1989 Peugeot 205 GL

Bought on a whim from a friend of his, this delightful little Peugeot 205 appealed to the vendor as the antithesis of the muscular 205GTI that all his friends were lusting after. He fell completely in love with its cooking specification, tiny thin tyres, and back-to-basics interior trim.

In fact, he fell so hard for it that he put a solid four-figure sum into sorting out the few little niggles that the car came with, which proves that it’s not only high-end exotic that encourages us to act in a completely irrational way. Like him, we prefer to think of the investment as a down payment on the next owner’s happiness; after realising that he hardly ever uses it, the owner is keen for it to go to an enthusiast who appreciates that this car is one of the rare breed that only gets better and better you closer you look…

The silver metallic paintwork is in great condition, and we think the colour really suits the car, allowing the simplicity of the original design to shine through. And it’s tiny, really, really tiny in a way even the smallest modern hatchback isn’t. It really is an achingly pretty car for a mass-market shopping trolley. Sure, there is the odd minor scuff and stonechip but it is remarkably clean for its age and shows no sign of serious rust at all. (We can’t find much at all bar some very, very minor staining around the odd fastening, but it’s better to err on the side of caution, eh?)

Even the wheelarches are clean and free of the sort of great gobs of underseal that the unscrupulous apply to hide all manner of nasties; as you can see from the photographs, they still wear the original painted finish, allowing you to appreciate just how fresh they are, even after all these years.

The underside is in very good order and appears to be free of rust and structural corrosion. In fact, we can’t see any evidence of previous repairs or welding, although we would encourage potential bidders to check the car for themselves to form their own opinion.

The steel wheels still wear their original plastic wheeltrims and are shod with good tyres.

All the grey cloth seats are in very good condition, being free of rips, tears and other major damage. The grey plastic dashboard might not be the last word in rigidity but it’s free of damage and extraneous holes.

The carpets are in excellent condition, and the plastic heel protector on the driver’s footwell is completely undamaged, which is remarkable given that the car is almost 30 years old.

The headlining and door trims are as good as the rest of the interior; the phrase ‘in time-warp’ condition is overused but this really is good enough to warrant the description. We might even go so far as to call the whole car reference quality.

The plastic edge trim of the rear hatchback is slightly scuffed but the all-important parcel shelf is there and in good shape, which readers will know is unusual. There is a small patch of light surface rust and a shallow dent in the boot floor. This could be easily rectified, though.

A period twin-spindle radio cassette player sits in the centre console.

The carburettored engine starts cleanly and ticks over nicely. The owner tells us that it drives as well as it looks and says that he isn’t aware of any problems with it following the recent work he commissioned. He enthused about it to us, saying that it is “such a sweet, genuine little car”.

Recent work includes two new front wheel bearings, a replacement nearside driveshaft, an offside front ball joint, new oil and oil filter, a new clutch, cleaning up and repainting the brake servo, replacing some brake pipes and fitting a new wheel cylinder, four new spark plugs and a new distributor cap, a new exhaust, and fitting a new camshaft seal to cure a minor engine oil leak.

The engine bay is in good condition but a bit grubby. Still, valeting it would be an easy and very satisfying way to spend half-a-day to seal the relationship. The underside of the bonnet itself has some light surface rust, and if it were ours we’d be tempted to get the underside resprayed to bring it up to the same standard as the rest of the car. This is very much a nice-to-do job rather than a necessity, though.

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever and confirms the car’s low mileage. The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the recent work that has been done to it.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained in recent years to the very highest standard.

It’s almost impossible to price a car like this accurately. On the one hand, a cynic would say that it’s just an old Peugeot with a tiny engine and minimal performance so is only worth peanuts. On the other, the romantics among us would say that it’s a stunning example of the seminal 1980’s hatchback and so worth preserving in an enthusiast’s collection.

What can’t be denied is the car’s condition, which is simply amazing for a French car that’s coming to the end of its third decade; whether it goes to an enthusiast who will coddle it in a heated garage, or someone who simply wants to drive something old and interesting as their everyday wheels, we would expect this lovely old 205 to keep soldiering on for another 30 years without too much trouble.

As to what it’s worth, the seller very sensibly agreed to let the market make its decision, so it’s being offered without reserve. Yes, that’s right: it will sell from the very first bid and we’ll leave it up to you all to fight it out among yourselves to decide what it’s worth! Is that a bit of a cop-out? Maybe, but we have faith that you won’t let us down…

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen in Hayes, Middlesex; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.