Although, admittedly, over the years they designed some nice looking cars, I seem to have had a fair degree of bad luck with their models, or their engines used on licence on different makes.... To the point to have made make me categorically state that I wouldn't touch another one with an extremely long barge pole.... But that is by the by at the moment, as Peugeot has been, to a certain extent, taken over by a Chinese company and the French Gov, leaving the Original family with very little or negligible holdings. The Government has put some money in, money which eventually will be lost along the way as the chinese will, no doubt, start cutting, what they consider, surplus or non critical jobs and thus initiate a cull, with an expected unions response.... Oh, well...... UK car manufacturing as such is non existent and some of it has gone east, so why not France...? One would think that with the amount of cars they produce, they would be flush with cash... But, alas............ Non............. Rescue...???? Not so sure, more like a take over............
I've had quite a few Pugs - 106, 206, 306 and now a 107, and generally, they've been hit and miss. The 206 was the worst car I've ever had - within 8 months of buying it, the head gasket went (it was 92K miles when I bought it, so it was a gamble). The 107 is the opposite, it runs like clockwork, its passed the MOT each time with no problems, a very reliable car. Add to that the cheap running costs - £20 tax, Group 1 insurance and 2 yearly servicing, I've saved a bit of money. Ironically, the 107 is booked in for MOT and service tomorrow, and by coincidence, the Pug dealer is trying to sell me a new 107, think I'll pass on it for another year. The 306 DTurbo was my favourite Pug of all. I had a gold-coloured 3 door, went like the clappers, until the turbo blew, that was painful.
I did have a 305 petrol a 305 diesel, a 405 petrol and a Rover 218 with an 1800 cc Peugeot diesel engine................. Invariably the head gaskets went on all of them...... The Rover let me down while holidaying in France with the family and thankfully I was covered by an all singing all dancing AA 5* European cover which was purchased on a whim....... After the AA delivered it to my garage and having had it repaired, head skimmed, and all that blarney, pressure tested, blah, blah.... it did blow the gasket again................. So it was duly part exchanged for a Rover 600 with a Honda Diesel engine......... What a difference..!!
