Hi Muzzy, welcome to the forum
Pleased to see you've seen the light and left the Vaux***l camp
I've had a few 205s in the past, including a GTi.
They're great
Still miss my old GTi
Trouble is, they're beginning to show their age
The main things to look at now is the dread rust. They rust because they leak and look firstly for a dry one. Leaks allow water into the footwells. they rust. Side windows (mainly opening ones) leak and allow water into the sills and they rot from inside, especially if the sill drains are blocked.
Tailgates leak and allow the boot to become damp and rust. Check under the back seat for rust holes. It's hidden from the MOT man by the petrol tank.
Even dry ones rot in the inner wings at the tops under the washer bottle and jack. This is not too serious but it can spread to the chassis rails, which must always be checked as they rust from the inside out and may look OK.
The chassis rails where they run up over the back seat base can suffer metal fatigue and show cracks.
All rust problems in a 205 are not a complete show-stopper. If you can weld, they're an easy proposition to repair.
Check the condition of the rear beam (axle) if the rear suspension is stiff, seized or groans on suspension movement or an appreciable negative camber can be seen on the rear wheels, an expensive rear beam rebuild or replacement is necessary. It's not just a case of replacing bearings as the housings wear oval, writing off the axle tube.
Mechanically, with the exception of GTIs, they're bombproof. In the case of a GTi, always avoid a chavved example and check very carefully for head gasket problems.
Hope that helps. Fire any more questions you have.
) ,. I am looking for tips on what to look for when viewing a 205, most likely will be a base model as its for a project.
