2008 Peugeot 107 Urban Lite review from UK and Ireland

Nothing.

Bought my Laser Red 107 Urban-Lite new in 2008 to replace a Skoda Fabia VRS.

Decided that although desirable, 5 doors and black paint were unnecessary for my purposes, and kind of defeated my objective in buying a really basic cheap car in the first place.

What clinched it for me was the fuel consumption that makes the Ka and even the Panda look like gas guzzlers. £20 road tax when I have to renew it in 2009 can't be argued with either.

The Urban-Lite appealed to me, as I don't regard electric windows and central locking as essentials, and if I needed these, I'd probably have been in the market for a larger family car and wouldn't have considered a 107 anyway.

I travel 20k miles pa - usually solo or with one passenger, and this car does fine. I always return 60+ mpg and the dreaded cross-winds that some complain about are no different to any other small car.

Being a 34 year old professional guy, this car takes me back to when I was 17 and driving similarly basic motors. Some people might be embarassed by it as it ain't the most masculine car in the world, but I couldn't care less. I haven't had any Postman Pat jokes yet, my colleagues don't request a balaclava when sitting in the passenger seat, loads of people want to look at it and sit in it to see what it's like, and another colleague has just ordered the same car (Toyota version) having been in mine.

It is just as much fun to drive as my former Fabia VRS, but the fun happens at lower speeds so I don't have to worry about my licence either! Best of all, it costs peanuts to run, leaving me more money for holidays and my motorbike.

It has reminded me and made me appreciate that cheap basic motoring can be just as enjoyable as driving much more expensive and sportier cars.

The performance is as expected from a 1 litre car - which I expected to come as a shock having had numerous sporty and prestige cars over the past 10 years, but it hasn't.

The handling is fine, maybe even fun, and I have no complaints about my 107 at all.

It is a modern interpretation of the mini, 2CV, or beetle. Far from attracting sneers from other motorists, most people are interested in what it's like to own, as they are fed up with the ridiculous costs of running a car these days.

The only thing I can't understand is why last year's JD Power Survey placed the Toyota Aygo 12th out of 100 on their list of cars, but the 107 came 46th. Considering they are identical and built on the same production line with only minor cosmetic differences to the bodywork to differentiate between the two brands, I thought this a bit odd. Must all be down to the expectations of different buyers, and proves that these surveys must be taken with a pinch of salt.

I'm very happy with it, and would recommend the 107/C1/Aygo to anyone. I'll keep mine for a long time.