We Probably Shouldn’t Have Bought This Peugeot 205 Van…

Some cars make perfect sense to buy. Others require a little more explaining.

This 1992 Peugeot 205 XRAD probably falls into the second category.

We collected it today, and the list of things wrong with it is already considerably longer than the list of things right with it. But it’s a surviving Peugeot 205 commercial, and that was enough to make us want to give it another chance.

Off The Road Since 2007

The 205 is an XRAD, the diesel commercial version of Peugeot’s hugely successful little hatchback.

Instead of rear seats and side windows, there’s a load area behind the driver and passenger. These were working vehicles, bought to earn their keep rather than be cherished, and that makes survivors increasingly interesting today.

This particular example was first registered in 1992 and shows around 109,000 miles. It has had just one previous keeper.

Its last MOT expired in 2007.

We understand that it was kept indoors for many years after coming off the road, but has spent roughly the last seven years outside.

As you can probably tell, those years haven’t been particularly kind to it.

There Are A Few Problems…

The red paint has faded considerably, the driver’s door glass is completely missing and, when we looked under the bonnet, we discovered that the fuel filter housing is missing too.

And then there’s the nearside.

At some point in its working life, the little Peugeot appears to have received what we’re politely describing as a fairly substantial farmer’s kiss.

That side is certainly no longer quite the shape Peugeot intended.

And bear in mind that we’ve only just collected it. We haven’t cleaned it or given it a thorough inspection yet, so goodness knows what else we’ll discover.

After being off the road for nearly two decades, we’re expecting a few surprises.

Why On Earth Did We Buy It?

Quite simply, because it’s a Peugeot 205 van.

Think about how many ordinary 205s you’ve seen over the years, then think about the last time you saw one of these.

The commercial versions were never likely candidates for preservation. They were inexpensive working vehicles and many were used hard, repaired when necessary and eventually scrapped when they were no longer economical to keep going.

The XRAD used Peugeot’s diesel engine and turned one of Britain’s most familiar small cars into a useful little van. For tradesmen, farms and small businesses, it was exactly the sort of vehicle that simply got on with the job.

Unfortunately, that’s also why so few appear to have made it into retirement.

The hot versions of the 205 have been collectible for years and good examples of the ordinary cars are increasingly appreciated. The humble vans, however, are much easier to forget.

That’s exactly the sort of thing that makes us want to save one.

Even one as scruffy as this.

First Job: A Very Big Clean

We’re not making any heroic promises about this 205 yet.

It has been standing for a very long time and we haven’t properly investigated what we’re dealing with. Before anything else happens, we’ll get years of dirt and grime off it and see what we’ve actually bought.

Then we’ll have a proper look around it.

There could be considerably more wrong with it than we currently know about. In fact, we’d be rather surprised if there wasn’t.

But at least it hasn’t gone straight for scrap.

Then It Needs A New Home

We’re not planning a full restoration ourselves. Our job here is really to give the 205 another chance.

Once we’ve cleaned it up, assessed it properly and done what we reasonably can, the plan is to send it to our friends at Anglia Car Auctions.

Then it’ll be down to somebody else to decide what happens next.

Restore it? Recommission it while retaining all those scars from its former working life? Perhaps even put it back to work?

Whatever its future holds, we’d much rather see somebody take it on than watch another increasingly scarce 205 commercial disappear.

For now, though, we’re just pleased we brought it home.

Have You Got A Classic Car Sitting Around?

A surprising number of the vehicles we buy have been off the road for years. Some are valuable classics, some are unfinished projects and some are ordinary cars and vans that have simply been forgotten about.

We like the unusual ones just as much as the obvious classics.

If you’ve got an older vehicle sitting in a garage, barn, shed, garden or yard and you’re thinking about selling it, we’d love to hear about it.

Take a look at our Sell Your Classic Car page and tell us what you’ve got.