My girlfriend has been looking for a car to replace her aging Pug 306 DTurbo for a while now. Today we bought a replacement, she'd considered a Skoda Fabia Comfort but they all had hideous interiors and also looked at few VW Polos.
It was a private sale 03 plate black 1.4 GLX with 26k on the clock, advertised for £4,695. We had a good look over it, all looked sound apart from some paint damage on the rear quarter from bird crap which would need spraying, a small dent from being shot with a BB gun and a fag burn on the rear seats. I said initially we'd offer £4k and there and then he accepted it, I think he just wanted rid, but I expected him to haggle a bit at least.
I've had enough of a drive of it today to get a good impression of it. The looks are growing on me, I'm not really a fan of French cars but in that class I don't think there is much better. It is pretty quiet at idle and reasonably refined. The interior isn't bad but is more "comfortable" than stylish or clinical in a German car.
Visibility is pretty good, the A pillars don't obscure too much, the driving position isn't however the best, the wheel should be telescopic but isn't, it just feels slightly awkward. The seats are OK but the adjustment mechanisms are far too intrusive. The white illuminated dial needles are a nice touch.
It revs fairly easily and sounds quite nice, generally good fun to make progress, but by no means at all quick, it does lose at at the top end to the DTurbo though. The steering weight is just spot on, quite often as in the Clio it is far too assisted and lacks feel, the 206 at least gives you a vague idea of what the front wheels are doing and inspires some confidence. The handling is generally pretty good, a reasonable mix of damping and body control. Not really suited for a lot of motorway driving though. The brakes seem very good, nice and sharp.
The car is seriously let down by the gearbox however, it's just awful, easily the worst box I have ever used. It is vague and sloppy, totally impressive and notchy, but not in a good way. It also feels fragile and you really can't change gear with any speed or confidence, it's just not satisfying at all.
On the whole, it's not bad but due to the gearbox I don't think I could ever recommend one. It is much more sure footed and handles and drives better than the last and last but one generation Clio though. You also have to bare in mind that of late I've been mainly driving a Passat and 11 year old diesel Golf. It's just a general compromise car, apart from the gearbox it doesn't do anything badly yet it doesn't cosset you like a Passat does and isn't a drivers car. It's not hard to see why they're generally driven by people who are not concerned about driving.
It was a private sale 03 plate black 1.4 GLX with 26k on the clock, advertised for £4,695. We had a good look over it, all looked sound apart from some paint damage on the rear quarter from bird crap which would need spraying, a small dent from being shot with a BB gun and a fag burn on the rear seats. I said initially we'd offer £4k and there and then he accepted it, I think he just wanted rid, but I expected him to haggle a bit at least.
I've had enough of a drive of it today to get a good impression of it. The looks are growing on me, I'm not really a fan of French cars but in that class I don't think there is much better. It is pretty quiet at idle and reasonably refined. The interior isn't bad but is more "comfortable" than stylish or clinical in a German car.
Visibility is pretty good, the A pillars don't obscure too much, the driving position isn't however the best, the wheel should be telescopic but isn't, it just feels slightly awkward. The seats are OK but the adjustment mechanisms are far too intrusive. The white illuminated dial needles are a nice touch.
It revs fairly easily and sounds quite nice, generally good fun to make progress, but by no means at all quick, it does lose at at the top end to the DTurbo though. The steering weight is just spot on, quite often as in the Clio it is far too assisted and lacks feel, the 206 at least gives you a vague idea of what the front wheels are doing and inspires some confidence. The handling is generally pretty good, a reasonable mix of damping and body control. Not really suited for a lot of motorway driving though. The brakes seem very good, nice and sharp.
The car is seriously let down by the gearbox however, it's just awful, easily the worst box I have ever used. It is vague and sloppy, totally impressive and notchy, but not in a good way. It also feels fragile and you really can't change gear with any speed or confidence, it's just not satisfying at all.
On the whole, it's not bad but due to the gearbox I don't think I could ever recommend one. It is much more sure footed and handles and drives better than the last and last but one generation Clio though. You also have to bare in mind that of late I've been mainly driving a Passat and 11 year old diesel Golf. It's just a general compromise car, apart from the gearbox it doesn't do anything badly yet it doesn't cosset you like a Passat does and isn't a drivers car. It's not hard to see why they're generally driven by people who are not concerned about driving.