I think I'm on my 5th 205 GTi. The first was a lovely red 1.6 with low miles, but that along with the 2nd & 4th got written off. The 3rd got stolen.
The current 205 isn't exactly standard, basically its my trackcar pounding the Nurburgring every year. Tweaked Mi16, Bilstein suspension, uprated TBs and ARBs, rollcage etc.
The 'puts you in a hedge backwards' quote is quite common amongst 205 owners, but myself along with several other longterm 205 GTi owners have never had a problem with that. Usually a snappy backend on them is due to crap tyres (avoid Pirelli P6000s), too much pressure in the rear tyres (about 26-28psi is all you need) or the rear beam bearings/bushes/mountings are shagged.
Otherwise, learn how to use Lift-Off-Oversteer to your advantage. Or just don't lift off the throttle when approaching a corner.