Thinking of buying a 208 GTi

chief barker · 31 Jan 2017 at 16:35

Tony Williams said:
Alright guys, I'm looking at a few cars currently, I'm open to ideas. I'm 27 years old, I don't have any no claims, I currently use my works van which is on a fleet insurance which should lower my cars insurance. I don't really need to drive long distance or many miles. I drive for a living but I'm sick of a 200K Transit Van so I'm after a car!

Anyway my budget is £7k to £12k. Lately I've been reading a lot on the Peugeot 208 GTI. It just looks perfect, fun to drive and filled with glowing reviews. Does anyone own one of these?

Here's a couple I've looked at.
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/2013-Peugeo...%3Ae87b86a91590a2aba43b7b6cffb799ae%7Ciid%3A8

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/2016-Peugeo...%3Af1f0aacc1590a7854edbc630ffa30042%7Ciid%3A7

The Fiesta ST is another option but 208 GTI looks a bit better IMO but I know I'd be playing it safe with a ST

Any advice guys!

My middle son has the same colour GTI (Rioja red) which looks glorious when clean. He has the special edition which came with a few extras - glass roof Nav. etc.

He loves driving it and I take it out sometimes, lovely car, I'd say go for it.

Flack88 · 31 Jan 2017 at 17:36

Rossi~ said:
If buying a Peugeot with that budget, buy the best

http://r.ebay.com/sjNSzR

+ it will only go up in value.

Janesy B · 31 Jan 2017 at 17:39

Flack88 said:
+ it will only go up in value.

Yeah but it's not really a sensible suggestion for someone that wants to use a car daily.

Tony Williams · 1 Feb 2017 at 09:42

carrot1401 said:
snip

Thanks for the reply. How's the Panoramic roof, my only gripe is if something went wrong with it or it leaked it'd be hard to get fixed ! It deffo looks awesome with the mood lightening.

Has your 208 GTI gave you any problems? How much are replacement tyres, servicing, etc?

keaneo · 1 Feb 2017 at 10:00

i was in the same boat looking at cars, personally you need to go test drive a few cars and see what you like

Tony Williams · 1 Feb 2017 at 13:23

That Toyota GT86 does look good too. I might call this place up and go down for a test drive.

Should I have a good warranty with a 2016 Pug? It's from Robins and Day and if I like it I could get a lift down.

Skilid · 1 Feb 2017 at 13:44

I have test driven both. Fiesta ST would be my choice so long as you aren't bothered by a harsh ride. The 208 was nice inside but felt quite numb and dull to drive. There was no feedback through anything. However, 208 GTIs are a useful amount cheaper than STs at the moment, especially if you're going for ST3 trim.

Tony Williams · 1 Feb 2017 at 14:08

I'm gonna read a bit more of that Toyota GT86 too as I quite like that too. Yeah I've gotta test drive a few cars first so I know when I commit to one I will actually drive it 5+ years down the line.

Phil87 · 1 Feb 2017 at 15:54

I agree the GT86 is good too, although a very different car to the hot hatches. I test drove one and it was brilliant to drive, really comfortable but fun too. The problem is the engine felt gutless compared to the ST, it has no usable power until you get it above 4k RPM so that really put me off it.

andythelandy · 1 Feb 2017 at 17:29

The problem with the 208 gti is the Fiesta St... there's no good reason to buy the Peugeot over the St.

The GT86 on the other hand.... wins hands down for me

Janesy B · 1 Feb 2017 at 17:55

Problem with the GT86 is if you get bored with the power, you don't have much scope for upgrades without spending large chunks of money.

adam cool dude · 1 Feb 2017 at 20:44

Janesy B said:
Problem with the GT86 is if you get bored with the power, you don't have much scope for upgrades without spending large chunks of money.

When you lay 12k on a car. Another 4-5k on a turbo upgrade is not that much.

17k for a light RWD coupe with around 280-300BHP.

HoneyBadger · 1 Feb 2017 at 20:52

Peugeot RCZ 270R?

Hedge · 1 Feb 2017 at 20:57

I looked at these and thought they were pretty cool but I opted for a Renault Megane RS250 instead.

Much more impressive beast

NooBish AbbZ · 1 Feb 2017 at 21:04

200bhp in something that small sounds absolutely hilarious

Janesy B · 1 Feb 2017 at 21:36

adam cool dude said:
When you lay 12k on a car. Another 4-5k on a turbo upgrade is not that much.

17k for a light RWD coupe with around 280-300BHP.

Laying 30-40% of the value of the car on another 80bhp 'not that much'.

Sure.

[TW]Fox · 1 Feb 2017 at 22:08

adam cool dude said:
When you lay 12k on a car. Another 4-5k on a turbo upgrade is not that much.

Lol

carrot1401 · 1 Feb 2017 at 22:14

Tony Williams said:
Thanks for the reply. How's the Panoramic roof, my only gripe is if something went wrong with it or it leaked it'd be hard to get fixed ! It deffo looks awesome with the mood lightening.

Has your 208 GTI gave you any problems? How much are replacement tyres, servicing, etc?

So their are 3 models of GTi

GTi
GTi Prestige,includes a rather meh sat nav, heated seats and glass roof
GTi by Peugeot Sport (or PS), is the one they released after doing a "30th Anniversary Edition" and selling all 1000 units quite quickly. This racing model has alcantara seats, 18" alloys (which means no room for full size spare in back, 17 on other models and come with spare) and shorter final ratio (quicker by couple tenths to 60, woopie doo). Also doesn't have the glass roof.

With that in mind, I did try a Prestige. The glass roof is nice, but it doesn't really give anything extra in my eyes. You'll soon be pulling it down when driving at night (street lights) or summertime.

Being 18" on mine, tyres are a bit more expensive (£140 a pop!) and I havne't got to the point of a service yet (ask me in September!)

andythelandy said:
The problem with the 208 gti is the Fiesta St... there's no good reason to buy the Peugeot over the St.

I just listed a load in my original comment which is why I picked it. The ST is the easy cop out choice, too many of the damn things with a lousy interior

Another factor, Fiesta ST 5 door only came out recently, is easier to get 5 door 208 GTi (PS only 3 door!)

Man-Meat · 2 Feb 2017 at 07:23

adam cool dude said:
When you lay 12k on a car. Another 4-5k on a turbo upgrade is not that much.

17k for a light RWD coupe with around 280-300BHP.

Madness.

Lima · 2 Feb 2017 at 13:01

andythelandy said:
The problem with the 208 gti is the Fiesta St... there's no good reason to buy the Peugeot over the St.

The GT86 on the other hand.... wins hands down for me

No good reason other than.....

It's slightly cheaper
It's slightly faster
It has a significantly better interior
Less common sight on road
More comfortable to drive

The GT86 is a nice looking car, but it's a fair bit slower than the 208GTI and ST and I find that terribly off putting considering that it looks like the sort of car that would batter them. It would be my last choice.

OP -

I've owned a 208GTI for the last couple of years. Absolutely love it. It was between this and the fiesta ST. I agree with the common consensus that the ST is a great car but I just prefer the 208GTI mainly for the reasons I listed above. It's a very rapid car for it's size, it handles well and is very comfortable.

If you drive it like I do, you will go through front tyres between every 6-10 months. Replacements are approx. £130 per corner. I've also needed new discs and pads after 2 years. Other than this, I love it.