newb newb

[dimjim]

Hey all,

Absolute newbie. I'm a young guy who's always liked the look of a 205gti and has finally managed to get some funds saved up to get one. . Hopefully. . 

Just trying to learn a bit more about what to look for first - from what I can gather just buying the first one you see can be a bad mistake? Of course I may have the wrong idea here... let me know.

Any general advice greatly appreciated, although I suppose you get a view messages like this, must get pretty boring replying after a while.

Thanks.

[309munkey]

get out there and BUY  ONE!!    coupla ones on TM.. what you got to spend?  that red auto looks good and you can alway find a manual g-box to stick in later.    THESE guys will direct you in the right direction.  Good luck.

[Griffe]

Welcome along!

How did you hear about us?  Sounds like you've got your head screwed on the right way round!  How much are you wanting to spend? Any car you buy will need $$$ spent on it, it just depends what the offset for you is in terms of skill/money/availability of parts etc...

[CaM]

offer hairy some money for his.

[Carpentry]

Buying the first anything you see is generally bad

Don't rush it. Waiting for the right one will make it a far more enjoyable experience. It will be an experience whether you like it or not but you can reduce the pain factor!

Happy hunting

[mrc_1979]

Carpentry makes a good point there. After my 309 got written off I was probably a little too keen to get into another pug. Ended up buying pretty much the first okay-ish 205 I saw. Whilst not in bad nick I basically bought someone elses problems as the previous owner was obviously not big on preventative maintenance etc lol.
When looking at cars I'd recommend taking someone along whose familiar with the marque and any potential problems. There are also a few buying guides on the net that point out things too look out for.

[dimjim]

  Hey all, thanks for the replies. Much appreciated. Thanks to Carpentry and mrc 1979 for the advice. Yeah I'd definitely need to take someone who knew what they were looking for.

In answer to Griffe's question and others, I found this site via a google search based around '205gti nz'. I've got around 5 grand to spend, however it seems I have a large disadvantage compared to most on this forum, as while I love cars I am an absolute cluts when it comes to fixing stuff and I have no mechanical knowledge  whatsoever so will not be able to fix things myself. Perhaps this disqualifies me from owning a 205gti? Or will make it a very expensive exercise? I am prepared for the fact that I'll have to pay more on up keep than for a corolla. But you only live once and who wants a corolla when you can have a 205gti?!

My lack of mechanical skill is why I can't just buy the red auto on trade me and then convert it to manual. Although, just out of interest, how easy is it to source a manual gearbox? How much would it cost -to get the gearbox and  get it put in by someone else?

[309munkey]

thats the ticket... get someone else to do it! i will have spare BE1 gearbox one day but i bet there is 10 000 in Pug rich Auck-Land... and plenty of fitters.

[Goat]

If you're down wellington neck of the woods then we'd be more than happy to help out/guide you through  mechanical things

Welcome

[309munkey]

Mate grab/borrow/steal a haynes manual. that's what has been getting me on the track to becoming a fake car mechanic  

yep, easy worth the money for even pulling out dashboards so you dont wreck things trying by force.   and always buy at least 1 other fastfrog just for a laugh.

[CaM]

msot guys on here started with little mechanical knowledge. myself included

[BigPete]

What part of the country are you from? Most members have learned heaps mechanically, and also bought about another seven Peugeots/Citroens/both after joining.

[zephyrheaven]

And trust me , even us mechanics learn things from these forums  - and ownership of a fast doesnt have to mean constant maintenance and repairs (it was starting to sound that way?) aside from changing a starter motor last week, I doubt the bonnets been up on mine since its wof LOL

Welcome along , and keep scanning trademe and local rags for bargains

**These guys are super helpful by the way, I would have been poked for spare parts otherwise**

[Griffe]

And trust me , even us mechanics learn things from these forums

Are you a mechanic also Zephyrheaven?

Incidentally how many mechanics do we have on here?

Griffe
Bazwad
Izzyrally
Kieren
Zephyrheaven
2052NV

Anyone else?


Back to the actual post...

You will never be able to find your first 205 without problems, that's how they come as they approach the 20 year old mark now, take someone along that knows a bit about them or report your findings on here and we can all offer advice, also try looking at what basic car maintenance courses your local polytechnic offers at night shcool etc.  I remember doing one way back when I was 16, every Wed night for 6 weeks and I learned moonbeams, from there it created a thirst for all things mechanical and I learnt more and more from there, hence becoming a mechanic a few years after, I am no longer on the tools every day but the skills have set me up for life etc.

Each car you own of a particular type will teach you about it, eg. I've had several 205's now and each had their own specific characteristics about them (Gallaic eccentricities!) the problems encountered were not new to anyone, it is just about learning about the process involved to fix them.  The whole reason we started this forum was to help and meet like minded people.

You seem to have your head screwed on the right way round and have taste in cars, so take your time, do your research and ask any questions you want, then when the right car comes up you can pounce on it and know exactly what you're buying 

[Carpentry]

With that kind of money to spend you could wait for a reeeeeeally mint one (ala 2052NV) or get a cheaper one and spend the money either swapping the gearbox/doing the head gasket or whatever needs to be done.

The bodies on the jap import ones are generally sweet, same goes for NZ new. I'm not too sure how many ex-UK ones there are but they are mostly made of some ferrous-oxide alloy  

If you don't mind spending heaps on boxes of corona and hanging out with retards like us on the weekends, mechanical problems and tune-ups are no problem at all. I knew nothing 2 years ago, and some would argue that I'm still in the dark but it's not as daunting as it once was