Talk to me about Peugeot

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kirstygtr, Aug 4, 7:39pm
iv seen a Peugeot that'sa good price and had what i need, however my dad has told me DONT GO NEAR as you cant get the parts for them if they break down easy and are more expensive to fix .is that really the case!

phillip.weston, Aug 4, 7:48pm
that's just hear-say. Peugeot are fairly well sorted in terms of spare parts here in NZ. Peugeots have been selling here domestically since the 60s/70s and there is a well established chain of dealerships and service centers scattered around the country, and not to mention many used imports which came over from England, Japan and Singapore are also here so there's plenty of 2nd hand parts available too.

Sure they're probably not going to be as easy as going down to Repco/Supercheap and getting a set of ignition leads for $50 like you would for an 80s Mazda 323 etc, but I would say they aren't a great deal more expensive to service than your typical late model Japanese vehicle. Main consumables such as spark plugs, air filters, oil filters, cam belts, fan belts etc will be priced very similar to most other vehicles on the road today.

I would perhaps agree that some Peugeots perhaps aren't as well put together as a 90s/2000s bland Japanese car, but so long as the car is well looked after and not neglected they should provide a long enough life.

kirstygtr, Aug 4, 7:51pm
cool thanks for that

phillip.weston, Aug 4, 8:02pm
I would say don't buy expect to buy one and have not a single issue for 10 years of trouble-free motoring like you may have with a Toyota/Nissan, but for me personally who is mechanically minded I'm happy to sacrifice a little bit of reliability to have something exciting to drive and stylish to look at.

If you see cars as more than merely an appliance to get from A to B, and want to stand out from the crowd of dull plastic Japanese cars, then a Peugeot is worth considering - along with Volvo, Fiat, Audi/VW, BMW, Skoda etc.

budgel, Aug 4, 8:53pm
Nicely put Phillip.

esprit, Aug 4, 9:47pm
None of my Peugeots have ever required anything other than normal maintenance. Been far more reliable than the Japanese cars I had previous.

mugenb20b, Aug 5, 12:14am
Just out of interest, what kind of Peugeots! Personally, I like the 306 diesel, but have never owned French cars.

gusthe1, Aug 5, 1:10am
Ive had a puegeot 206 for 3 years. Only done 30,000 but had mothing done but 1 tune up and oil changes. Changed the tyres and thats it. I smile when people say they stand out from the crowd and are diff than bland Jap cars. if you have been to the Uk they are office hacks and every 2nd car is a pug.

zak410, Aug 5, 1:36am
they last well, this a 404:
http://iforce.co.nz/i/rmftkc54.1mj.jpg

phillip.weston, Aug 5, 1:42am
I had a 406 sedan and loved the way it drove on the road, very comfortable but yet very firm and re-assuring through the corners. I did have a few small issues with it, the locks decided to not lock one day but eventually rectified itself, and the windscreen wipers wouldn't self-park, but that was fixed with re-soldering some joints on a relay. I would probably own another, or even a 407 one day.

mugenb20b, Aug 5, 3:28am
Haha, I would rather have the camels tow the car, cheaper on gas.But, yes, 404s and 504s were solid cars.

nutbar, Aug 5, 3:51am
Hi phillip, just seen your response here. I started the starionwagon under 18k thread and still can't stop thinking about the Peugeot 307.The only thing worrying me is the same as the op, the maintenance cost. Do you really think they will be ok! Someone told me themechanics have to have special peugeot tools, which are expensive. Is this true! They doubted whether anyone in kerikeri would have them. Also what did mean about the 2006 307's being released in 2001! Thank you.

phillip.weston, Aug 5, 3:59am
Every car maker has their special tools. If you go to a Toyota dealer there will be a plethora of special tools which can only be used on Toyotas and must be used on late model Toyotas to diagnose faults. Most mechanics will have the appropriate tools to work on Peugeots, and if they don't, just go to the next mechanic who does.

What I meant, is that the 307 was released in 2001, that means to me I think it should come with a 2001 car price tag. Granted the 2006 model is facelifted over the 2001 model, but under the skin the 2006 model is no different to the 2001 model, and by 2006 most of the alternatives in the same class/price segment had already rolled out new models to replace their existing 2001 era models. In short, I am saying you are paying the price for a 2006 year car, but you aren't getting any more features than a 2001 car. Because the 2006 will be considered as 'old shape' in years to come, the value will plummet. Make sense!

directorylist, Aug 5, 4:02am
I've got a 206, i find it quite nice to drive and its been pretty reliable so far. I buy most of my consumables from the UK, (filters etc) as they are about 1/4 the price you pay for them here. I think the oil filter for instance was quoted $54 odd from ripco i managed to get the same filter delivered from the UK to my door for$12.80

richardmayes, Aug 5, 4:08am
I have a mate who only ever owns Peugeot diesels, and swears by them. (His last 3 cars have been a 405, a 306XRDT, and currently a 4007.)

But then, he is an older (ex-pom) diesel mechanic and he does all of his own work on them.

But then, all he ever needs to do on them seems to be routine maintenance type stuff!

morrisman1, Aug 5, 4:34am
Ive had experience with two 405 turbo diesels and a 306 turbo diesel and perhaps we had lemons but apart from one of the 405s they were not to be considered reliable. Just did the starter motor on the 405 yesterday and did the brake booster about two weeks ago.

Yes the 405 is a fantastic car and the 306 can be pretty nice but if you get a 306 you definitely need to get a good spec one like the HDi or the XSi or even GTi6 as the base models just feel cheap and nasty and you might as well get a corolla!

Maintenance is key and early identification of problems but that goes for any vehicle. Id get a 405 if I was to get another pug and it would be a late model Mi16

esprit, Aug 5, 4:35am
Mine have all been 306 GTi6s. The 306 diesels (especially the HDi) is very good indeed.

mugenb20b, Aug 5, 5:22am
Nice. I had the pleasure once to drive an '01 306 diesel. My god that thing had some power, it was also quiet and handled very well too. Of course, I could say the same for a Citroen BX19 TD.

johnalan1595, Aug 5, 5:25am
madza 6 looking at buying one (2003) hatchbackany bad points to worry about and anything to look for ! most people seem to think they are finei;m just looking for reasurance before i take the plungeThanks Alan

mugenb20b, Aug 5, 5:33am
Generally, they are really good cars, but I would advise you on getting the one that has a full service history. They can be a bit of a bitch to service (time wise), as they have a huge plastic cover under the drive train, and they have this stupid cartridge type oil filter.

phillip.weston, Aug 5, 5:38am
They are fine, but starting to show their age. They are still in high demand however which is pushing up their prices. It seems $15k barely gets you a sub-100,000kms 2.3L sports hatch or sports wagon 2003-2004 model. I would try push for a 2005 facelift model if possible, the interior is much nicer.

richardmayes, Aug 5, 6:12am
Just to dip my oar in lads, I had a couple of drives of my mate's 306 XRDT and to me it seemed like a good car but not anything you could get excited about, driving or owning.

It wasn't lacking in performance, but didn't feel like a little rocketship either. (Haven't driven a lot of diesels, but I would have expected a 2.5 turbo diesel in a small car to go like hell!) So mixed reviews on the performance.

Very grippy and lovely flat cornering, but seemed to pitch a lot even after making allowances for the short wheelbase. So mixed reviews on the ride and handling.

Interior was black, and if it had been any other colour it would have looked very very spartan in there despite the half leather. So mixed reviews on the interior comforts and style too.

"Mixed reviews" basically sums up the whole car for me!
I'd have one over a Corolla.

ashwattau, Aug 5, 6:37am
Might pay to double check that, it was probably a 1.9L TD. I have got a ZX 1.9TD myself. They certainly go better than you expect though

morrisman1, Aug 5, 6:42am
they are only a 1.9 turbo diesel richardmayes. about 90hp in standard form but by increasing the boost to 18 psi (instead of 12 standard) and adjusting the boost compensator in the fuel pump you can get that up to 120hp very easy then you are starting to get into diesel rocketship region for very little coin (none on the modifications even!) The bosch pump ones are better to tune, seem to put out more power and dont smoke as much, plus adjustments are easier.

The HDi model can go to 120hp with a few keystrokes on a laptop but I dont know who does that in new zealand. With an intercooler you can get 140 out of the HDi but after that you need to start doing more technical stuff.

Lift-off oversteer can be fun and is more pronounced in the petrols when you have the revs up.

Max Ive had the standard 306 xrdt before tuning was 180, after tuning I wouldn't be surprised if it could get to two-metric-ton. The 405 has no trouble getting to 150 on the passing lanes and on Ruapuna I had a 1.8 turbo diesel one up to 145km/h

djrandomguy, Aug 5, 6:55am
there are some peugeots that aren't worth the extra hassle when compared with jappa's. these include the non HDi 406 diesel, the 1.8 306 and the 1.4 automatic 206 just to name a few. HOWEVER, my fiance and I have owned 4 pugs in the last few years. a 205 Gti, a 309Gti, a 106 Gti and now due to fuel costs we own an 01 306 hdi manual.people will tell you they're harder to maintain, but this is false. find yourself a good citroen/peugeot workshop and you'll be fine. also don't look at horsepower figures or 0-100 times as this doesn't really apply in 'real world' driving. because people slag them off you can often get a very well spec'd car for less than the cost of a non-equivalent jappa. and there are very few cars that handle as sublimely a the peugeots and as a bonus the hatchbacks have great load space. Try to find a 306 hdi manual and you'll be laughing, you will struggle to find a blend of style, space, loadholding, roadholding and performance for the same dollars. Recommend.