Suddenly I thought of a beautiful scene that took place in January 2000. The story came up last weekend in Winterberg in the Bremberg ski lift. I thought back to the winter sports holiday of 2000 in Champagny-en-Vanoise. There I spoke to a friendly Frenchman about Peugeot. About his Peugeot. And about our car at the time: the Peugeot 205 GR from March 1992.
The extremely relaxed Frenchman-with-beard was quite old and still vital. He had enjoyed the day in the ski area adjacent to La Plagne. In the evenings he spoke to me in the cozy lobby/bar of the hotel. He pointed to my shirt and asked in French how I got it. It was no surprise that he noticed the item of clothing. I had a ski pulley printed with a beautiful classically drawn advertising image with a lady, a Peugeot and the text J'aime ma Peugeot on top. And the Frenchman - from Alsace - liked it. Not least because he also drove a Peugeot himself.
He asked me which cub of the Lion brand I had. In coal French I replied that we were driving a 205 1992. The man - called Antoine - became enthusiastic and said that Peugeot owed a lot to the 205. Not least because he was also successful in rallies. He himself had driven a 205 Diesel for several years, pass the problem monsieur† His memories of it were good. Now he drove a 406 from the facelift series, a brand new one at the time, with a 2.0 HDI 110 DIN-hp engine. I still think the facelift 406 is one of the most elegant saloons in history, but that aside.
Of course he wanted to know if we had driven to the Alps with the 205. That was not the case. We were four people and decided to travel together and rent a Xantia Break. But I missed the Peugeot, I would have liked to drive it to the French mountains. And want to have an adventure with it. Antoine understood that all too well. We finished our beer glass, said goodbye and I looked back on a nice conversation about Peugeots and other things that made life so nice back then. Like the ski tours on site.
I was happy with my Peugeot. In 1999 I bought the Peugeot 205 GR 1.1, including an ANWB purchase inspection. This could also have been omitted, although it was nice that the finishing touches could be made. But it was a good car, I knew that straight away. The purchase was the start of a lot of fun. Our children were not there yet, and the Peugeot was an ideal companion for trips in the Netherlands and abroad. Count on me to make a lot of fun kilometers with the Peugeot. I loved the 205, and the lion on the grille always purred softly.
The 205 had formidable handling, a nice TU1 1124 cc engine and a mature chassis, which ensured that the 205 always felt a size bigger on the road. And meanwhile he achieved 1 out of 17 average. I did not only drive private kilometers with the always dealer maintained Peugeot. I also used the 205 for presentations in the country for my then employer, a large mortgage lender from Leeuwarden. For example, I drove it to Twente, South Limburg and Eindhoven. Those were nice stretches from the north of Friesland, but those rides went smoothly for life and limb. I whistled them off. It was a pleasure to send with it.
In just under three years, I drove almost 70.000 kilometers with the 205. The compact Peugeot fit me like a comfortable jacket, and it proved that you could really feel better in a Peugeot. I took good care of the 205, and became attached to it. Still, I traded it in. There were several candidates. I thought about a new 206 XS, I came across a young used facelift 306 (5 door, gray-metallic) that I thought about too long. But the 205, I couldn't say goodbye to it in terms of type. So I accepted the offer to trade in the 205 GR for a very late Peugeot 205 Génération 1.4 with 32.000 kilometers on the odometer. However, it couldn't match the magic of my first 205. That battle was uneven.
Because rarely have I had so much fun with a car as during the three years that we used the Peugeot 205 GR 1.1. owned. Antoine must have felt that in Champagny-en-Vanoise too. I thought of that in a flash last weekend, floating in the Bremberg lift in Winterberg. And I thought of the image on the ski pulley, which I had specially printed on it. Because that covered the load completely. I loved the cart. J'ai adore ma Peugeot 205.
After 4 x a 504 ( GL to Ti autm ) the 205 XR became my first new Peugeot in 1986 as a mechanic at Peugeot , it was the 1360 engine , decorated it with tinted glass , XT rims , lower bumpers in color with chrome strips , original electrically operated windows as in the GTI and a GTi sports steering wheel without logo, was a beautiful car, traded in 2 years later for a new GTi 1.6, was also a nice go-kart. Then we went over to Toyota , and there came the first Camry , Unfortunately Peugeot was over quickly for me , although I would like to have a nice……….504 Ti . (or a 4 Cil Coupe )
I once got a 205 diesel as a replacement car. It didn't look like much anymore, but it did have 460.000 km on the counter and drove fine for such a small light car,
much more expensive modern cars can no longer match that.
well, alors,
J'ai adoreee you can. Past perfect tense. J'adore still le 205.
If you know better, you should know better.
I have owned a 205 Roland Garros convertible for 10 years, great car, never had any problems with it, after ten years, even the original exhaust under the 1600 engine was really a piece of iron, but unfortunately had to exchange it for a ford mondeo due to lack of space.
In the middle of '89 I went as a freelancer to lease a new 205GTI1,9 (turned out to be just as expensive as my private Fiat Panda 1000S), done it for 3 years and then took over. Had it for a total of 10 years and driven 240.000 km. What a sublime car that was, it is also high in my list of “nicest cars”. Quite a bit adjusted, because after braking hard for a roundabout at a good speed, through again and braking hard for the next, there was hardly anyone left at home due to brake fading. The entire braking system was then replaced with aerated discs, Teflon-coated brake lines and also other adjustable shock absorbers (Spax). And not much later the exhaust manifold turned out to be torn, which was a fantastic excuse to build a stainless steel uhhh float system from Magnex. A very nice car, I wanted to have that for fun!
After those 10 years I replaced it with a new Subaru Forester turbo: the choice with a 2nd child became with holidays either the bbq or the 2nd one, so it was too tight. But what was that a lovely tear monster with its idiosyncrasies like that with very hard braking in a bend sometimes wanted to pass/came past the rear. Oh well, you get used to that after the first time….:-))
The Peugeot.. Top cars. Many types drove but the 309 with a 1.9 diesel engine saved me from bankruptcy. Driven long distances for years without significant costs. Top cars Peugeot.
I think the sentence “J'ai adore ma Peugeot 205” is perfect. That Frenchman was kind enough not to say anything.
I drove a 205 automatic for a few years. Taken from my mother who thought she wasn't driving safe enough anymore! Amazing how it sprinted away at the traffic lights with that 1600 engine. You showed BMWs and Audis and all that stuff out the back with their owners with really big surprised eyes. Unfortunately, a fully loaded VW bus had to drum up the rear so that the 205 was a total loss. Incidentally, I am still very fond of the Lion de Belfort. This year continuously 50 years Peugeot with the 204, 104, 309, 405, 306 and the Partner. So anniversary!
My wife also drove a 205.
With a 1100cc. Great car!
Every time I see a 205 passing by, I think: shall I buy it????
Well, I already have a few, so don't do it anyway….
I had a 1990 205 in 1,1, but that was because I needed several seats,
Because I had a triumph tr8 exchanged for a 205.
But it was practical, but the difference between a 3,5 v8 and a 1,1 was very large.
I still regret getting rid of the tr8.
IF you write French, you must do it correctly! Otherwise it detracts from the top 205!
Or was it a 1.1?
Does not matter. Was way too lifeless
Ps.....
I once drove a 1000cc petrol version. They should never have built it because it was completely lethargic. The acceleration was really best measured with the calendar next to it. Unfortunately.
My brother even drove two 205 Diesels. Great cars. Great handling and very few problems. His first was second hand and trailers had been pulled with it. So we really had to replace the clutch at some point. It was really gone.
But further? Oh yeah! A broken battery and a jammed front brake. But otherwise I really have to think very hard to be able to name a defect. The second never showed any problem in all its time.
They were smooth but not fast. 1:17 Id was just about the use and that, please, when driving firmly. Just great cars, those Deux cents cinq's.
With 5,3 million copies, the 205 Peugeot saved from bankruptcy.