2001 Peugeot 206 GTi review from UK and Ireland

There was no coolant in the air conditioning system when I collected it, which the dealer had failed to notice.

The driver's seat jams occasionally, i.e. it refuses to slide backwards and forwards. Fortunately my boyfriend and I have the same length legs so it's not too much of a problem.

Fun to drive, but you do have to really drive it and not just be passive to get the most out of it. I thought the handling would be a bit sharper round corners, but I accept this is a 206 and not an Elise. Acceleration is good and makes overtaking safer than in a slower car. (NB I am NOT a Girl Racer though!)

At the risk of sounding like I should have bought a saloon, the boot is a little small, but the split/fold rear seats help. I am currently expecting a baby and expect that this will become more of a problem once I have wrestled the pram in and out a few times.

The bodywork dents very easily. I have experienced three knocks in car parks so far, which have resulted in getting a front wing bent back to shape and re-sprayed and two small dents in the passenger door and rear wing, which I'm not sure what to do about.

Dealer has been OK so far; their only real mistake was failing to notice the lack of coolant in the air conditioning. Obviously the delivery inspection wasn't too thorough.

Insurance can be variable in cost - shop around thoroughly before comitting.