Opinion on 205 automatic

Dear All,

I am in the market for a secondhand car and was looking for
opinions on the Peugeot 205 Automatic. From what I can see,
there seem to be a few around at a reasonable price! Also
from other postings I read, it seems that 205s have a pretty
good reputation...

What I am after is:
1)A list of things to look out for when searching for a used
205 auto.
2)An idea of things that can go wrong and how much they cost
to fix.
3)Also, If anybody has an opinion as to comparisons between
205 autos and other small autos, eg Renault 5, Nova etc...

Also, I read on a newsgroup that roof racks are a bit of a
pain with the 205 as the roof doesn't have sills, and the
fixing points are quite close together for the "official"
roof racks. I want to use our next car for carrying a tandem
bicycle on the roof, and also for occasional DIY purchases
which won't fit in the car.
Does anybody have any opinions about which roof bars are
best for long and/or heavy loads on 205s?

Thanks in anticipation!

Paul.