2002 Peugeot 307 XSE review from Australia and New Zealand

I have had my Peugeot 307 for five years and I am not likely to buy another Peugeot. The car has too many visible and audible defects (e.g. ill fitting dashboard components, rattling doors and rattles in the dash).

This car has never gives you any sense of reliability and I refuse to drive it long distance. We take our other car (a Volkswagen which is brilliant) instead.

Numerous things have gone wrong with the car. Whilst the majority of them were in the first two years and therefore covered by warranty, the car continues to cause me grief. The wipers did not work properly for the first four years and it was only my persistence with the dealership that led to it being fixed. The indicators kept over-correcting and components needed to be replaced 4 times. (Admittedly, Peugeot have paid for this even though the warranty period had expired). The latest issue is that one of the door locks is faulty and the replacement part costs $300. The hatch lock also broke and I was locked out of the luggage area during the Xmas holiday period. The car also needed a new starter motor in its first year. I had problems with changing gears which required the car to be left at the dealership for two days (I was provided a loan car)

All these problems in a car that has only travelled 42,000 KM (approx. 26,000 miles) in five years.

I also have some gripes about the cars motor. It is a two litre petrol version with 100 kilowatts of power, but the car lacks torque which makes it tedious around town. Perhaps I should have gone for the diesel. I have recently replaced the original Pirelli tyres with Yokohoma's and this has proved to be the wrong choice in terms of handling.

On the plus side, the car has plenty of interior space and is well equipped for the price.