things along.

Still, these are very nice driving, reliable and rot-resistant means of economy transport - so impressed was my father with mine that he purchased one for my brother too - that one stayed in the fold alot longer... when sibling relocated and no longer required car, father re-acquired (as it coincided with the death of 'Moby Dick', his wonderful old Volvo 765 Turbo) as a cheap runabout and held on to it until last year when increasing unreliability on the part of the car and an increasing need for an automatic omn the part of the old fossil saw it give way to a bleak Astra.

Would happily have another should the need present itself.

[Jonny69]

Well it's either pretty cherry or your camera is a reality liar like mine. It doesn't matter either way, as long as the internet sees it in its best light. One of my mates had one after he left school, he knocked about in it for a good number of years and I remember he simply couldn't bring himself to move it on. I don't think it ever let him down, it did comical mpg, needed next to no maintenance and never needed washing.

[Seth]

I do think that this has to be about the best 'modern' cheap daily it is possible to get. Even though I suppose its as far removed from a GTi as a 205 is possible to get I imagine that it must still be quite 'chuckable' given the reputation the faster versions have and so that would introduce an element of fun into the drive. They're at the age that, as your work colleagues prove, are as undesirable to those on the modern consumer chain as an old television. But with the minimum of care and servicing I can't imagine it falling apart very suddenly and even if it did go terminally wrong in a smoky pile of engine parts then it'd be cheap enough to dispose of and replace with another. If Mrs Seth was still doing a five day a week 100 mile commute then we'd seriously be tempted by something like this because I think the economy would provide a short enough pay back period to make buying a tax disc and other 'modern' car expenses worthwhile.

[Jonny69]

They're really basic as well - sat right at the end of the the era of cars where you could pull them apart and work on them easily, easy access to everything under the bonnet and it's the right age to get dirt cheap parts.

Seth just made me cry a bitter tear with his television comment. I just took two old tellies to the tip because we've moved and have less space. I was quite sad* to see the big crt go because I'd found it dumped in the front garden and paid a minimal amount to get it working properly. All my other tellies have been free donations.

[Paul H]

I do think that this has to be about the best 'modern' cheap daily it is possible to get. Even though I suppose its as far removed from a GTi as a 205 is possible to get I imagine that it must still be quite 'chuckable' given the reputation the faster versions have and so that would introduce an element of fun into the drive. They're at the age that, as your work colleagues prove, are as undesirable to those on the modern consumer chain as an old television. But with the minimum of care and servicing I can't imagine it falling apart very suddenly and even if it did go terminally wrong in a smoky pile of engine parts then it'd be cheap enough to dispose of and replace with another. If Mrs Seth was still doing a five day a week 100 mile commute then we'd seriously be tempted by something like this because I think the economy would provide a short enough pay back period to make buying a tax disc and other 'modern' car expenses worthwhile.

Agreed, although I'd probably want the 405 wagon version. When my parents got divorced, dad bought the Amazon, & mum had a G plate 405 GRD estate. The lack of the T meant she hated it (previously had driven dad's company Volvo 945 SE Turbo so the drop in performance was very noticeable), but despite that it was a decent machine, and she grudgingly admits that it did handle very well. Also, my in-laws in NZ have a petrol 1st gen 405 saloon (think it's a 1.6 but not sure - 'tis carb rather than injection though) which the wife & I borrow when we visit. If I was more used to it & thus knew its handling limits, I'm sure it would happily blat along twisty NZ country roads at highly naughty speeds. However, not being my car meant I decided not to explore the aforesaid limits... Most importantly, unlike all modern Pugs (in fact anything since the 106, 306 & 406), it is also not offensive to look at.

[Hirst]

I understand those wheels are quite difficult to balance correctly, which might explain your wobbling!

[stoppitandtidyup]

Hey, great write up, summarises the car perfectly.

My 1994 Xantia 'D' has proved to be a dependable friend no matter what, even after a fling with an ungrateful 2.0 sporty Mondeo it took me back for more good service, and creaks!

Similarly this is my first Ciroen/Pug and my first diseasel, and for about 3 years plus it's put up with all kinds of crap from me and the other driver I taught! Everything, long trips, commutes, Big FO puddles, snow, all of it, it's had just basic services, oil change etc, I really need to treat it to some TLC where the suspension and stuff is concerened but it's awesome, brilliant loaded full of bricks and rubble! It's even survived a break in and 2 crashes! Oh and galvanised body - genius.

However it is sort of 'boring'. It is slow, and not always mega responsive, not mega rewarding to drive, but makes me a safe driver. I got the neat Mk1 Mondeo Si as a second daily, and I became an occasional hooligan again with 136PS on tap, body hugging comfy seats, lower suspension, and tight steering, 20's/30's MPG! almost some street cred,, but then it became unreliable and juddery and peed me off and I've left it, and whimpered back to the Xantia and it's brilliant. Slow but Balack cab Taxi driver U turns, MPG must be into the 40's, chug through traffic jams on tic over with one foot, comfortable suspension but the seats are like hammocks!

So yeah basically, awesome commuter really, think of the pennies and keep it real. The 205 is probs better at fitting in small parking gaps.