When it comes to selecting a classic car from the 1980’s there is no shortage of choice. There were plenty of good looking cars for every budget with special editions , sports models, luxury and high performance.
It would be easy to choose cars like the Porsche 911 Turbo, which surely says most about this period of Thatchers Britain. But these are no longer affordable for the average enthusiast. Probably the most affordable star car of the decade would be the Ford XR2 and XR3. But there is a car which sums up my 80’s decade and it is neither of these.
Fourty years ago I was doing ok and decided it was time to buy my first (and as it turns out last) brand new car. Lots of my friends were driving hot hatches including Golf GTi, Scirocco, Ford XR2 and XR3 and Peugeot 205 GTi.
A colleague of mine bought an MG Metro and he loved it. As a hot hatch it lacked any real hotness, but it looked the part and was affordable. So on Saturday afternoon I visited the local Austin Rover dealership to try it for size. When I arrived there was a group fo 3 salesmen in the their obligatory suits chatting and drinking coffee. The show room was quiet and so I asked one of them if they would tell me more about the MG version. One of them said they would be along in a minute and turned back to his colleagues. Twenty minutes later he still hadn’t come to me so I left.
The car I really lusted after at the time was the Peugeot 205 GTI though it was out of reach for me. It was expensive to buy but the crippling factor was the insurance. Between Joy riders stealing and burning them to crashes from trying too hard, premiums had gone through the roof.
The following week I headed to the Peugeot dealership to see what they had. The most impressive car in the showroom was a 205 T16, the first iteration of their Group B rally car. I was a big rallying fan and couldn’t believe I could get so close to one. We were then looked after by a very attentive salesman who introduced us to the 205 Lacoste. A special edition themed on the French sportswear brand featuring an alligator logo and green carpets.
We part exchanged our Ford Escort Mk2 (perhaps I should have kept that), chose the registration number and picked it up a few days later. It was a fabulous car and we kept it for quite a long time (10 years). It handled well and there was plenty of performance from the 1300cc engine. In my view it was better looking than the Leyland and Ford offerings. It did have some issues with rust, particularly around the rear wheel arches but nothing that couldn’t be sorted during a restoration.
I was at an Iconic auction in February and they sold a Lacoste for £11 000 which given its excellent condition was a good buy. But it is inevitable that I would go for the 1.9 GTi. You can buy a a basic 205 for a few hundred pounds, special models in good condition up to £15 000 but a 1.9 GTi £13 000 to £30 000. There are now companies who produce as new 205 GTi’s built with upgraded specifications. The cost is less than an as new Mini and surely offers a better driving experience.
If you really want to spend some money, then £300 000+ may get you a 205 T16.
What was your best decade and what car summed it up? Did you ever buy one? Let us know in the comments.
I too had one of those moments with a dealer. I went to buy a quite expensive model (my employer’s money), but I went on a Saturday with wife and kids (surely they also have a view on what car to buy). I was just told “they are out there”. I must obviously be a tyre kicker! I went in the week (to another dealer) and got a completely different reception. I bought the car.