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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To get a Peugeot 206 as my first car?

72 replies

itsbetterthanabox · 08/04/2014 13:58

My mum is very against all French cars! And the engine size is a little big.
It's an automatic, 1.6 litre engine, hatchback, 51 reg. its going to be £800. Is this a bad/good idea?

OP posts:
JustPassingThru · 08/04/2014 18:12

Currently on my 3rd Peugeot. All 3 put together are less trouble than DH's previous car, which was a Renault. It's so hard to generalise based on manufacturer alone. More important is the mileage, and you've had good advice there.

MrsDmitri - I have a 12yo 406 which I've had for 11 years! It's very reliable, and repairs & servicing are very reasonable. There are loads of equally old ones around.

ComposHat · 08/04/2014 19:09

That said, a mate of mine did rescue this 1993 beauty (Peugeot 405 Diesel) from the scrapyard for a series of charity rallies. It gave sterling service . It made it to Highlands of Scotland, the Arctic Circle and Colditz Castle along with a few laps round around the Nurbergring en route.

I wouldn't recommend the scrapyard as a source for new vehicles.

To get a Peugeot 206 as my first car?
casperthefriendlyghost · 08/04/2014 19:20

My Dad had a Peugeot 206. Much to my Mums disdain it went on for years! We had a Toyota Avensis which are supposed to go on for years but the engine blew after 11 months. So anything can happen - cars are a minefield. But, you can check: Which Car, AutoTrader and Parkers for really good advice about the overall cars that are good and bad to go for. We've also had Fords in the past - from Fiesta through to Galaxy - and whilst boring, they are cheap to run, cheap to service and cheap to fix...

ShellingPeas · 08/04/2014 19:23

I've owned Citroen, Renault, Peugeot and not had anything diabolical go wrong. It depends, to some extent on how much you have to spend. An £800 car is never going to be entirely trustworthy.

pebbles1234 · 08/04/2014 19:29

Lovely! My first car (I was 27!!) was a 55 plate 206, only just sold it in the past couple of months, had v few probs at all and we've replaced with a 208. For the past few years it was a second car but never let us down when we needed it!

Oh and it was a 1.6, they are very nippy!

BrunoBrookesDinedAlone · 08/04/2014 19:31

Don't- worst car we ever owned.

HauntedNoddyCar · 08/04/2014 19:55

French cars don't have a great reliability record and parts used to be a horror. Having said that, if the gearbox is the full auto then it is very old and very simple so less stuff to go wrong

Ishtar2410 · 08/04/2014 20:00

I had a 206 from new (02 plate) and finally got rid of it two years ago due to it being worn out. Engine was absolutely fine, was the suspension and electrics that we're going to cost to be repaired - value of repairs was equal to the value of the car.

Very reliable car, no problems at all until the end. They do have a well-documented intermittent fault with engine cutting out - but mine only did this 3 times in 10 years.

Loved that car - still drive a Peugeot it's just a bigger one (308). Honestly, I wouldn't consider another make - they've been the most reliable cars I've owned.

LadyRabbit · 08/04/2014 20:04

Another one here saying dont buy a French car. I had two of the buggers, one from second hand, one brand new, BOTH were disasters. And the problems with the new one amazingly began literally the day after the warranty expired.
Have only had a German car since and will never ever stray now. SO RELIABLE.

Get a golf. Honestly. Best thing you'll ever do.

sparkbubbles · 08/04/2014 20:55

I had a 206 as my first car and did me very well for a few years before I upgraded. Never broke down and cheap to run. I have a new Pug now as well and love it. We have always found them very reliable

RandallFloyd · 08/04/2014 21:04

I had a 206 for 7 years. Bloody loved that car.
Mine was the 2litre diesel but it was really powerful, and quick too.

It had done 30,000 miles when I bought it. By the time it was written off in an accident it had done over 150,000 miles and was still going strong.

Never had one mechanical problem with it.

Second hand cars are a minefield though. It's the luck of the draw more than anything else.

Original poster
itsbetterthanabox · 08/04/2014 21:04

I have told my friend I'm not going to buy it! I think i was rushing into it. Thanks for all the advice.
Now what do people think of a fiat punto?

OP posts:
Admiraltea · 08/04/2014 21:41

If French cars are considered unreliable then Italian is just off the scale ..only new car I ever bought was fiat and I do not have the will to live enough to describe the experience.

I have loved all renault, vauxhall, vw. Citroen been rubbish, peugeot others I know loved them maybe I was unlucky.

FryOneFatManic · 08/04/2014 21:44

I have a 10 year old 206 (diesel). It's just passed the MOT without anything needing doing. Again Smile

I've now had this car for 4 years, and nothing's been needed so far.

I've previously had a 306(petrol) and the older 205 (diesel).

Never had a problem with any of them.

JadziaSnax · 08/04/2014 21:56

My last 206 was £30 a year tax. Go for it OP if it's in good condition and worth the money. I've had two 206's, one was a 1.1 petrol and the other was a 1.6 diesel, and I loved them, great fun to drive and pretty economical too.

I now have a 207.

RhondaJean · 08/04/2014 21:59

Something of the size you are looking at, I would go for a corsa or even a fiesta.

I came on to warn you off the 206 but I see I am not needed on that one!

Varya · 08/04/2014 22:00

14 yr old diesel 106 used every day never been a problem, but heard that some of the newer models are not so reliable.

ThePortlyPinUp · 08/04/2014 22:05

Not a punto, my parents had one from new as did my inlaws and both were bags o shite!

curiousgeorgie · 08/04/2014 22:06

I would never get a 206 again.

Mine, my DH's and his brothers (all at different times) all had the same known faults and they refused to fix in warranty.

Awful, unreliable cars.

curiousgeorgie · 08/04/2014 22:06

And now I see you didn't need my input Wink

fifi669 · 08/04/2014 22:08

I have a corsa, very reliable. Had a ford ka, loved it but things kept going wrong, it got more expensive every year. My Suzuki was very cheap, nothing major to fix.... Just too ugly and basic.

Do not under any circumstances consider a Clio! DP, sister and stepsister all bought one. All had water leaking through the sunroof and various electrical problems (such as randomly locking/unlocking for no reason)

HauntedNoddyCar · 08/04/2014 22:12

Hmm. Not wild about Puntos either. Fiats are prone to being made of foil and elastic bands imo.

I really would consider a little Toyota or Corsa or something like a Polo, a Fabia or a little Seat if you can find an auto.

ChineseFireball · 08/04/2014 22:15

I had a lovely fiat punto. But my parents had a terrible one. Can highly recommend a honda jazz or a hyundai getz or i20.

pinkr · 08/04/2014 22:27

don't...I had a top of the range 207. .. 3 years and 7 weeks old. 32000miles. cam belt went and destroyed the engine in a second. It cost 2000 pounds to get the car running again and the Peugeot garage wouldn't even guarantee their work and told me it could happen again as they couldn't find a tiny part which may have fallen out our might still be in the engineAngry Peugeot didn't want to know... As we were seven weeks out of warranty.
traded it in for a polo the same weekend.

Original poster
itsbetterthanabox · 09/04/2014 10:31

Kia everyone? How are they?Grin

OP posts: