[Closed] Peugeot - How Bad? Am I Mad?

We have a 2006 307sw.
It has more than its fair share of problems, but on the whole is not a terrible car.

Are those problems just wear and tear or poor manufacturing?

On this forum Peugeot's get loads of grief.

This is pretty much a diesel beemer forum, with other expensive big German saloons and sports cars also in favour.

French cars are not really the thing for blokey blokes, though even piston heads reckon they are good for resisting rust.

Electrics have in the past not been their (French cars) best point but there are enough 406s around today to suggest that a Peugeot can be a lot more reliable than some brands that trade on a certain 1980s advertising slogan.

My Wife bought a 308 petrol - the 1.6

Erm, she's not a car buff in anyway, so the stuff about VW/Audi drivers on the forum etc. doesn't apply.
She wanted a larger car than her Ford Ka that looked nice. I'm sure there were more underlying criteria but that was the general gist.
She had a 106 Graduate years ago that she loved & reckoned it was reliable, therefore why not another Peugeot.....indeed.

She got rid of it after 18 months because she hated it so much. It wasn't very reliable & she lost all faith in it ever getting her to her destination.
I disliked it quite a lot too.

Our current French abomination (C3 Picasso) has the same engine in it (I think). It uses oil at the same prodigious rate that the 308 did (we stick in between a 0.5-1 litre every 700 miles) and on top of the other faults it has had in our <2 year ownership experience it recently flashed up an 'anti-pollution fault' that disappeared after a couple of days and hasn't reared it's ugly head again!!

I was a salesman for 30+years, driving large distances for work. The only car that ever broke down on me was an 2009 diesel 308. Twice. Once it needed a new engine, once "just" a new clutch, which necessitated removing the engine. Both times it was off the road for weeks. Apart from that, I've driven Vauxhall, Ford, Volvo, VW, Nissan, Honda, Citroen (BX!) BL, Fiat and a lovely SAAB with no problems.

Mrs M hated driving, it, too.
On the plus side, the 308 SW is good for carrying bikes, with a very high load area. You might need them for getting home.

Hmm, Astra it is then I guess.

We had a 51 plate 307 xsi and it did have a few electrical issues but nothing that prevented the car functioning. Just silly niggly things engine warning light constantly on, indicators not self cancelling, mirrors not folding in.

Got rid of it last year when the clutch failed after owning it for about 14 years.

I wouldn't buy another one.

Can I just add.. we went to look at a 308. The glovebox is minuscule, because Peugeot CBA to move the fuse box to the other side of the car for RHD models.

Mrs RBIT did have a 51-plate 307 when we met that, apart from being [s]metallic orange[/s] 'paprika' had very little wrong with it.

No first hand experience of them, but a friend at work always had his/hers, another friend had one, and dad had one.

First chap always made a point of changing them before the warranty ran out and thought they were great for the money.
2nd chap and dad thought they were just fine - until the warranty ran out and they fell apart.

So in summary, i'd have no hesitation buying a new one, but wouldn't go anywhere near one over 3yrs old.

Mrs RBIT did have a 51-plate 307 when we met that, apart from being metallic orange 'paprika' had very little wrong with it.

Burnt copper I'll have you know, are you married to my wife?

See SaxonRider's threads.

1. I need a new car
2. I bought a Peugot 406

Few weeks later

3. I need a new car

Burnt copper I'll have you know, are you married to my wife?

Dunno, she [b]says[/b] she's at work today...

I have a 57 207 SW 1.4(the ugly, slow estate)
I've owned it since Feb 16, it's never needed for anything other than the odd bit of oil topping up - mind, its only covered 6k miles in that time.

I had a 2001 206 as my get to work car for ages, would likely still have it now if a Canadian hadn't forgotten which side of the road we drive on.

Had the almost stereotypical electrical gremlins, but it didn't once let me down in terms of getting around. Great bangernomics, as everyone says they break so often they believe its true and devalue them.

Since we're doing anecdotes:

My father owned a 406 coupé in the mid/late 90s. Lovely 3 litre v6 engine. Well made. Never broke down.

Replaced with BMW 330ci. Lovely 3 litre engine. Poorly made. Bits forever falling off it.

Am currently contemplating my next car and a Peugeot is on the list (308 GTi 270). Bear in mind I drive a Japanese car, so in my mind reliability is a given....

I have a 120000 mile 206 SW. Replaced clutch once, battery once, as you do on all cars. Wore out a rear hub and all suspension components. A brake disintegrated once. Rear shocks on their way out again. Would have another no problem. Probably the big estate next time or a Mondeo. Electrically no problems. Used to have a despatch van which was 100 reliable.

Reliability/preventative maintenance go hand in hand. Ignore a Honda/Toyota and you'll break down too.

bought a peugeot partner with 30000 miles on clock - ran it to 110k with little more than consumable - its worst trait being its undersized front brakes as it would eat pads and disks.

bought a mk4 golf with 60k on the clock. to this day its the worst made car ive bought. the sunroof leaked , the rear high level brake light leaked , the facotry option HID kit was outlawed when they updated MOT test , the interior was gash , uncomfy and it needed heaps of negative camber on the front wheels just to stay on the road - which meant it ate inside edges of front tires...... remove the negative camber at your peril as it turns into a land yacht. then there was the arches rusting both front and rear - it wasnt even that old to be rusting FFS

Replaced with with an older 80000 mile berlingo and thats now at 120k with the only significant part required being a rear axle at 110k which was about 10 bolts and a mornings work - how garages can try to charge what they do to do it is beyond me - i was quoted 1200 quid for a 300 quid part fitted !

as for electrics - not had any issues with them.

and its still not rusting - even on the front wing where its been down to the metal for as long as ive owned it after a previous owners bump.

ratherbeintobago - Member

Can I just add.. we went to look at a 308. The glovebox is minuscule, because Peugeot CBA to move the fuse box to the other side of the car for RHD models.

I was going to mention this. As a mechanical design engineer, I tend to notice little details...
My Wife wasn't bothered by these things regarding her 308, but they drove me mad:

Glove box - you could literally get a thin pair of leather gloves in the glove box, but no more. And it's a big car. The glovebox in my Ibiza had room for (from memory) the thick service book/manual/stereo manual, several pens, a pack of spare fuses, some random golf tees, a golf glove from when I used to randomly hit the driving range, a 4 socket cigarette lighter adaptor, 2 pairs of sunglasses & 2 cds.

The wipers were still 'left-hand drive' so left an arc of un-wiped glass in the driver's field of view.

The seat back angle is adjusted on a ratchet with a lever, rather than a twiddle dial. Adjusting the seat back was much harder to do than just using a twiddle dial & gave less adjustment points. I found in her 308, the seat was always a bit too reclined or a bit too upright because there was no ratchet point for my 'sweet spot'....

I guess there will always be people who have good and bad experiences....I had always steered clear of French cars because of their reputation.
I put my Wife's 308 down to perhaps bad luck & my own personal 'mistrust' of French cars.
But, having had a multitude of issues on our C3 Picasso in <2 years that we've owned it I couldn't recommend a Citroen or Peugeot to anyone based on my experience. It's annoying because as a small family wagon, the C3 Picasso is almost perfect; loads of space, adjustable (versatile), comfortable, good visibility etc. but it's all overshadowed by this feeling that any time soon it's going to go wrong again.....

Get a Suzuki....like BMW & Audi drivers, they just go on & on & on.

Not the most technologically advanced, cool or luxury motors but bomb proof.

I had a diesel turbo, M Reg 205 that I bought for £400 with 100k on it. I ran it on to 170k with only consumables requiring replacement. It went like stink, carried loads of wood when I went logging and I only got rid of it when I leant in the boot and my hand went through the floor. I really miss that heap. YMMV.

Never buying a French car again. Sure, my Renault had all the features. And it was reasonably reliable. But when it needed parts it was a joke. Friends' parents had Peugeots they worked well. Still, this was the 20th century and I suspect that modern ones are pretty darn good. Best thing I did was sell it and buy an engagement ring with the proceeds.

I have a 6yr old 5008, 2L diesel. 70,000 miles in

It had to have the washer pump replaced a year or two ago

Still waiting for the catastrophic electrical failure that everyone assures me is coming

Current car is a 13 plate 508SW. Had it for over 2 years now and it's been faultless.

I had a Volvo V50 with the infamous Peugeot 1.6hdi engine. It was forever in limp mode with the DPF filter always sooting up, despite me mainly doing longish motorway and a-road miles. Did get 120k miles out of it, but it wasn't reliable.

My 306 td estate was a brilliant bangernonics car. Bought at 90k for £300, finally blew up at 175k at 80mph on the motorway, and that was my fault. Cost in that mileage was less than £500. Was always reliable and cheap to run. 306s were ace for there time. I don't think that they passed on their reliability genes, unfortunately.

I'm 7 years and 99000 miles into owning a 308SW. Bought largely because it has a big boot, but we also like the glass roof - both of those are important 'wants' in the next car. I did have a total loss of the diesel additive stuff all over the drive, shortly into ownership; apart from that the only repairs required have been bodywork (3 collisions - a deer, a couple of rocks and a motorbike), which I can't really blame on Peugeot.

We were particularly happy when our 14 year old son sat uncomplaining in the back seat for a one day dash from Avoriaz to Amsterdam - he said he was comfortable enough. I find it comfortable for longish drives (Perth to Chester is fairly regular), and nippier than the 1998 Disco it replaced.

I'm not put off buying another, as long as it has the features I want.

Since we're doing anecdotes:

My father owned a 406 coupé in the mid/late 90s. Lovely 3 litre v6 engine. Well made. Never broke down.

In the same vein, I owned a V6 406 saloon for 3 years. It was great. Nothing went wrong *.
* The seat base / frame was already broken on a weld when I bought it (fixed by mate with welder).
* The A/C dumped its load, thanks to shonky refill work by garage who didn't get any more business from me.

By contrast, our nice reliable VW has been crap, chewing up 2nd gear, and having loads of fit/finish problems and lots of suspension parts dying. Worst car I've owned? May well be.

And the nice reliable civic dumped the belt tensioner in France. Nobody in France has a Honda. Nobody in France fixes Hondas. I recommend not driving a Honda through France.

I'd buy another Frenchie, although I might avoid the small ones.

Can't say I'm a fan of current Peugeot cars, mostly because of the styling, I've driven a few, but unfortunately most have been van based, with virtually no seat front/back adjustment, and the addition of a footrest right by the side of the brake pedal, or the clutch pedal if a manual, which prevents me from being able to straighten my left leg down into the footwell.
As I have osteoarthritis in my left knee, it's not long before I start to suffer a considerable amount of discomfort.
Some Citroens are the same, but it seems to be Peugeot that are particularly popular with the Motab customers.
A two hour drive in one has practically reduced me to tears before now, there are only so many painkillers I can take a day.
I'd happily have a Citroen DS3/4, but there's just something about Peugeot cars that just doesn't work for me.

Owned old ratted Berlngo, got new version on strength of old one

Big mistake ,bag of shite.

Turbo fault, tin box feel to it

External plastics fall off just driving along.

Might just be me tho

Won't buy another.

My Peugeot expert van has been fine.
This year it has had the most work as the heater matrix died but it's 15 years old now. About £50
Inc a new thermostat.

The electric windows mirrors etc all still work

My partners tdi golf on the other hand is one more failer away from the scrappy as I keep
Wasting valuable riding time fixing it. Rusty wings door lock and window failures amongst many other things

Mate has a high spec 64 reg 308 that he bought at a year old. He's had no end of bother with it including a couple of weeks garage visit to warranty a list of things. One on the list was a creaking rear axel that still creaks as it's a well known problem they have yet to find a fix for. They need to design a whole new axel then make it and fit it at a cost of thousands per car apparently.

On the flip side it replaced a boggo spec 208 which they really liked and didn't have any trouble with.

On my fourth, couple of Partner vans and a 207. Every one has done over 100k. Currently on a 208, stupid glove box is as stupid as suggested above. It goes from A to B and doesn't cost loads to run.

Main niggles were the 207 ate through front tyres and one of the partners had a dodgy controller unit that kept failing repeatedly.

Found a good garage that does good servicing. Seems to matter more than the badge.

 306s were ace for there time. I don't think that they passed on their reliability genes, unfortunately

I wouldn't touch a 307 or 308, everybody I've known with one has had trouble.

I'm on my 2nd 306 hdi, the first one I bought on 150k and sold it 3 years later at 240k for £100 less than I paid for it. The only things that went wrong were an airflow meter and a thermostat and I only sold it because another lower mileage one came up.

Love my wee Pug! I reckon even better than a Cooper S...

Until it was replaced a few years ago by a VW camper we had an 05 plate 307 sw. Blingy glass roof special edition. It was a good car, 1.6tdi would do a genuine 60+ mpg. And more if you drive rally steady on a long run. Electrics were a bit odd, some of the Windows would go down but not up on some of the controls.

The glove box was regular sized as I recall. With ac into it too.

Fast enough on motorways, not a 'drivers' car in that it didn't have great feedback from the road, but comfy, reliable, economical, 7 seats if you needed them for shorter trips.

Not ideal for car-snobs but if you are a real person who just sees cars as metal boxes to move people around to do fun stuff then they are great.

We have had several Peugeot 106, 306, 307 & first gen 308. No major issues in any of those. I did over 125k in those cars. Only repair I can remember was a wheel bearing for the 306. The rest was just standard servicing and consumable replacing. Some of The German stuff we have had. Wow what absolute dog crap! Guess its luck of the drawer...

Not ideal for car-snobs but if you are a real person who just sees cars as metal boxes to move people around to do fun stuff then they are great.

This isn't so much about car snobbery as the dreadful reliability reputation. Plenty of boring cars have good reliability reps - just not Peugot.

I'd happily have a Citroen DS3/4

I know someone with a DS3, and as well as weighing under a tonne which is a fantastic achievement for a modern decent sized car, it looks pretty well thought out inside. I've not driven it though. The two Citroens I've driven have had the pedals about 6" too far to the right, and the controls in really weird places that were difficult to use.

Can I just add.. we went to look at a 308. The glovebox is minuscule, because Peugeot CBA to move the fuse box to the other side of the car for RHD models.

My friend had a 206 about a W reg or something and the brake lights stopped working so I got a switch for it and spent ages looking under the brake pedal to find the old one.

After a phone call to the car shop were I'd got the switch from, they told me it was under the passenger glovebox 🙄

Have that switch on the wrong side sounds almost as stupid as putting an ecu under the passenger side floor carpet where it will get wet like vw passats had

I had a 2 litre petrol 306 estate for a few years when I lived in Switzerland. Got flogged all around the Alps and Germany and totally mistreated and never failed me once. Great car

Have that switch on the wrong side sounds almost as stupid as putting an ecu under the passenger side floor carpet where it will get wet like vw passats had

In fairness, they did fix that.

So, is this the thing with French cars....they are either bomb proof, or complete turds? There seems to be little in between.

The reason for me deciding to go against my probably biased distrust of French cars and buy our C3 Picasso was my in-laws Xsara Picasso that went all over the bloody place without issue, including a round trip back to the UK from Alicante perhaps twice a year.

Similarly, a bloke at work has had Citroens for several years. He's currently on his second DS3 and also has a C4 Picasso. He loves them and reckons he has had no issue.

We must just be unlucky that the two French cars (one Peugeot, one Citroen) we have had in the last 5 years have been reliability turds.

Oh, a small thing perhaps but another design detail on the C3 Picasso that boils my piss....

The spec we went for has auto wipers....to activate the auto wipe, you press the stick downwards (and it springs back). But on lower models, this is the 'one swipe' function that I think most cars have. So, because we have auto-wipers we have no one swipe capability.
It wouldn't be so bad, were it not for the fact that the auto wipers either seem to do nothing or go full-bore high speed panic wiping, so we generally don't use them & there is no option to alter the sensitivity.
On top of that, the intermittent wipers are non user adjustable; the intermittency is speed related. So at motorway speeds in light drizzle they run at a high frequency wipe, which isn't what is required......so you have to either put up with them squawking across the screen or tum them off & use the 'one wipe' function, which oh wait a minute, turns the auto wipers on.....

So, is this the thing with [s]French[/s] cars....they are either bomb proof, or complete turds? There seems to be little in between.

I had a Pug 406 HDi. Had to replace the engine at 60,000 miles, it was a nightmare. I replaced it with a Toyota and then drove for a month in France. Bearing in mind the French like French cars, I saw very few of them on the road. Lesson learnt. You couldn't give one to me now.

So my conclusion can be that all cars have problems and I might be ok with a 308

In 2016 there wasn't a non French car in the top ten cars sold in France, Bill. (edit to remove dodgy link). You have to go back to 2013 to find a Polo in the top ten.