PROJECT Peugeot 106 GTi - The Start

"carwitter" (carwitter) 07/14/2014 at 04:04 • Filed to: Peugeot, 106 GTi, 106, GTi, Project

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!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , a perfectly good, working car. It rarely goes wrong, it has extended warranty so when it does, i don't have to pay a penny...so because that car is all to easy and reliable i went and purchased a 1999 China Blue Peugeot 106 GTi.

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After having my eye on them for a few months a goodun came up, so late one evening i drove the 60 odd miles from Milton Keynes to Stansted to go and have a look.

(All images in this post are the condition it was picked up in)

The Viewing

Sat outside a barn, a little dusty and a little dirty it looked as though it needed a bit of love. Structurally it all seems good, no rust in the normal places, no spray work, all original panels, no accident damage that i can tell, and all the glass is original except the windscreen.

Now with it being 15 years old and having lived part of its life in London it is peppered with car park dents...in fact i've seen oceans with fewer ripples than the doors on this 106. The front is peppered with stone chips, the rear arches also...a previous owner has also kindly filled in any scratches or blemishes with what looks like a child's finger sponge - at least it has stopped the rust!

Looking under the bonnet it all looks a bit dusty and unkept, the VIN matches the log book, and theres a slight oil leak from what appears to be the rocker cover - a common problem on 106 GTi's.

Opening the door i find the drivers seat looks as though its had a run in with a feisty feline, the passengers isn't too bad. Slipping it into each gear with the ignition off is slick, reverse has a bit of a crunch but thats nothing to worry about...who needs reverse anyway?

Firing the beast up it starts quickly and sounds very smooth, my !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is far worse than this! Driving it up a private country lane it pulls effortlessly right the way to the red line, the gearbox is smooth and the brakes...hmmm, work?

After negotiating on the price, i paid a deposit and vowed to be back in 2 days time.

The Drive Home

Picking the car up that weekend was an adventure, not knowing how structurally intact or safe this little Pug is i took it easy the first few miles. Radio off, i listened hawke-like for any knock, rattle or ding.

It all sounded pretty solid, except a nasty klang when you go slowly over bumps, but it just sounds metallic like a heat shield...of course it could be something far worse, who knows?

Confidence building i stick it in second and plant my foot to the floor coming off a roundabout, wow! This thing flies! It had warmed up nicely by this time so i let it rev all the way to the limiter, shifting as quick as i could into third the little 99,000 mile 1.6 litre engine sang beautifully.

On an empty stretch of road i got up to 50 MPH before slamming the anchors on, a violent pull to the left ensued...thats one that will need sorting. I also noticed on that 2 hour journey home that to go in a straight line the steering wheel has to be ever so slightly turned to the left.

Another strange thing was the fuel gauge, it showed as full when i started it up that day - which i thought very odd as who sells a car with a full tank?! Over the 60 mile journey back it barely moved, as if the 1.6 had been swapped for a puny 1.1...hmm!

As i pulled onto the drive i added my own mark to the car, scraping the previously perfect mirror on the brick wall as i tried not to stall it with the laughably high biting point.

The Good

Original bodywork

No modifications

Original stereo

3 owners from new

Comprehensive paperwork covering everything the car has ever had, or had done to it

Mechanically sound

No rust in the usual 'write off' places

Alpine head unit with AUX & USB

Really clean well looked after interior

Goodyear tyres have decent tread all round

Recent disks and pads all round

Recent new rear & middle exhaust

Cam belt changed at 88,000

Private plate - oooh yeah!

The Bad

Lumpy idle

Dodgy fuel gauge that always reads nearly full

Tracking needs to be aligned

Leaky cam covers

Metallic knocking over bumps at low speed

The Ugly

Drivers seat Alcantara ripped

Paint missing on NS skirt

Paint missing on rear bumper

NS rear arch extension barely attached

Stone chips all over front bumper

Stone chips all over bonnet

Stone chips on the lower half of the doors

Badly applied touch up paint in various places

3/4 deeper dents

Multiple car parking dents

Scrapes on plastic bump trim all round

Kerb rash on front bumper

Minor kerbing to alloys

Paint flaking on alloys

Marred and stained paintwork all over

The Plan

Peugeot 106 GTi's are getting rarer. Personally, price wise i think they have hit rock bottom, some good examples are even going up in price right now!

Over the next 3/4 years this slightly unloved Pug will be turned around to a near pristine example, parts will be replaced, bits will be sprayed and TLC will be given. Most of the minor jobs i will attempt to do myself *looks on eBay for a 106 Haynes manual*.

It will only be taxed and used during the summer months as an occasional driver, over winter periods it will be holed up out of the bad weather (offers on garages in the comments please!).

Parts are so cheap to buy and replace on 106's it should mean its a fairly affordable project, work will be carried out as and when i can afford to do so.

First priority is to get the mechanical parts sorted out, so thats the lumpy idle, leaky cam covers and adjusting the clutch biting point

Second is to get the car checked over by a garage to make sure it is as good as i think it is...

Third - Paint correction

Fourth - MOT, Tax & Insurance

Fifth - Re-Trim seat middles

Sixth - Refurbishing alloys

Seventh - Respraying panels

The Next Stage

Giving the little 106 its !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! so i can really see whats under that dust and dirt.

KirkyV > carwitter 07/14/2014 at 04:15

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I had my eye on this very car for a little while, but my age, and accompanying insurance woes, kept me from pulling the trigger. 106 GTis are absolutely excellent little cars, and they're getting really difficult to find in decent shape; I think you'll probably end up making a profit, when you eventually sell it.

Here's my comparatively pedestrian Pug making a GTi's acquaintance a few weeks ago.

djmt1 > carwitter 07/14/2014 at 04:22

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I've autocrossed a gti alongside a mx5 and the Peugeot was so much better so I approve of this decision.

TA4K > carwitter 07/14/2014 at 04:52

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Nice find! I also liked your story about your 207 GT, It looks awesome in white and that aftermarket grille does really make it look cool. I just helped my Dad buy an 07 GTI (THP175) so I can relate to how fun these are with some good rubber, and we recently took it down to officiate an enduro race in Taupo, some 600km round trip that I got to drive half of.

carwitter > TA4K 07/14/2014 at 05:45

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Glad you enjoyed it :D The grille is an official Peugeot part, just hard to find!

I bet that was a good journey, they are fun cars.

carwitter > djmt1 07/14/2014 at 05:45

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It was a ton of fun on the drive home! We shall keep you updated with our progress :)

carwitter > KirkyV 07/14/2014 at 05:48

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Yes well insurance was putting me off too...managed to find a superb deal though as i'm only going to be driving it less than 1,000 miles a year realistically.

And you may have been lucky not buying this exact one...it has a lumpy idle (hopefully i have fixed that) and i ripped the inner boot liner out at the weekend to find both arches have rusted through :( it was impossible to see from the outside! Its all got to be cut out and new sections welded in...but thats for a future post!

Flavien Vidal > carwitter 07/14/2014 at 07:15

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That metallic sound is most likely your wheel bearing that needs to be changed... Nothing much really...

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > carwitter 07/14/2014 at 08:14

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These cars are absolutely immense. My mate's had 3 of the GTis, one stock, one lowered and one lowered and cammed that he's currently converting to run on ITBs . All were quick and great fun, and the cammed one is absolutely rapid.

China blue is a great colour as well :) probably my favourite.

Is it a non-sunroof model? If so, that's a very rare and desirable colour and spec combo for 106 people.

carwitter > Flavien Vidal 07/14/2014 at 09:47

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It sounds pretty clangy on the front right, im going to jack it up soon and give it a proper wobble to test!

carwitter > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 07/14/2014 at 09:50

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This was huge fun on the drive home! I cant wait to get it taxed MOT'd and insured. Just need to make sure its mechanically good before that.

It isn't actually China Blue, i found out that its Mauritius Blue...unfortunately it has a sunroof!

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > carwitter 07/14/2014 at 09:57

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Mauritius is a great colour too. I wouldn't worry about the sunroof. the vast majority were sold with them.

I've done a bit of weld-repair on one of my mates' 106 GTis sunroofs. Not too bad of a job if you can weld, but they do rust there.

The leaky valve cover is a common problem on them, and one that many people just leave to be honest. There's no actual gasket, it's purely sealant. I think Hylamar Blue was a good one to use, although I'll check with my mate when I get home.

I'll also ask if there's anything else to look for. He's spent most of his automotive life working on them :)

carwitter > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 07/14/2014 at 10:25

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Ah really? Im facing some rust issues on each corner in the boot...check out our Twitter for the pics. Its going to need cutting out and new sections putting in :( Im saving that for the next instalment though.

It will be worth me taking the sunroof trim off and checking that too then, bloody rust!

Im going to degrease the engine block and reseal the cam covers just for the experience, if it leaks again after that i wont be bothered.

Flavien Vidal > carwitter 07/14/2014 at 10:52

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You're not necessarily gonna feel it with the wobble test... What I usually do is get rid of the entire hub... it makes things easier and it's barely more expensive (and you won't have to deal with a bearing puller lol)

carwitter > Flavien Vidal 07/14/2014 at 10:56

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Thats a plan...i'd renew both at the same time though...more money haha. Best get saving!