thinking of getting one as a 2nd car and first forray onto the track

which is best handling 1.6 or 1.9 (Iknow 1.9 will be quicker)

any opinions from previous owners much appreciated

 

go for the 1.9 .

 

But use a 1.6 gear box

 

1.6 is sweeter in the corners, having owned a 1.6 and 2 1.9's. It is more balanced and neutral, but the 1.9's are realy great for hooligan antics withy the lift off oversteer and then booting the throttle midcorner to straighten it out.

most fun cars I ve owned, far more than my intergales or imprezas.

sold my last one when the brakes went suddenly - catastrophic hydraulic failure, crapped myself.

 

I had a 205 GTI 1.6 as my first car and had it just under 3 years before I traded it in for a 106GTI due to the amount of work that needed doing on it.

A really superb fun car, although it was not as quick as the 1.9 it was better balanced and you could just chuck it around any corner. Wouldn't mind having a spin in one again some day, as most of my best learning and driving experiences came from that car.