Head gasket blew requiring a full top end engine rebuild.
Wash wipe pump needed replacing.
Slight wear to drivers seat.
Lacquer peeling from alloys in places.
Two weeks after getting my hands on the keys the car needed a full engine rebuild.
Yes I know what you must be thinking, 'What a mug for not getting the car checked out' but to be honest there were no visible signs of leaking oil and it ran well enough (for an 8 year old car anyway). The previous owner informed me that the cam belt had recently been changed and the vehicle came with two years NCT (Irish mot). So I thought I’d got myself a good 'un.
On reaching the garage I learnt that the head gasket had given up the ghost and was landed with a bill which eventually came in at over 2000 Euro. The car was off the road for about two months due to parts supply issues as Peugeot seemed to be incapable of sending the correct parts (from France) when required.
The car was collected from the garage and that evening I drove it to collect a friend from the airport. The journey there was great however on the return leg, I heard a noise that can best be described as a ‘wizzing' coming from the engine and it ground embarrassingly to a halt on a busy roundabout. The car was subsequently returned to the garage and it transpired that one of the bolts holding on the cam belt pretensioner had sheared causing the engine to go completely pear shaped resulting in bent valves and a hefty bill for the garage proprietor who thankfully accepted liability.
So two months and the best part of four grand later the cars now back on the road!
First I’ll comment on cross country ability. One word, Awesome. The car relishes corners, the tighter the better. No matter what speed you enter the car stays level and performs flawlessly and however corny this may sound instills confidence in the driver. You do however run the risk of appearing a bit of a prat with the constant grin plastered on your face. The steering is precise although it may be a wee bit susceptible to been knocked off kilter. Must have the tracking checked and will report back.
As the cars completely standard, acceleration wise, it's pretty strong. 0-60 probably as the manufacturer claims about 8 seconds. This car really isn't about top speed it's about making quick progress through the twisties, forget your Prozac, get yourself one of these beauties.
On the motorway it's quite noisy anywhere over 70mph (Is this a characteristic? Would appreciate comments). Not sure whether tyre noise or engine is to blame. Hope to get to the bottom of this soon as I’ve road trips planned. Would fitting an air filter make this worse?
MPG wise, I get around 300 miles to a tank which although high (my old 1.1 106 could coax around 420!) isn’t too bad considering. Nor is the insurance, I paid around 700 Euro for the year. Irish road tax though is a trifle high at over 400 Euro per annum.
Providing the car now behaves itself, I look forward to putting a few more miles on it this summer. Would I recommend one? Well it’s safer and a touch more practical than a 205 Gti that I had also considered so yes, defiantly, just make sure you do your homework.
I'm sorry to hear about your engine going bang, but it can happen to anyone I'm afraid! I do agree that the Peugeot take an age of fixing cars!!! I had mine in for an cambelt and small electrical fault, and hey presto 4 weeks later it came out of the garage! I had the same problem with Peugeot sending the wrong parts too!!
Back to the car and it is one of the most entertaining cars to drive, and is the closest thing to the legend of hot-hatch's the 205 GTi, and for that reason I will put up with erractic reliability, as every time I drive it, it puts a massive smile on my face.
I'm the author of this review and have recently noticed the car has a bit of an appetite for oil. After a 300 mile round trip the gauge is reading about 1/5 lower than at the beginning. It doesn’t seem to be leaking so I assume it’s using it while on the move. The head gasket has been recently replaced so I can probably discount that as a cause, or could this be considered normal? If anyone has any thoughts it would be appreciated.
Hi there original reviewer here. The cars been running great up until today when whilst coasting along in heavy traffic I went to press the clutch and I was greeted with a twang and no clutch to speak off. Pushed it to the side of the road and waited for the AA to arrive. Been a Saturday and a bank holiday weekend over in Ireland I'll have to wait till tuesday to find out exactly what happened. Early guess would be the cable to the clutch has snapped. Anyone here with any experience of this happening and any idea how much to put right? Any advise would be appreciated.
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