French Fancy - Car history and peugeot pics
Discussion
Have been on the forums for a while but rarely contributed and wanted to do a Readers Ride and car history for some time. I finally think I have a worthy bit of metal to justify this.
So, my car history is predominantly French and predominantly s
t. Decisions about cars were never thoroughly planned or thought out until now so I’ve essentially been rolling with the punches.
17 – The ticket to freedom
I was always into cars and bikes as a kid so I knew I wanted to get on the road asap. Whilst learning with an instructor I wanted something to go out and practice with and my mum’s escort was on its way out so we bought this off the widower of a late friend.
It was to be my mum’s run-around and something I could be a named driver on. After passing a combination of my mother’s tendency to bounce off of street furniture and a desire for independence meant I won the seemingly never-ending fight for it to be mine and mine alone. SO began my independent car journey.
Looking back now I realise how lucky I was to be ‘leant’ a car whilst still studying at sixth form. The agreement was I would pay for my insurance and then hand the car back to the parents at the end but I think they forgot/waived that bit.
I was the first to pass amongst a group at school (purely due to age, not skill, I actually took a while to learn with 2 instructors). Shortly after I took the helm, a mate passed and bought a near identical 106 with only a different interior trim. For some reason we thought it was hilarious to drive each other’s cars because no one could tell the difference.
Hindsight has been kind to my memory of this car. I swear it would stick to the road like R-Kelly to a bedsheet. It was not fast with al 60hp but I saw an indicated 3 figures once on a late-night return down a long hill. It would vibrate and whistle at a frequency only dogs could hear if you ever went above the national speed limit. And, to this day, a 106 cost exactly £30 to fix. No matter what part, it would always cost £30 plus labour.
I owned this car for 5 years and all I changed was an alternator and an exhaust which fell off somewhere near Maldon completely unannounced. It moved to Uni with me, took me back and forth to see the OH and survived the slums of SW London for 3 years. It was moved on to family friends for their 17-year-old daughter when I got my first job after Uni. I fear it no longer lives but I’m so grateful of the freedom, independence and memories it gave me.
22 – The awkward second album
.
This was sitting in the car park at my ‘extended summer job’ (read = lost in the void of post-university existential crisis). I took an interest in it and the guy selling it seemed to want rid so I spent my newly earned-cash on something with a bit more power.
It was still French, and still small but better equipped - heated leather seats that were absolutely roasting – but I never really gelled with this car. The seats were comfy but so slippery you had to brace against the transmission tunnel every time you turned right. It apparently only weighed 100-odd kilos more than the 106, yet had more than twice the power, but it never felt quick or exciting. It had a retuned Saxo VTS engine that were the talk of the MAXPOWER crew at the time but it had to be screaming at the redline to get anywhere and I just don’t drive like that.
Carrying on the tradition, the exhaust split in half in the middle of a 2-hour traffic jam. It sounded & smelt horrendous but the 2 separate sections were at least still on the car when I got home.
I didn’t keep the car for long, maybe a year at best before it had to be replaced for the next chapter.
23 – Diesel daily
I decided to do a Masters and made the purely financial decision to commute rather than live on-site. I knew I needed something as economical as possible and found this.
It was priced well and local and I put a deposit down there and then with a view to return shortly. I did the HPI check after the deposit and found out it was a Cat D write off. The seller denied any knowledge but I managed to knock it down to a good price as such. It was a well looked after car with full ford service history and a huge stack of receipts and recalls. The write-off damage was evidently well-repaired and I didn’t care much/was too invested at this point.
This thing was more like it. It wasn’t remotely dynamic but I enjoyed the torque and ability to pull through the gears. It also never delivered below 59mpg to a tank. It was exceptional for the reason I bought it which was to ferry me to and from Uni as cheaply as possible. I was doing up to 25k a year whilst studying and it was brilliantly reliable & cheap.
As time went on it was referred to as ‘the cockroach’ as it was unloved but refused to die. Things broke, fell off and cracked and I just didn’t have the love for it anymore. It also gave me raging sciatica which I put up with for too long. It became a tool purely for cheap travel and on that front it delivered. It was meant to last me the 2 years of higher education but lasted for just shy of 5 until I finally broke (and it didn’t). I sold it on Gumtree which was an experience to say the least. Frustrating it went to a trader so I fear it's now in bits.
27 – Back where I started
I spent at least 2 years of the above 4/5 thinking about a car upgrade. I was on AutoTrader an unhealthy amount. After my first job post-masters I bought a house pretty quickly so had to prioritise where funds went. I also embarked on a push to be debt-free, which I did before allowing myself to buy a car.
Initially I thought I wanted an Auto diesel coupe, preferably German marque. I was looking at C/E class coupes and BMW 330ds etc. I drove a few until I had an automotive epiphany. I was test-driving a Passat CC with the number plate “OAP”. A quick U-turn occurred.
One thing I had wanted for ages was a Mk5 Golf GTI. I wanted petrol bow I was doing less miles and also wanted something sportier but still mature, slightly away from the boy racer image I seem to have followed inadvertently. I drove a friend’s remapped 3 door DSG (ideal spec) and I was left a bit disappointed. It was just a bit meh. And it drank like a fish which was a tough pill to swallow after 60mpg motoring.
I decided I wanted something with similar traits of the MK5 but with as good MPG as possible. A MK7 fiesta ST was obviously entertained but being from Essex, they’re common as you like and still fetch a fair price for a well equipped ST2 or ST3. Finally, I settled on the make & model I wanted and made the decision to buy a car with intention this time round. The right model, in the right colour etc. One popped up local and sold the morning I had arranged a viewing. Disappointed, I left the AutoTrader alerts on and as soon as this popped up, I dragged the OH on a 400-mile, 7-hour round trip to collect it in lockdown (after we were allowed ‘out for exercise’)
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/QKGC5Bzz[/url]
So, my car history is predominantly French and predominantly s
t. Decisions about cars were never thoroughly planned or thought out until now so I’ve essentially been rolling with the punches. 17 – The ticket to freedom
I was always into cars and bikes as a kid so I knew I wanted to get on the road asap. Whilst learning with an instructor I wanted something to go out and practice with and my mum’s escort was on its way out so we bought this off the widower of a late friend.
It was to be my mum’s run-around and something I could be a named driver on. After passing a combination of my mother’s tendency to bounce off of street furniture and a desire for independence meant I won the seemingly never-ending fight for it to be mine and mine alone. SO began my independent car journey.
Looking back now I realise how lucky I was to be ‘leant’ a car whilst still studying at sixth form. The agreement was I would pay for my insurance and then hand the car back to the parents at the end but I think they forgot/waived that bit.
I was the first to pass amongst a group at school (purely due to age, not skill, I actually took a while to learn with 2 instructors). Shortly after I took the helm, a mate passed and bought a near identical 106 with only a different interior trim. For some reason we thought it was hilarious to drive each other’s cars because no one could tell the difference.
Hindsight has been kind to my memory of this car. I swear it would stick to the road like R-Kelly to a bedsheet. It was not fast with al 60hp but I saw an indicated 3 figures once on a late-night return down a long hill. It would vibrate and whistle at a frequency only dogs could hear if you ever went above the national speed limit. And, to this day, a 106 cost exactly £30 to fix. No matter what part, it would always cost £30 plus labour.
I owned this car for 5 years and all I changed was an alternator and an exhaust which fell off somewhere near Maldon completely unannounced. It moved to Uni with me, took me back and forth to see the OH and survived the slums of SW London for 3 years. It was moved on to family friends for their 17-year-old daughter when I got my first job after Uni. I fear it no longer lives but I’m so grateful of the freedom, independence and memories it gave me.
22 – The awkward second album
.
This was sitting in the car park at my ‘extended summer job’ (read = lost in the void of post-university existential crisis). I took an interest in it and the guy selling it seemed to want rid so I spent my newly earned-cash on something with a bit more power.
It was still French, and still small but better equipped - heated leather seats that were absolutely roasting – but I never really gelled with this car. The seats were comfy but so slippery you had to brace against the transmission tunnel every time you turned right. It apparently only weighed 100-odd kilos more than the 106, yet had more than twice the power, but it never felt quick or exciting. It had a retuned Saxo VTS engine that were the talk of the MAXPOWER crew at the time but it had to be screaming at the redline to get anywhere and I just don’t drive like that.
Carrying on the tradition, the exhaust split in half in the middle of a 2-hour traffic jam. It sounded & smelt horrendous but the 2 separate sections were at least still on the car when I got home.
I didn’t keep the car for long, maybe a year at best before it had to be replaced for the next chapter.
23 – Diesel daily
I decided to do a Masters and made the purely financial decision to commute rather than live on-site. I knew I needed something as economical as possible and found this.
It was priced well and local and I put a deposit down there and then with a view to return shortly. I did the HPI check after the deposit and found out it was a Cat D write off. The seller denied any knowledge but I managed to knock it down to a good price as such. It was a well looked after car with full ford service history and a huge stack of receipts and recalls. The write-off damage was evidently well-repaired and I didn’t care much/was too invested at this point.
This thing was more like it. It wasn’t remotely dynamic but I enjoyed the torque and ability to pull through the gears. It also never delivered below 59mpg to a tank. It was exceptional for the reason I bought it which was to ferry me to and from Uni as cheaply as possible. I was doing up to 25k a year whilst studying and it was brilliantly reliable & cheap.
As time went on it was referred to as ‘the cockroach’ as it was unloved but refused to die. Things broke, fell off and cracked and I just didn’t have the love for it anymore. It also gave me raging sciatica which I put up with for too long. It became a tool purely for cheap travel and on that front it delivered. It was meant to last me the 2 years of higher education but lasted for just shy of 5 until I finally broke (and it didn’t). I sold it on Gumtree which was an experience to say the least. Frustrating it went to a trader so I fear it's now in bits.
27 – Back where I started
I spent at least 2 years of the above 4/5 thinking about a car upgrade. I was on AutoTrader an unhealthy amount. After my first job post-masters I bought a house pretty quickly so had to prioritise where funds went. I also embarked on a push to be debt-free, which I did before allowing myself to buy a car.
Initially I thought I wanted an Auto diesel coupe, preferably German marque. I was looking at C/E class coupes and BMW 330ds etc. I drove a few until I had an automotive epiphany. I was test-driving a Passat CC with the number plate “OAP”. A quick U-turn occurred.
One thing I had wanted for ages was a Mk5 Golf GTI. I wanted petrol bow I was doing less miles and also wanted something sportier but still mature, slightly away from the boy racer image I seem to have followed inadvertently. I drove a friend’s remapped 3 door DSG (ideal spec) and I was left a bit disappointed. It was just a bit meh. And it drank like a fish which was a tough pill to swallow after 60mpg motoring.
I decided I wanted something with similar traits of the MK5 but with as good MPG as possible. A MK7 fiesta ST was obviously entertained but being from Essex, they’re common as you like and still fetch a fair price for a well equipped ST2 or ST3. Finally, I settled on the make & model I wanted and made the decision to buy a car with intention this time round. The right model, in the right colour etc. One popped up local and sold the morning I had arranged a viewing. Disappointed, I left the AutoTrader alerts on and as soon as this popped up, I dragged the OH on a 400-mile, 7-hour round trip to collect it in lockdown (after we were allowed ‘out for exercise’)
[url]|https://thumbsnap.com/QKGC5Bzz[/url]As above it's a 208 GTI non-BPS. I wanted something fast and fun but still a daily and this is perfect.
I've had it for 10 days now and although still getting grips with it, I love it. It did an indicated 51mpg on cruise home from purchase. This has dropped a bit since I've been exploring what it can do.
It's very well equipped, genuinely fast for such a small car and the interior is a nice place to be. The seats are wonderful.
I can't decide if it handles well yet. It's the first electronic power steering I've used so it feels fast to turn in but seems to understeer on tighter stuff. I'm going to try and get to grips with it a little more on my commute. It's certainly not as fast or dynamic as a FiST but it's perfect for me as a 6/7 tenths driver at best.
Plan at the moment is to keep it stock and clean it a lot. I did add one thing that gives at least 30 more horses...
I've had it for 10 days now and although still getting grips with it, I love it. It did an indicated 51mpg on cruise home from purchase. This has dropped a bit since I've been exploring what it can do.
It's very well equipped, genuinely fast for such a small car and the interior is a nice place to be. The seats are wonderful.
I can't decide if it handles well yet. It's the first electronic power steering I've used so it feels fast to turn in but seems to understeer on tighter stuff. I'm going to try and get to grips with it a little more on my commute. It's certainly not as fast or dynamic as a FiST but it's perfect for me as a 6/7 tenths driver at best.
Plan at the moment is to keep it stock and clean it a lot. I did add one thing that gives at least 30 more horses...
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff