Peugeot 206?

dave 27

Well lads, im thinking of getting a peugeot 206 in the next few weeks, 1.1 litre, about 2000/2001 model. anyone know if they're a reliable car or any kinda problems associated with them or anything to look out for ie timing belt etc?

anto11

Stay well away from them. If its under 4 years old and has less than 60k on the clock than maybe but anything else, its TROUBLE.
My son bought a 02 i.i in a private sale but after one month the head gasket went.
I have approached 4 different mechanics and they all tell me the same story.
Get it repaired and get rid of it. Then buy a Toyota or a Voltswagan, but leave the french cars in France.

cadaliac

anto11 wrote: »

Stay well away from them. If its under 4 years old and has less than 60k on the clock than maybe but anything else, its TROUBLE.
My son bought a 02 i.i in a private sale but after one month the head gasket went.
I have approached 4 different mechanics and they all tell me the same story.
Get it repaired and get rid of it. Then buy a Toyota or a Voltswagan, but leave the french cars in France.

Sorry - but that is just rubbish from your mechanic.
OP - you should pick one up for cheap at that age. A 10 year old car will have 10 year old car problems. Do the ususal and get a service history and a "propper" mechanic to check out the car.
I know plenty of people with 206's and they are all happy with their cars, including my wife's 206.
If its cared for you shouldn't have a problem.

shinikins

cadaliac wrote: »

Sorry - but that is just rubbish from your mechanic.
OP - you should pick one up for cheap at that age. A 10 year old car will have 10 year old car problems. Do the ususal and get a service history and a "propper" mechanic to check out the car.
I know plenty of people with 206's and they are all happy with their cars, including my wife's 206.
If its cared for you shouldn't have a problem.

I second this! I have a 02 Pug, never given me a days trouble, extremely reliable, and i haven't had to replace a single nut on it since i bought it!

@Anto11, maybe your son had problems with his car as it was a private sale, and perhaps not serviced well? I bought mine through a dealer with full service history, and i wouldn't dream of buying orivately without having a qualified mechanic look at it first!

Slunk

The gf had an 03 one and never had trouble with it once its serviced regular. Had to replace exhaust but i suspect someone put fireworks in it.

Eoin

I had one for 2 years with very few problems. My wife has had hers for about 3.5 years now and has also had little gone wrong with it - the few small issues that have come up have been quite cheap to get fixed. The 1.1 is underpowered though; grand to drive around town, but laboured on a motorway. If insurance isn't an issue, then maybe the 1.4 might be worth looking at; though they're nowhere near as common.

If I remember correctly, the LX model of that era came with electrics and a few other extras, the base L model didn't. However, there was only a few hundred quid in the difference between the two, so there shouldn't be too many of the base models around.

anto11 wrote:

Then buy a Toyota or a Voltswagan, but leave the french cars in France.

Have you driven a Golf or Polo from around 2000? They're neither nice to drive nor particularly reliable.

bladespin

Excellent little car, found the 1.1 pretty nippy around town, belongs to the in-laws so I didn't push it too hard on the open road but it seemed fine at 60mph. Not a hugh amount of space but it beats a polo hands down both in performance and room.

dave 27

Thanks for all the feedback guys its very good to know, i had a 94 nissan micra, perfect condition, so reliable but it got nicked! so i want to get something with an immobiliser etc, the 206 fits well with the money i have and the sized engine im looking for.

I live in Limerick city so it would be mostly pottering around the city really, and i would always be buying from a dealer, never private. seems like a good car from what everyone is saying anyways

bazz26

The one complaint I would have with the 206 is that the pedals are very close together. Make sure and take one for a decent test drive.

bladeruner

bazz26 wrote: »

The one complaint I would have with the 206 is that the pedals are very close together. Make sure and take one for a decent test drive.

I would second the above.
Pedals close together and underpowered, also the seating position and adjustment is poor but its cheap to run and I've never any problems with my pug.

spares are cheap in any case.

Eoin

dave 27 wrote: »

Thanks for all the feedback guys its very good to know, i had a 94 nissan micra, perfect condition, so reliable but it got nicked! so i want to get something with an immobiliser etc, the 206 fits well with the money i have and the sized engine im looking for.

I live in Limerick city so it would be mostly pottering around the city really, and i would always be buying from a dealer, never private. seems like a good car from what everyone is saying anyways

When you're looking at a 10 year old car, a warranty from a dealer probably won't really cover all that much, or be for more than 3 months. Even if you have to pay for a mechanic to come out and do a full inspection with a private sale, it might still work out cheaper.

I'd also look at a Clio by the way - the 1.2 engine is pretty decent and it also tends to come quite well equipped.

RedXIV

Size would be something I'd mention. Although you had a micra before so I'm guessing you're not close to 7ft tall

I'm 6ft4 and had serious trouble with my gf's one. That coupled with flipper sized feet made the pedals difficult to work with.

My gf's one ended up missing a head gasket and all but in fairness she put that thing through its paces when she had it

KingIsabella

I've had mine going on three years now, '04 1.1 popart, bought from a dealer. And if i could tomorrow i'd get rid of it. Been more hassle then it's worth and at one period of a few months it spent more time in the garage for ALOT of little things and then a couple of big things then it did in my driveway. Also the electrics are nothing but a nuissance.

Indicate left for long enough( or after going over a bump) and the indicater will turn off and the fogs and dipped lights will turn on, or off if they're already on which is dangerous enough at night time. Also the lights in the main console are too tempermental. Hate the thing. Never again.



But thats just me....

Gophur

I have one and it's a great little car!

dave 27

mixed reports here really, i suppose every car has its good and bad points, know 2 people with them and seem perfect for them

shedweller

I had one and had nothing but pain with it. Good engine though. It was a 1.4 (never thought i'd praise anything about it. Must be age.:P.)

cian1500ww

Haven't heard anything bad about them myself and I know plenty of people with varying versions of the 206 and no major complaints

Row

Great little motor....Just check if the rear axle is o.k...The seals can go
in rear axle which lets water into the bushings...inturn worn rear axle bushings
where Peugeot charge around €1500 to fit new bushings....:eek:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055929619&highlight
If you look at the rear of the car the rear wheels will look like this /---\ the
bushings are worn.

ABajaninCork

Nothing wrong with 206's!

I had one (1.4 GLX) for seven years which I've only just sold. Never a minute's trouble, drove the car over from London and loved it. I'd have another one tomorrow except that the price of parts here is prohibitive!

If you don't mind the price of the parts, then go for it. You won't be sorry.

shedweller

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Nothing wrong with 206's!

I had one (1.4 GLX) for seven years which I've only just sold. Never a minute's trouble, drove the car over from London and loved it. I'd have another one tomorrow except that the price of parts here is prohibitive!

If you don't mind the price of the parts, then go for it. You won't be sorry.

You mean there was nothing wrong with YOUR 206.
Ok, they aren't all prone to breaking, but there is a much bigger chance that you will get stranded on the side of the road or just have you heart broke repairing it. Plus they are hard on headlight bulbs. Mine went through them like sweets! Most 206's i see on the road have a bulb gone somewhere, usually a headlight.
The OP should know that they are more prone to breaking than other cars. Simply saying that there is nothing wrong with them would lead you to believe that they were ultra reliable. They are not.

dave 27

Im looking for one from a dealer with a max price of 1800, carzone has a few and auto trader but there doesnt seem to be many sites on them!

johnos1984

dave 27 wrote: »

Im looking for one from a dealer with a max price of 1800!

You would be FAR FAR FAR better off to buy one private with a budget like that as you will get little or no warranty from a garage

dave 27

johnos1984 wrote: »

You would be FAR FAR FAR better off to buy one private with a budget like that as you will get little or no warranty from a garage

really? i would have thought it would be a lot safer buying from a dealer..would i still get a car ownership cert etc?

ABajaninCork

shedweller wrote: »

You mean there was nothing wrong with YOUR 206.
Ok, they aren't all prone to breaking, but there is a much bigger chance that you will get stranded on the side of the road or just have you heart broke repairing it. Plus they are hard on headlight bulbs. Mine went through them like sweets! Most 206's i see on the road have a bulb gone somewhere, usually a headlight.
The OP should know that they are more prone to breaking than other cars. Simply saying that there is nothing wrong with them would lead you to believe that they were ultra reliable. They are not.

Sorry, but have to disagree with you there. There was nothing wrong with MY 206 as you say. I sold the car (a 2001 model) with ORIGINAL

• Brakes
• Clutch
• Headlights (and a whole host of other ORIGINAL parts).

TBH, can't understand why you had such problems with the headlight bulbs. I had mine for seven years and the bulbs have never been changed. I've never heard of this problem with the headlight bulbs either. Perhaps you were just unlucky...

I've had no reliability problems either. Car started every time I turned the key. Taken me everywhere I want to go, and took me from London to Ireland no problem. Except for the fact that the cost of parts here in Ireland is exorbitant, I would have no hesitation in getting another Peugeot.

Of course, NO car is 100% reliable. There are pro's and con's with EVERY car.

johnos1984

dave 27 wrote: »

really? i would have thought it would be a lot safer buying from a dealer..would i still get a car ownership cert etc?

A garage selling a car for €1800 will not be making much money on it and will not be willing to spend much on it either. It will most likely be a trade in which they will do a clean and quick service on before putting it out for sale with a warranty which covers very little.

You could get a newer car in good condition privately for that price.

I wouldn't advise a 206, anyone that I know, bar one, have been trouble or just generally poorly built with interiors that fall to pieces.

However others here seem to rate them but even apart from quality I find the driving position and offset pedals very uncomfortable and the gear shift to be very rubbery

dave 27

johnos1984 wrote: »

A garage selling a car for €1800 will not be making much money on it and will not be willing to spend much on it either. It will most likely be a trade in which they will do a clean and quick service on before putting it out for sale with a warranty which covers very little.

You could get a newer car in good condition privately for that price.

I wouldn't advise a 206, anyone that I know, bar one, have been trouble or just generally poorly built with interiors that fall to pieces.

However others here seem to rate them but even apart from quality I find the driving position and offset pedals very uncomfortable and the gear shift to be very rubbery

Im looking for a 1 or 1.1 litre car tho, dont want to go any higher as the insurance will be high and running costs too,and looking at prices etc it looks like the 206 is best valur for money..i want a car with an immobiliser and also something thats reliable too

shedweller

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Sorry, but have to disagree with you there.

On what exactly? I did agree that your 206 was reliable so it cant be that. Is it my point that 206's and peugeot in general are more unreliable than other manufacturers? Do you have any information on this?
It's a given with a peugeot (and all french cars) that there will be problems. I've had them, people i work with have them and the internet is full of writeups about problems with them.
And it wasn't just my headlights that blew, it is virtually every other 206 i see on the road!
I'm not making this up to make peugeot look bad. They just make cars that give trouble after a while.

bazz26

dave 27 wrote: »

Im looking for a 1 or 1.1 litre car tho, dont want to go any higher as the insurance will be high and running costs too,and looking at prices etc it looks like the 206 is best valur for money..i want a car with an immobiliser and also something thats reliable too

I'd also suggest buying private on that budget, just have someone mechanically knowledgeable examin the car before buying. My recommendation would be a Ford Fiesta 1.25 litre, pretty reliable, cheap to service, parts are also plentiful and not too expensive.

Something like this perhaps:
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1672900

coolbeans

shedweller wrote: »

They just make cars that give trouble after a while.

Volkswagen are very poor these days. The Polo of that era is an unreliable little car and the 1.4 Golf is a complete disaster. Check out the surveys and you'll see that the 206 comes out quite well.

shinikins

coolbeans wrote: »

Volkswagen are very poor these days. The Polo of that era is an unreliable little car and the 1.4 Golf is a complete disaster. Check out the surveys and you'll see that the 206 comes out quite well.

I'd agree with this 100%.

Never had one ounce of trouble with mine, the only thing i could say was a negative, and its been mentioned before, is the pedals are very close together, but i'm (obviously) a girl, so it doesn't affect me too much. I bought it with all original pieces and apart from replacing tyres, i just had to replace the brakepads the other day, and they were far from the minimum depth. Not bad for an 8yr old car!!

As for them falling to pieces, i've never seen one in such a bad state and i looked at a lot of them when i was initially buying. By contrast my friend had an 05 Renault Clio that was shedding interior pieces llike a dog sheds hair! The decision was made to look for a new car when the door handles snapped!

dollybird2

Don't know about VW bad rep - I had a 99 one for years and to this day it was the best motor I ever owned.

I had the misfortune to own a 206. It was so troublesome - steering had to be replaced, radio worked sporadically only despite being "repaired" a number of times, problems starting in wet/cold/icy weather (every day for 10 months of the year pretty much), not a comfortable drive, no acceleration, poor brakes even after replacing. It was like driving a tin can.
However, no matter what car you go for you will hear both good and bad reviews. I would advise you to check NCAP rating, get a full service history, check vehicle through motorcheck.ie or similar and take it for a good test drive.
Best of luck

ABajaninCork

shedweller wrote: »

On what exactly? I did agree that your 206 was reliable so it cant be that. Is it my point that 206's and peugeot in general are more unreliable than other manufacturers? Do you have any information on this?
It's a given with a peugeot (and all french cars) that there will be problems. I've had them, people i work with have them and the internet is full of writeups about problems with them.
And it wasn't just my headlights that blew, it is virtually every other 206 i see on the road!
I'm not making this up to make peugeot look bad. They just make cars that give trouble after a while.

My point being ANY car can give trouble after a while!! Some NEW cars can give trouble for goodness sake!! To some extent it's the luck of the draw...

shedweller

ABajaninCork wrote: »

My point being ANY car can give trouble after a while!! Some NEW cars can give trouble for goodness sake!! To some extent it's the luck of the draw...

Very true. But some give more trouble than others. The 206 is one of those.