Got some parts for the Pug today!

"Reborn Pyrrhic" (pyrrhic)
07/07/2014 at 18:23 • Filed to: french cars, puegeot, 205, gti, cti, cabriolet, convertible, germany, french classics, peanut butter

Through the German forum frenchclassics.de, a meeting place for German French car lovers (yes there are loads of them), I met a guy named Axel. He lives a half hour from my home, and casually told me he had some parts I was looking for my 1989 Peugeot 205 CTI.

I have been seriously considering bringing this car to the USA with me. I am in Germany with the US Army, and in February 2015 I will be returning to America, moving to Virginia. I have checked with the Peugeot Club of America and apparently there are no 205 CTI in the US. There are a dozen or more 205 GTI, the hardtop version of this car, but no convertible cars. Mine would be the first.

I recently posted on French Classics that I was looking for a few parts for me car. If I commit to bring this car to the US I want to fix a few issues I have with it. Axel told me to come over to his place and he would hook me up with some parts.

I got to Axel's home and it was 205 heaven: cars, engines, wheels, transmissions, interior pieces, switches, all over the place, loosely organized. Between Axle, his father and his brother, there are two 205 GTI, and two 205 CTI. So two hardtop, and two soft top. One of the GTI has a full cage, and is powered by a Peugeot Mi16 engine, pushing close to 190 hp. On a lightweight car like this, it is some very good power.

On to the parts. My car has been running rich for a while, and I had been scratching my head trying to figure out why. Two months ago however, I met another German guy who owns a few of these cars and he took one look at my fuel injectors and said "I think you got the wrong injectors there". I checked part numbers and sure as shit, my injectors are for a Ford 2.3-liter engine, and flow twice as much as my stock injectors. Axel has stock injectors for me. For free. The price was right!

Axel also had a few interior trim pieces, notably the A-pillar trim in dark grey, which on my car was brittle and broken. Also free. Rummaging through his garage we also found a starter that I need, a correct shift pattern shift knob (mine had the incorrect BE3 pattern, my transmission is a BE1 with the reverse next to first gear), he gave me two CV joint boots (he had a half dozen laying around), a distributor o-ring, and a trunk weather seal.

He also had a set of Peugeot 14-inch "Pepper Pot" wheels for sale. The wheels were for sale for a while, starting at 200 Euros, and he kept on lowering the price. I got them for 80 Euro. My car is currently wearing 13" steel wheels with winter tires because my summer tires, 195/50-15 on 6.5" wheels, is rubbing on my wheels arches. Those wheel arches are made of plastic and no longer available from Peugeot. The ones you find intact are expen$ive. With the 14-inch wheels, which are stock for this car, shod with 185/60-14 My car should stop rubbing, fixing that one problem.

Axel also had a shell of a convertible like mine, but with disk brakes on the rear axle. He says they are about to junk that shell by winter time, but I could have the rear axle with the disk brakes. I will be coming back for that at a later date, as the whole rear axle is big and heavy, and I'll need to bring my family wagon to haul that big piece away. My rear axle is one of those parts I need to fix before bringing the CTI stateside, as one of its outer bearings has some play; getting an upgrade from rear drums to rear disks would be good too.

I spent a whole hour with Axel, his father and his brother. They were all very welcoming, and were amazed that an American had a Peugeot 205 CTI, and was thinking of bringing the car back to the US. His father was adamant that I must bring the little French cabrio to America, if for no reason than to drive a one-of-a-kind-car in the US. He says he is now comited to helping me find parts I need for my Pug. Axel's father only requested that I bring some American peanut butter next time I visit, because German peanut butter is Scheiße in his opinion: not creamy enough.

So between getting parts for my car - including now my fourth set of wheels for it - and making some new friends, today I can say I had a good Jalop day. I just can't forget the peanut butter next time I come by...

DISCUSSION (30)

Jedidiah > Reborn Pyrrhic
07/07/2014 at 18:24

Bring it to the US. Do it.

jkm7680 > Reborn Pyrrhic
07/07/2014 at 18:25

Haha, That's a lot of wheels alright!

Where in VA would you be moving? NOVA, Va Beach?

Reborn Pyrrhic > jkm7680
07/07/2014 at 18:30

Right Around the corner: Newport News. I'll be stationed in Fort Eustis. How's the car scene there? Watch out for a bright yellow French cabriolet in April 2015.

Reborn Pyrrhic > Jedidiah
07/07/2014 at 18:31

I am fairly certain I will.

duurtlang > Reborn Pyrrhic
07/07/2014 at 18:31

Are you bringing the 309 GTI as well?

And as far as you being the first one to have a CTI in the US, I hesitantly have to admit I was eying CTIs as a potential follow up to the BMW E30 Touring that's on a ship to the US as we speak.

Another question: where are you located? I drive Groningen (the Netherlands, northeast) - Munich quite often nowadays, in my Peugeot 406 coupe. That's a 850 km stretch one way, with 800 of those in Germany.

jkm7680 > Reborn Pyrrhic
07/07/2014 at 18:32

Nice place down there!

You're in luck, they've got a Cars & Coffee where I'm sure they'd love to see something unique :)

https://www.facebook.com/carsandcoffeen…

Jedidiah > Reborn Pyrrhic
07/07/2014 at 18:33

Bring some spare convertible parts over with you, so you can fix it without trim shops screwing you.

Chicks will love it. It is cute, French, and a convertible; not to mention it will be the only one in the US.

Reborn Pyrrhic > duurtlang
07/07/2014 at 18:38

I am not sure bringing CTIs would be profitable, as Peugeot is truly a niche brand in the US, but with the rarity it might be a factor. Bring a GTI might be better,

What price range cars are you looking to send to the US? I am on mobile.de daily, scouting cars that I would love to bring home.

I have been noticing some very nice and USA-rare Toyota Land Cruisers and Nissan Patrol for sale lately. There is a super sweet MGB, an Audi 80 rally car, a Wartburg with Group A suspension and brakes and Melkus racing wheels, a rare Austin Champ "Jeep" in mint shape, Saab 90 (never sold in the US), usw...

I get lost on mobile.de every day at work. At least my boss doesn't notice it :D

Reborn Pyrrhic > jkm7680
07/07/2014 at 18:39

I'll be there, and also at the one in Alexandria, my brother lives there and takes his 325i cabrio there once in a while.

Reborn Pyrrhic > duurtlang
07/07/2014 at 18:40

Oh, the 309 is actually quite rusty, I found out, and the engine needs new rings. I will most likely sell it very soon.

Reborn Pyrrhic > Jedidiah
07/07/2014 at 18:41

The soft top in the car right now is made in the USA!

Tops Online makes tops for pretty much any convertible car ever made. $319 for a US-made top is much cheaper than the 600 Euro they wanted for a cheap German top. Next time I replace the top on this car I will go with the BMW sail cloth.

jkm7680 > Reborn Pyrrhic
07/07/2014 at 18:41

Katie's in Great Falls? If so, that's a great drive up there.

Reborn Pyrrhic > jkm7680
07/07/2014 at 18:42

Yes, Katie's.

Reborn Pyrrhic > jkm7680
07/07/2014 at 18:43

What's the deal with front license plates in VA? I know they are required, but do the cops enforce it? Can I run a VA tag on the dash?

Jedidiah > Reborn Pyrrhic
07/07/2014 at 18:46

Thats awesome. I thought top parts would be ridiculous in the states. I see no reason not to even hesitate bringing it over.

jkm7680 > Reborn Pyrrhic
07/07/2014 at 18:48

Sadly, you can't run a VA tag on the dash. My father has a C5 Corvette, tried that one. Didn't get far with the State Troopers. It all depends on how much attention the Officer is paying, he might look at the front and think it's an out of state car. Or stare it down from the back and pull you over. I'd probably say your best bet is to stick it on the front, and remove it for shows and whatnot.

Reborn Pyrrhic > Jedidiah
07/07/2014 at 18:49

With the internet nowadays I can get parts from the UK, France and Germany quite easily. Speaking French and German help me too. I might have to wait a bit for some parts but it won't be unobtainium. The hardest things to get for these cars are trim pieces: all the black plastic around the car, and the damn window seals that shrink on every single one of them, and are impossible to be found new. Every CTI I see has shrunken window seals :(

Reborn Pyrrhic > jkm7680
07/07/2014 at 18:51

I have a French plate for the car for when I return to the US, I'll most likely mount that and somehow get a VA plate over that without drilling extra holes.

jkm7680 > Reborn Pyrrhic
07/07/2014 at 18:52

That's a good idea. I've considered getting a Europlate for my A4, and just mounting the VA tag on top of it without messing the actual plate up.

duurtlang > Reborn Pyrrhic
07/07/2014 at 18:53

I'm merely contemplating options. At the moment I'd like to stick to a few thousand € per car, as the risk isn't as high. Low risk cars would be preferable I guess, like the E30 touring. As my BMW is being shipped as we speak and it isn't sold in the US just yet I have no idea how that'll turn out.

I get lost on mobile.de as well. I also watch autoscout24.de (which I prefer) and the actual auctions on ebay.de. I try not to do this too often though.

Too bad about the 309. Are these cars that rust prone? My 406 coupe doesn't have a speck of rust and it hasn't been babied, but is of a different generation, merely 14 years old and barely broken in with 210k km.

Reborn Pyrrhic > duurtlang
07/07/2014 at 19:01

309s are supposed to be galvanized so not too much rust, but from what I hear some are. Mine is a second generation 309 which should be better, but who knows the car's history? I might be able to sell it for good money however because the 309 GTI interior is in pretty good shape, and that's rare. It might become a parts car to someone else.

Reborn Pyrrhic > duurtlang
07/07/2014 at 19:02

My brother and I had been contemplating getting some sort of business bringing cars from Germany to the US. We were lacking someone in Germany once I leave. We might talk to you about it later on...

Jedidiah > Reborn Pyrrhic
07/07/2014 at 19:09

Window seals are common problem in many cars. Just try to keep it in the dry. My car will drip rain straight onto your knee when you're driving.

The reproduction weatherstripping stuff is never as good as the original anyway.

Reborn Pyrrhic > Jedidiah
07/07/2014 at 19:13

There is hope however because soon these cars will be 30 years old, and that's when they become historic and collectibles in France and Germany, and when people with money start restoring them. Already some rubber pieces are being done for the 205 GTI (already 30 years old in 2014), hopefully the 205 CTI will follow suit soon when it turns 30 in 2015.

duurtlang > Reborn Pyrrhic
07/07/2014 at 19:25

I'd like that. I'm not currently living in Germany, although I'm working on changing that. I am living about an hour from the German Emden port though.

slight disclaimer: the Jalop I sent the E30 Touring to gets priority.

Reborn Pyrrhic > duurtlang
07/07/2014 at 19:50

I thought you lived in Bavaria. Friesland is on the other side of the country :D I recently spent three weeks in Bremerhaven. I hear older cars are cheap in the Netherlands right now because the government raised their taxes.

duurtlang > Reborn Pyrrhic
07/07/2014 at 20:04

My girlfriend lives in Munich, I live in Groningen, the Netherlands. Hence the frequent cross country trips. I'm trying to find a job in Munich though.

In the Netherlands we've got quite high ownership taxes on cars. I pay €95 a month for my 406 Coupe, which would've been about €70 or so had it not been converted to run on LPG gas. The heavier the vehicle the higher the tax (my mk2 Golf was €20, E30 325i touring €58), diesel fuel increases the tax dramatically. Until recently cars over 25 years old were exempt from this tax, so primarily old but reliable diesel cars became popular and were imported from especially Germany in great numbers. The government however froze the cutoff age for >=1986, and then later changed it completely to 40 years (since 1-1-2014). Hence, people suddenly had all these old previously exempt Mercs they now had to pay about €100 a month for in taxes. These cars plummeted in value. If it's an old diesel you're looking for, especially a diesel w123, w124 or w201(190) Mercedes from 1986 or older, the Netherlands is the place to look for one.

Reborn Pyrrhic > duurtlang
07/07/2014 at 23:55

I remember last year all of a sudden there were tons of older cars for sale in the Netherlands for good prices.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Reborn Pyrrhic
07/08/2014 at 07:41

bring the CTI to the US please!!!!
...just, bring a lot of spares, just in case, ok?

Reborn Pyrrhic > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
07/08/2014 at 18:52

Between French, German and British online retailers, eBay and Peugeot enthusiast forums, and two good German friends to scout junk cars, I think parts availability won't be an issue. I might have to wait for some special part, but getting it won't be impossible.