This Peugeot 205 GTi Is As Expensive As A Lightly Used Porsche Cayman

For some reason this Peugeot 205 GTi costs £43,000. All sink-related cliches aside, taking a moment to absorb that is mandatory.

Sure, this lovely-looking Miami Blue 1.6 has already had some minor restoration work and it’s getting a load more (major stuff, too). It’s a one-owner car and the mileage is only sitting at 16,720 miles from new, but… £43,000? The world has got drunk and fallen over, or something.

Apparently it’s in excellent condition cosmetically. The seller, Classic Heroes in the south of England, is just replacing the rear bumper and a tail light lens. On the mechanical side it has been given a service, a new cambelt and tensioner, a new water pump, new front brake calipers, new front discs and pads, new rear drums and shoes, new hoses, wheel cylinders, suspension bushes, steering track rods, coolant hoses and fuel hoses.

Finally, the wheels are being refurbished. On the bright side, then, it should be just about as good a 205 GTi as you’re likely to find. But, on the other hand… £43,000.

The story behind the car is that a 61-year-old woman bought it in 1991. Now 87, she finally hung up the keys for the last time and agreed to sell the car, an emotional decision though it was. She had clearly got very little use out of the fizzy little 115bhp hot hatch, but loved it nonetheless.

Most 205 GTis have been ragged to within an inch of their lives, and very many need a complete nut-and-bolt overhaul to regain their true talents. This one has been prepped ready for someone to enjoy, but that price is just bonkers. Allow us to demonstrate.

For the same £43,000 or thereabouts, you could have an Aston Martin V8 Vantage with four figures in change to cover the running costs. You could have a two-year-old Porsche Cayman or a four-year-old Cayman S. If hot hatches float your boat, you could have a Golf GTI Clubsport S. In that context, how many of us would really spend that money on the 205?