Peugeot 206 (1998 - 2009) 1.4 GLX 3d (AC) Owner Review

Great first car if you can get a hold of one with decent mileage. Reason for the 4 stars is: Peugeot (old only?) hatchbacks have a flaw where the back axle start to bend. I had to get a new car as it wasn't worth the cost of replacing the axle - but I miss it greatly! It still did me proud, however, and was more than I could have expected. The good: drove easily on the motorway at 70 - 90mph; the design of the inside of the car is suitable for a woman, however maybe not for a tall or well built man (but a young lad, sure), I would say the style (superficial) is better than more modern hatchbacks too; the boot was spacious enough for me to store a new washing machine (with the seats down); steering was responsive; the pedals weren't too high or too low, so my feet weren't knocking when changing pedal; tyre changing was a breeze; braking was responsive; no rust issues; good engine design (at least for me I thought so); easy to change the front lightbulbs. The bad: the space saver wheel stored outside, under the car (I just put mine in the boot!); cramped back seats, suitable for 2, rather than 3, small adults, unless it's a short journey or kids; cup holders up front were rubbish, but side of drivers door was sufficient; clutch isn't as well refined as the current cars of the day, can feel clunky if used to driving a modern car; cam belt can cause major issues if mechanic is clueless with replacing (luckily I caught mine!); can appear noisy on the motorway compared to modern cars (but stereo loud enough to mask that). Summary: Was a surprise of a car. For a hatchback you can't expect foot down, blown away speeds, but it held its own on the motorway. Was more than enough space for my first car and without family. These cars are obviously getting written off after being well used, but if you do happen to find a good deal it is worth it if you make sure the back axle has more years before it's needing replaced. I had no issues with it on repairs (mostly minor), often passed it's MOT and CO2 emissions without issues - with it being a 17 year old car I couldn't have asked for more.