I really appreciate the variety of content on the channel. Supercars one day to every man cars the next. The aspirational and the obtainable, all are treated equally.
I've been driving a 206CC for 21 years. With the 2.0 petrol and manual transmission, it was basically like buying a 206GTI with the bonus of a folding hardtop. And yes, the roof still works, as does everyrhing else. Can't imagine ever getting rid of it - still gives me a smile every time I drop the roof on a sunny day!
I think many ‘non’ car people will always have that mentality that if it’s French it’s going to fall to bits. These same people think all German car drivers never indicate to turn and a Honda engine has never had a failure since they went into production.
I had a facelift Roland Garros version. Pearl white, factory black directional xenons, 18" graphite grey wheels, grey leather interior with all the toys. 2.0 HDI with a 6 speed manual. Overall a pretty good car. Never had any issues with it. Great fun in southern France during the summer.
In 2018 I bought a 2009 Peugeot 207 Sport, 11,000 miles on the clock for £3000. Driven it from Glasgow to the South of Spain, France, Dorset and London. 37,000 miles later hasn't missed a beat, and with the roof down always brings a smile to my face. Works for me
My missus had a 307CC at the time of that TG episode, and it was an accurate representation of what a turd it was to drive (for a petrolhead). Yes, the roof came down using a very clever mechanism, which on a nice day did take your mind off the rest of the driving experience, but James and his long torso have just slipped down the greasy pole of my respect scale; he must've been away from his collection a little too long!
@@frenchbred2081 That’s already been covered on here but the 156 bhp variant. The hatch was my suggestion as it could have been a genuine contender to the alternatives and a potential return to form for Peugeot in the hot hatch sector. As you may know it was a strange car with two 1.6 variants one 250bhp and one 270, the latter having Alcon front brakes, Torsen LSD over the E-LSD in the 250 and a very weird addition of massaging seats!
@@frenchbred2081 No but oddly I saw one at a car dealers as I drove through Huddersfield last week. It caught my eye as they are quite a good looking car in a simple, non fussy way so I did a bit of looking up on them to see what specs they came with. Apparently the RCZ-R and 270 GTI had the most powerful 1.6 litre production engines ever made at 266bhp/270ps.
It's literally one of the prettiest convertibles ever made. I mean the back of the car looks so sporty and modern. Also the interior feels very luxurious and have many nice features
I was never gonna buy one these cars but I'm grateful for the insight I've always been curious about this car and no decent youtube would of done so, so thank you James 😊
You forgot to mention the cruise control button being so user friendly that I use it all the time over 25 mph. Also the puddle lights ,automatic wipers, swivel headlights, headlight washers etc. But it's the cruise control button located behind the left stalk that transforms the car from a pleasure into a joy.
Agreed, it's in such a convenient place, you can just tell the engineer spent extra time to shape the button to fit in your fingers, so you know what button you are pushing without thinking about it. Every other car, it's on the steering wheel and you have to reach over... becomes a pain for something you have to frequently adjust.
The 308cc. Well it might surprise J E that I went from a 156 THP Roland Garros to a Lotus Evora and then back to an older spec 2L HDI 308cc auto GT. I like these pugs so much that, between me and my partner, we have had 4 of them. So here is the deal. And things not covered. These cars tick many a box and frankly I can't highlight enough that getting a 2nd hand one is actually quite a good idea. Like Jay states. They generally are not ragged cars. Many will have been 2nd cars or purchased privately by people who wish to take care of their purchase. Let's get that negatives out of the way. They are not sports cars. The windscreen is so far back that it doesn't have the open air feel of many other convertibles. And now I'm going to contradict myself. Because get a face lifted 2l hdi with 162bhp and the 308cc feels a little sporty. No not Lotus sporty, but enough to raise a smile. Its torque and heavy and thunders through wet surfaces. My girlfriend has such a model at present. It is 200 pound tax a year and very good on fuel. Sadly it isn't ULEZ compliant. But we don't have any of that rubbish where we live. Ironically I have a VX220T which is twice the price to tax, but is ULEZ compliant.. yeah work that out. Anyway. Its a great model that was brought 3 years ago for 3.5K, with less than 50K on the clock From an elderly couple who litterally just drove it to and from the local golf club. So yes this is my point about getting a car that model that is cared for. My next contradiction is the windscreen rake taking away from the convertible experience. Get a car with an Auto box and the seat position can be pulled right back as you no longer need to reach for those gears. Get electric seats like I have in my GT model and it feels like you are driving a mobile hot tub. Especially with that heated air scarf and heated seats. I think the air scarf is brilliant. I brought my Roland Garros 156 THP from new in March time and had the roof down during the test drive. The sales person and myself were taken aback how cold it was outside once we got out of the car. With all heater on and roof down this is a convertible you can use any time of year so long as it is dry. We also had a 120bhp version. This car was about £1500 lasted us a couple of years with no issues. And sold it for £1200 when we were done. It was very underpowered and being a petrol it needed revs to get going. The engine was good, but not torque enough to pull such a heavy car. That's why these cars are best being diesels. My 156THP was not as sporty to drive as our 2L HDI. For some reason the HDI just seems better set up and suites the 308cc. The noise of the engine isn't bad either. There are two engine options I haven't owned one is the 1.6HDI, which, on paper, gives good economy and only £150 to tax a year. There is also a 200bhp THP petrol, which sounds interesting, but would be concerned about the engine issues and again these cars need torque and that is why I personally would stick to the 2l diesel. Just be aware. The 308 had a facelift in 2012ish and the later cars have far better performance (the old diesel being 138bhp), and ICE. Although the stereo looks the same, the later cars get Bluetooth and a USB connection in the centre console, which I find handy. You can tell the older versions as they have the open mouth grille and the later has day led running lights. I think the earlier version look better, but diesel engines cars are not as powerful and cost more to fuel and tax even though I believe they are the same base engine. There are lots of different interiors. I love the air scarf and that only comes if you have leather seats. There was many leather options and it seems Peugeot chopped and changed there mind on where to put leather. Some cars have just leather seats. Some have it on the dash and door tops. My GT is the full on lavish affair and I like it's hand finished quality feel. Some cars have electric adjustable seats. They really seem to have been rather individual spec'ed interior wise. Another plus for the electronic leather seats is I find I can get a nice tilted position to the base, which I can't achieve in the standard leather seat. Just a little something to note. So yes. We currently have two 308cc's. My girlfriends is kept nice and used as a main car. We keep it nice and it's Ok to take 4 people out in. Economical and fun. Its not fast, but your mates are going to be surprised how nice it rides and how luxurious it feels. Especially if you tell them how much you paid for it. My car is a Banger. I'm running it in to the ground. I regard it as a pickup truck. Roof down it carries ridged SUP's 4.8M timbers and all manner of D.I.Y crap and, when I'm done bodging my house, makes a rather handy skip with the roof down. She is also a spare parts bin for the other 308. No you won't want to buy this car off me. But she still cleans up nicely and it's funny when people say "nice car mate" I feel a bit like Bruce Wayne. I don't have a bat mobile, but I do run a VXT and Elise in the garage. I might be name dropping, but it brings me to a rather important point. My toy cars are not going to be great ploughing through puddles and certainly not somewhere where friends and family will want to be. The 308cc however always seems to put a glow on peoples faces. It is a land yacht. A place to enjoy dry spring and autumn days. With the roof up it's just like a cosy coupe and drives effortlessly. All cars are a compromise, but forget the image, the name, the badge and the 308cc is a brilliant buy.
Great review . I was looking for an automatic convertible under 4k, and this persuaded me to buy one the next day. I've had it about 2 months now, and it's a great car. Good boot space even when the roof is down, avaerage 40-50 MPG on Country roads /A roads , and overall great drive. Thanks for the review .
Peugeots of the time gained an undeserved bad reputation thanks to Top Gear. Sure, the BMW-PSA THP and its NA versions VTi are unreliable and high maintenance. But when they work, they are very pleasant to drive, use little fuel and perform well. And I like the design of the Peugeots of this time.
Cheers from Sweden. Really enjoy these videos and the blend of the cars covered here. Keep up the good work. I am not a fan of lowered cars, but I have to admit, this one does look better like this, not however something I would have done myself due to the loss of comfort.
I had a 308GT 175 THP and it is a surprisingly lovely "gentleman's express". It wasn't an out and out hardcore GTI but it was a lovely long distance cruiser. The seats were great and the adaptive headlights were epic. However, that THP Prince engine was so unreliable, it would make a Lada engineer blush. The timing chain rattled on start up, oil consumption was horrific (a litre every 800 miles or so), it had terrible low speed pre-ignition and I sold it as the turbo was loosing boost. However the worst thing was that the slave cylinder went...twice. A £1300 gearbox out job that was covered under warranty. It totally shook my faith in car and I quickly got rid of it. I genuinely liked the car but the potential cost and unreliability scared me into replacing it with a Toyota Auris which was boring, but bulletproof. My wife had a C3 Pluriel and you are correct; it was bonkers and truly terrible to drive.
I'm always thankful to the folks who specced and bought a fully loaded new pug rather than 'Tesco Value' trim. It makes for some bargain gems on the used market a few years on.
Fascinating to learn about cars I’ve never seen, and in this case, never even heard of. Peugeot, Renault (RA-NAULT) and Citroen left the US (some say were chased out by villagers brandishing pitchforks and flaming torches) when the Peugeot 505 was new. Followed by Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Rover, MG, Austin-Healey, Triumph. Don’t feel too bad. Gone also were Packard, Studebaker, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Rambler.
@@igordewit7357 Used to be a brand. Rambler, Nash, and Hudson I believe formed AMC, I may be wrong...im only 28 and thinking from memory...maybe Kaiser too? I forget.
Love the review as only the other day watched the 407 coupe review and I was saying to my boy it looks and drives very similar to my 308cc, so to my surprise the day after a review appears obviously I'm laughing my socks off but completely love mine; (2.0 GT HDI) as I've had it for a couple of years and it always brings a smile to my face on every journey. Not too fast but fast enough but always a great drive also my very first convertible. Love everything about it 😊 I'd be grateful to know the Bluetooth workaround for audio that you mention ??
My wife is wanting to change her petrol 308cc, bought new by her in 2011. Took it for a MOT, needed a tyre, a bulb, and a washer wiper motor. all came in for £220. Over the years it has cost very little in repairs. It is also an easy car to work on for the home mechanic.I has about 45000 miles on it. As a trade in offered next to nothing a few hundred ponds if lucky. The mechanic that sorted it out thought that my wife would be crazy getting rid of it, as still in really good rot free condition,. As he said you have entered the realm of really cheap motoring. This is a very nice, and very reliable car. If you are an attention seeker then drop the roof, and watch the expression on observers faces - brilliant.
I’ve got a 308cc diesel on the hole it’s been a good car two broken springs,which can happen to any car,I love driving it on a sunny day with the roof down.if you want a car that has a roof that can go in the boot get one.
Love Peugeot, I had an rcz diesel and it never went wrong and was smooth as anything. Made in Austria even some mechanics noted how well built it is. Yes it wasn't chuckable in the corners but as a GT car and general relaxing and occasional fun I loved it and would t hesitate to get another.
We had a 206CC, Peugeot's first attempt this hard-top convertible body style. It was a fun car when it worked, but the roof constantly had issues and frequently got irremediably stuck, usually in the most inconvenient position possible at that specific moment. Peugeot dealers were hopeless at fixing it and the loaner cars (standard 206s) were usually in even worse shape.
@@FilipVkv Ours had the 2.0 16V petrol and no issues to report, it's a solid engine they used in tons of cars. Don't think the 308CC was ever offered with it.
Owned a 308 1.6hdi 5 dr it clocked up a lot of miles, but did give trouble towards the end. I wouldn't say they are great, but they do deserve a bit more recognition than those chaps Clarkson, Hammond and May gave them. I think the mk2 Ford Focus CC would be a smidge to drive though.
Just finished the intro and already I can't get the top gear peugeot board meeting sketch out of my head. Even though I've owned 2 peugeots and they were excellent cars in that they were very reliable, fun to drive, dirt cheap to buy, maintain and insure, and reasonably spacious and comfortable.
So I once hired a convertible class car from hertz in Spain. Only to be given one of these when they were new. Any ideal how hard it is to open the boot on one of these in a dimly light spanish carpark..... Ended up half dropping the roof, opening the load cover and throwing the luggage through the gap before putting the "roof" back up. This just lend to a bigger problem at the apartment as the light was worse and the roof wouldn't go down as there was too much stuff in the boot ..... After much muttering about french cars someone I was with figured out that you needed to press the center of the 0 in 308.... 🤦♂️
The main problem with these cars is that practically all of them have a damaged top/hood system, and those that don't, are in the process of being damaged. Here in Spain are A LOT on sale, and all of them say (top sistem does not work).
The steep rake of the windscreen always made it look odd, same with the Renault Megane CC. I remember when I sat in one, nearly hit my head on the edge of it. The metal roof is a bonus but everything else around it was average. Other alternatives about for the money.
@@pap_chr5063 seen many in person and I disagree it looks better, Peugeot interiors being better than any rival is not true at all, I think Peugeots are better than Citroen and Renault but not there yet.
@@pap_chr5063 not real leather is it? Plus both will have better quality interiors and hold their values much better for a reason. You can’t compare the German brands to a Peugeot, it’s like comparing Ferrari to a Skoda. Two different things. I have been in many Peugeots, they are decent cars that do the job. I am not a fan of the Peugeot interiors of this era, the modern ones are better.
I just got a bargain 2011 308cc with only 140.000km. There are some little details on the chrome window trims to repair but overall is in good shape. Engine is 1.6 vti 5 gear manual box. Very low consumption. I'm happy with it :D
I wanted a convertible after years of having little hatchbacks but I still wanted something cheap to run. I bought a 2013 Golf Cabriolet 1.6 TDi with the optional leather and a few other bits and pieces. It still feels luxurious and is so cheap to run - £30 tax, £300 insurance and ~ 60mpg. Truly great all round car.
I have never liked soft tops but love a convertible. I thought about one of these but in 2007 Renault Mégane CCs were £13k new in car supermarkets so I bought one and loved it. This type of car is great for cruising around in and the roof is usable most of the year with a wind deflector. I have an SLK now after a regrettable period with a Renault Zoe. I disagree on diesel convertibles, horrible traffic jam cars
That's a bit misleading saying the THPs are unreliable, they only really have one issue which is the timing chain tensioner which gets stuck, if the engine was that trash there wouldn't be as many R56 minis on the roads as there are, as it's the same engine.
Ive had the cc thp version since 2011. Throughout the years i have had these parts replace a couple of times - thermostat housing, oil filter housing -alternator -ac compressor , condensor and cooling coil - waterpumps, high and low pressure fuel pumps - timing chain, turbo electric coolant pumps - head gasket, piston rings (full overhaul due to engine oil consumption issues) - brand new ECU - multiple ignition coil packs - various water hoses and cooling system - Flywheel & torque converter oil seal - valve cover, abs sensors - dump valves, brand new turbo, exhaust manifold - starter and solenoid switches - radiators and related components
It's surprising how nice Peugeot interiors can be, some on par with nice german or italian stuff, and definitely nicer than plenty of the newer german luxury models which now have plenty of obvious plastic.
Had a 307cc 2.0 HDI as my first car.... thought it would be hilarious, and insurance was cheaper than any corsa or fiesta I quoted. Spent about £700 fixing egr and turbo issues, but that was lack of maintenance so not the pug's fault. Enough torque to keep the fiesta boys quiet and in my opinion handled well for its weight. Sold it and apparently a day later all the electrics failed 😆 Good memories with that barbie car..
It’s the modern definition of cheap-and-cheerful motoring. These days, if I had to have an ‘ordinary’ car, I’d want it to be something interesting, which this is, certainly more interesting than the soulless crossovers been crapped out by every manufacturer these days
I have the 207cc. I've had it for over 10 yrs. Love it fun to drive and my dog loves the top down. Always wondered about the 307cc or 308cc as a replacement.
Like this restaurant we went to in Portugal which had the tag line "A Typical Portuguese Restaurant". I guess something lost in translation but it was funny.
Just recently bought a direct competitor to this. A VW Eos 2.0TDi, also 140ps, 6 speed, 18's etc etc. Completely standard, and like you say, the diesel torque delivery suits this type of car, only problem is the sound.....
Good for u mate. I donr agree with your view on fords bit pleased channel's going good. Your vids are entertaining and pleased you have a decent sponsor base. Looking forward to your future vids and pls review a mk 1 seat leon
Managed to buy a 207 GTI for £1500. It was listed for £2290 but the seller was very kind and when I took it out for a drive, the spring collapsed. Only just recently discovered they did the 207 SW in GTI/RC spec.
Test drove this on the Adriatic coast when it was new. Fond memories of that day, but not much to write home about regarding the car. Certainly wouldn't touch a used one 😬
In the spirit of convertibles, I'd love to see you review the Evoque convertible. Personally, I find the Evoque a bit awful in normal guise. But the convertible is something special
The A pillar is really up in your face. I don't hate the looks, but I prefer a more 'open' convertible. This seems almost targa-ish. For similar money, but obviously more hassle since they're old now, I got a Saab 9-3 old generation. £1500 for the car, same again for suspension and assorted deffered maintenance stuff.
Peugeot's dont get the credit that they actually deserve, especially in the UK. I've owned the 207 for 6 years and 130,000 miles on the clock, the car has been much more reliable than I could have ever imagined! Yet, over here in the UK, we are to believe that these cars are unreliable and terrible to drive after reading reviews over the years, you'd think the worst of a car. But in reality, 15+ years later, why are so many still on UK roads? Clearly Peugeot has been doing something right for all of these years.
Don't have any French cars in my market. But they clearly have enough issues to earn such a reputation. Good on you for not having any tho. I will swear up and down people should never buy Volvos after mine but others say theirs been great. Just all about personal experiences. If you have enough good or bad you know what most people experienced.
@@baronvonjo1929 Hi mate, thanks for the comment. I think the problem is to what you have expressed, perception. I owned a Mercedes C Class, thinking that it would be this amazing car and would be ultra reliable. Honestly, that car had it's fair share of problems. Did I enjoy driving it? Yeah, definitely! But was it reliable? Not as great as it is cracked up to be. Naturally if you drive like an idiot, you will do some damage underneath your car. But honestly, in regards to my own car, it's a very simply engineered car. Now, if you take that into consideration with brands such as Dacia, that is recognised as a reliable car brand. There is no real difference when you think about that being compared to a 207. It's not necessarily over engineered for the sake of proving a point that clearly no one had ever asked. Sure we want a car to drive well, but at the same time, does it need to be seen be a specialist when it breaks down? Or should it be designed in such a way, that it can be fixed with common hand tools? So far for me after 6 years, the car has done it's job perfectly well and still drives like a new car.
As a former owner of a Peugeot (4007) I encountered two major problems: 1) Every repair was a very costly ordeal- for some reason you need a specialized tool for everything which means you have to bring it to a Peugeot Dealer or a Peugeot specialized shop 2) I had major issues selling the car- despite being in good condition I had to trade in the car for half the price it would have been worth because nobody in Germany wanted to buy it
He mentions no one buying a higher spec Peugeot, going for a lower trim german - small wonder, because people know how much residual value both will have in the end.
14:50 ah, so it really was an Aventador I saw the other day. Downtown, it’s very good at aggravating every other roaduser. Monday morning commuters, kids on bikes, buses, pedestrians… Especially if you go up and down the same street four times, revving it all the way, you make a lot of friends. Other than that… why? What’s the bloody use of 700hp anywhere but in a professional racecar on a track?
I paid more than 1500 pounds equivalent (well I traded a car I bought for $2500 for it, but the seller also wanted $2500 for the car...was a straight swap, but for sake of argument, easier to say $2500) last month for my beat up, bad paint, 1998 Nissan Sentra eith a manual transmission. Prices must be chraper in the UK because of more strict regulations for registration, thus making vehicles lose value more. In the U.S., states with vehicle inspections generally have mucj cheaper beater cars, but stayes like mine (Georgia) with no vehicle condition inspections, vehicles hold their value long term much longer....which does suck if you are poor trying to buy a cheap car. You could buy a beater cheaper from a "inspections" state, but those are mostly northern states that have salted roads so the cars are rusted. So even though we have to oay more here for used cars, we generally dont have rust. B14 Nissan Sentras are known for rusting away hody panels...but mine has no rust on it at all, besides where paint has gone away. So yes, even though I paid more for a worse vehicle....I wont have as many headaches tondeal with long term like any inspections or rust. The car could easily still be rust free another decade from now.
Somehow, many car makers ventured into four seater metal roof convertibles at the same time - all to discover that you either need to stack up at least three roof parts or end up with a very ungainly back. I wonder how Peugeot designers could build a life sized model of the 307 convertible, place it next to the outgoing beautiful Pininfarina designed 306 convertible and say: "Yeah, that's progress!"
Watch the engines on these, any rattles needs timing chain, they burn oil, check oil weekly when absolutely stone cold, engine management light on, Depopulation system faulty can be a nightmare to sort, front springs are prone to breakage, roof mechanism generally reliable, open and close regularly to keep it free from seizures. When everything is working, a nice car to drive, we've Owned a few
Comedians joke about the anomaly of the number of Brits with convertibles and the British weather. The British love of convertibles actually shows our love of the sun.....when it comes out. I am loving my first convertible, a 2009 BMW E93 325.
I've got one of those on my short-list if the local garage can't mend my Mk.2 Cavalier Convertible. Or an 07 or even a smaller 20! But push-come-to-shove I think it'll be an MX5. Time will tell. 😎
Many reviews always use the diesel, i currently have a 307cc which is the diesel, however, I don't do many miles and this is not good for the engine. I soooo want the 308cc, but not the diesel variant. What are the issues with the 1.6 THP? (Vti looks to underpowered so wont bother i think).
Thps suffer with lots of issues, main ones being oil leaks, timing chain issues including tensioners, turbos and high pressure fuel pumps, unfortunately just gives them a bad reputation
First of all - thanks for introducing all these interesting, kind of niche cars. I really enjoy watching your channel. However, i'd be seriously interested why all your "cheap cars" are so much more expensive in mainland Europe. I did a quick look and here in Austria, the cheapest option you can find is about 10.000,- EUR. Trade prices from dealerships? Maybe you're a good negotiator? 😅
brits change cars like residents of other european countries changes socks; wouldnt want to be seen on "an old plate" is part of it methinks. WIth a limited export market, that brings the prices down,
@Richard Harrold No of course its not everyone, and probably not even the majority. But compared to most other nationalities in the geographic region, brits are much more status obsessed. Even mentioning "status" out loud as a reason for doing anything in a lot of countries would get you labeled as a twat. I guess history, class society and population density of britain all play their part in making it so important, I would think. I guess the car is one of the few "accepted" ways of showing off. Anyway, good on you. Also very good first post, I really just repeated what you said, but I wanted to add my own slant of it also being partially influenced by lots of people changing cars often, PCP deals etc.
@Richard Harrold Might well be....though I can just think back to very old top gear episodes where Quentin Willson used to rate some kind of "status factor" for almost every car he reviewed. Sure it was with a bit of humor and tongue in cheek, but it was certainly based on some kind of rather common sentiment... Lots of other guys whos been around since the very old days says it was a matter of life and death if you got the Cavaliers GLS or just the GL as company car/repmobile etc.... ;) But perhaps thats just London centric as well.. I am not sure. About 15 years ago, my friend got order s from above to change out his own 90s Astra for at least a 00s Mondeo when he was out selling products for the company... otherwise people would think they werent serious, was their reasoning. His own money, didnt get a penny from the managment to do it though,
I used to love showing the trainees the 207 roof that would more often than not close like a brain damaged transformer either to left or the right of where it should be 😂😂
I always thought these cars are the biggest contrast between hideous front end and gorgeous, almost supercar like side profile and rear end. And that's coming from someone who owns the next generation of 308 after this one. Shame they couldn't get the front of the RCZ right either!
Dreadful things incuding the 207CC for which I had two from new in the space of 3 months, build quility poor and no doubt long term reliability poor. The dealers were clueless with issues, both cars were rejected in the end. Shame as they drove reasonably well but never again.
Don't do the NC500 - unless you like spending hours staring at somebody's push-bike, strapped to the back of a motorhome (which will, paradoxically, probably have the word "Swift" or "Rapido" on it). It is the road-trip from hell.
@@LIMITLESSMEDIAUK_ Is it because the GT spec was never available with that engine (1.6 VTI)? Sorry for the stupid question, I'm not quite familiar with 308cc.
It is bad! Too didn't work, headlights constantly broke down and was due to some strange canbus error. The engine used so much oil that I was are regular customer at my garage. The knew me by my first name (not a good sign) driveshafts went bad every 30k miles, rattles all over the place, it was heavy, slow and ate trough tires like an obese person in an all you can eat chinese restaurant. Did I mention the roof that mallfunctioned every time the car was in the rain? It went down but refused to go up went it was damp outside. I kicked it off to a toyota dealer and bought a camry fully specced. It was 4 years older I paid 2k in euro's on top of my cc. Never had a better day in my life. The only good thing I can think about PSA are the HDI diesel engines, those are pretty quick and economic. I thought my Alfa 156 was bad (but nice to drive!!!) but this thing completey drove me insane.
I really appreciate the variety of content on the channel. Supercars one day to every man cars the next. The aspirational and the obtainable, all are treated equally.
For they should be! I am just an incurable car guy
I've been driving a 206CC for 21 years. With the 2.0 petrol and manual transmission, it was basically like buying a 206GTI with the bonus of a folding hardtop. And yes, the roof still works, as does everyrhing else. Can't imagine ever getting rid of it - still gives me a smile every time I drop the roof on a sunny day!
I think many ‘non’ car people will always have that mentality that if it’s French it’s going to fall to bits. These same people think all German car drivers never indicate to turn and a Honda engine has never had a failure since they went into production.
I have the same model. It's my first car and I love it!
Our 308 cc is a great car no issues at all
Paint is still good, roof works perfectly
No issues at all
I had a facelift Roland Garros version. Pearl white, factory black directional xenons, 18" graphite grey wheels, grey leather interior with all the toys. 2.0 HDI with a 6 speed manual. Overall a pretty good car. Never had any issues with it. Great fun in southern France during the summer.
In 2018 I bought a 2009 Peugeot 207 Sport, 11,000 miles on the clock for £3000. Driven it from Glasgow to the South of Spain, France, Dorset and London. 37,000 miles later hasn't missed a beat, and with the roof down always brings a smile to my face. Works for me
Right now they cost around 5k€ in Germany unfortunately
I always have a weird soft spot for peugeot in that era, don't know why, i guess peugeot in that era have some odd yet handsome charm.
An older lady who lives near me drives an old 205 cabriolet,mint in green with tan roof . Makes me smile 😂
I’m reminded of the “modern Peugeot driver” segment Jeremy and James did years ago. The first time I saw that was the hardest I’ve laughed in my life
My missus had a 307CC at the time of that TG episode, and it was an accurate representation of what a turd it was to drive (for a petrolhead). Yes, the roof came down using a very clever mechanism, which on a nice day did take your mind off the rest of the driving experience, but James and his long torso have just slipped down the greasy pole of my respect scale; he must've been away from his collection a little too long!
Yes! That's one of the funniest bits ever!
Maniac
I'm not sure I am keen on sliding down anyone's greasy pole
@@theofficialstig the council really need to do something about these roads
James! That intro is spot on! It had me and the missus roll on the floor!
Quite like to see a 308 GTI 270 reviewed. Seriously went by the wayside that one.
Yeah a real missed opportunity by Peugeot
Or the RCZ R, same engine and running gear but a more interesting shape!
@@frenchbred2081 That’s already been covered on here but the 156 bhp variant. The hatch was my suggestion as it could have been a genuine contender to the alternatives and a potential return to form for Peugeot in the hot hatch sector. As you may know it was a strange car with two 1.6 variants one 250bhp and one 270, the latter having Alcon front brakes, Torsen LSD over the E-LSD in the 250 and a very weird addition of massaging seats!
@@Buck3366 indeed I agree. My RCZ R has the same 270 engine and brakes etc. do you have a 308 gti?
@@frenchbred2081 No but oddly I saw one at a car dealers as I drove through Huddersfield last week. It caught my eye as they are quite a good looking car in a simple, non fussy way so I did a bit of looking up on them to see what specs they came with. Apparently the RCZ-R and 270 GTI had the most powerful 1.6 litre production engines ever made at 266bhp/270ps.
It's literally one of the prettiest convertibles ever made. I mean the back of the car looks so sporty and modern. Also the interior feels very luxurious and have many nice features
I was never gonna buy one these cars but I'm grateful for the insight I've always been curious about this car and no decent youtube would of done so, so thank you James 😊
You forgot to mention the cruise control button being so user friendly that I use it all the time over 25 mph. Also the puddle lights ,automatic wipers, swivel headlights, headlight washers etc.
But it's the cruise control button located behind the left stalk that transforms the car from a pleasure into a joy.
Agreed, it's in such a convenient place, you can just tell the engineer spent extra time to shape the button to fit in your fingers, so you know what button you are pushing without thinking about it. Every other car, it's on the steering wheel and you have to reach over... becomes a pain for something you have to frequently adjust.
The 308cc. Well it might surprise J E that I went from a 156 THP Roland Garros to a Lotus Evora and then back to an older spec 2L HDI 308cc auto GT. I like these pugs so much that, between me and my partner, we have had 4 of them. So here is the deal. And things not covered.
These cars tick many a box and frankly I can't highlight enough that getting a 2nd hand one is actually quite a good idea. Like Jay states. They generally are not ragged cars. Many will have been 2nd cars or purchased privately by people who wish to take care of their purchase.
Let's get that negatives out of the way. They are not sports cars. The windscreen is so far back that it doesn't have the open air feel of many other convertibles.
And now I'm going to contradict myself. Because get a face lifted 2l hdi with 162bhp and the 308cc feels a little sporty. No not Lotus sporty, but enough to raise a smile. Its torque and heavy and thunders through wet surfaces. My girlfriend has such a model at present. It is 200 pound tax a year and very good on fuel. Sadly it isn't ULEZ compliant. But we don't have any of that rubbish where we live. Ironically I have a VX220T which is twice the price to tax, but is ULEZ compliant.. yeah work that out. Anyway. Its a great model that was brought 3 years ago for 3.5K, with less than 50K on the clock From an elderly couple who litterally just drove it to and from the local golf club. So yes this is my point about getting a car that model that is cared for.
My next contradiction is the windscreen rake taking away from the convertible experience. Get a car with an Auto box and the seat position can be pulled right back as you no longer need to reach for those gears. Get electric seats like I have in my GT model and it feels like you are driving a mobile hot tub. Especially with that heated air scarf and heated seats. I think the air scarf is brilliant. I brought my Roland Garros 156 THP from new in March time and had the roof down during the test drive. The sales person and myself were taken aback how cold it was outside once we got out of the car. With all heater on and roof down this is a convertible you can use any time of year so long as it is dry.
We also had a 120bhp version. This car was about £1500 lasted us a couple of years with no issues. And sold it for £1200 when we were done. It was very underpowered and being a petrol it needed revs to get going. The engine was good, but not torque enough to pull such a heavy car. That's why these cars are best being diesels. My 156THP was not as sporty to drive as our 2L HDI. For some reason the HDI just seems better set up and suites the 308cc. The noise of the engine isn't bad either.
There are two engine options I haven't owned one is the 1.6HDI, which, on paper, gives good economy and only £150 to tax a year. There is also a 200bhp THP petrol, which sounds interesting, but would be concerned about the engine issues and again these cars need torque and that is why I personally would stick to the 2l diesel. Just be aware. The 308 had a facelift in 2012ish and the later cars have far better performance (the old diesel being 138bhp), and ICE. Although the stereo looks the same, the later cars get Bluetooth and a USB connection in the centre console, which I find handy.
You can tell the older versions as they have the open mouth grille and the later has day led running lights. I think the earlier version look better, but diesel engines cars are not as powerful and cost more to fuel and tax even though I believe they are the same base engine.
There are lots of different interiors. I love the air scarf and that only comes if you have leather seats. There was many leather options and it seems Peugeot chopped and changed there mind on where to put leather. Some cars have just leather seats. Some have it on the dash and door tops. My GT is the full on lavish affair and I like it's hand finished quality feel. Some cars have electric adjustable seats. They really seem to have been rather individual spec'ed interior wise.
Another plus for the electronic leather seats is I find I can get a nice tilted position to the base, which I can't achieve in the standard leather seat. Just a little something to note.
So yes. We currently have two 308cc's. My girlfriends is kept nice and used as a main car. We keep it nice and it's Ok to take 4 people out in. Economical and fun. Its not fast, but your mates are going to be surprised how nice it rides and how luxurious it feels. Especially if you tell them how much you paid for it.
My car is a Banger. I'm running it in to the ground. I regard it as a pickup truck. Roof down it carries ridged SUP's 4.8M timbers and all manner of D.I.Y crap and, when I'm done bodging my house, makes a rather handy skip with the roof down. She is also a spare parts bin for the other 308. No you won't want to buy this car off me. But she still cleans up nicely and it's funny when people say "nice car mate" I feel a bit like Bruce Wayne. I don't have a bat mobile, but I do run a VXT and Elise in the garage.
I might be name dropping, but it brings me to a rather important point. My toy cars are not going to be great ploughing through puddles and certainly not somewhere where friends and family will want to be. The 308cc however always seems to put a glow on peoples faces. It is a land yacht. A place to enjoy dry spring and autumn days. With the roof up it's just like a cosy coupe and drives effortlessly. All cars are a compromise, but forget the image, the name, the badge and the 308cc is a brilliant buy.
Great review . I was looking for an automatic convertible under 4k, and this persuaded me to buy one the next day. I've had it about 2 months now, and it's a great car. Good boot space even when the roof is down, avaerage 40-50 MPG on Country roads /A roads , and overall great drive.
Thanks for the review .
Sounds good, want to buy one myself. Why does it have such a bad reputation?
@@hyperboreandreamit’s just the petrols that let them down. Diesels are solid
Peugeots of the time gained an undeserved bad reputation thanks to Top Gear. Sure, the BMW-PSA THP and its NA versions VTi are unreliable and high maintenance. But when they work, they are very pleasant to drive, use little fuel and perform well. And I like the design of the Peugeots of this time.
Cheers from Sweden. Really enjoy these videos and the blend of the cars covered here. Keep up the good work. I am not a fan of lowered cars, but I have to admit, this one does look better like this, not however something I would have done myself due to the loss of comfort.
I had a 308GT 175 THP and it is a surprisingly lovely "gentleman's express". It wasn't an out and out hardcore GTI but it was a lovely long distance cruiser. The seats were great and the adaptive headlights were epic.
However, that THP Prince engine was so unreliable, it would make a Lada engineer blush. The timing chain rattled on start up, oil consumption was horrific (a litre every 800 miles or so), it had terrible low speed pre-ignition and I sold it as the turbo was loosing boost.
However the worst thing was that the slave cylinder went...twice. A £1300 gearbox out job that was covered under warranty. It totally shook my faith in car and I quickly got rid of it. I genuinely liked the car but the potential cost and unreliability scared me into replacing it with a Toyota Auris which was boring, but bulletproof.
My wife had a C3 Pluriel and you are correct; it was bonkers and truly terrible to drive.
At least Lada have decency of not charging a lot for the car and made the car easy to service...
@@AntoniusTyas Too true 👍🏻
Would like to see a rcz r
I'm always thankful to the folks who specced and bought a fully loaded new pug rather than 'Tesco Value' trim. It makes for some bargain gems on the used market a few years on.
Fascinating to learn about cars I’ve never seen, and in this case, never even heard of. Peugeot, Renault (RA-NAULT) and Citroen left the US (some say were chased out by villagers brandishing pitchforks and flaming torches) when the Peugeot 505 was new. Followed by Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Rover, MG, Austin-Healey, Triumph. Don’t feel too bad. Gone also were Packard, Studebaker, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Rambler.
Rambler?Thats not a car brand.AMC you mean,probably..
@@igordewit7357 Used to be a brand. Rambler, Nash, and Hudson I believe formed AMC, I may be wrong...im only 28 and thinking from memory...maybe Kaiser too? I forget.
Love the review as only the other day watched the 407 coupe review and I was saying to my boy it looks and drives very similar to my 308cc, so to my surprise the day after a review appears obviously I'm laughing my socks off but completely love mine; (2.0 GT HDI) as I've had it for a couple of years and it always brings a smile to my face on every journey. Not too fast but fast enough but always a great drive also my very first convertible. Love everything about it 😊
I'd be grateful to know the Bluetooth workaround for audio that you mention ??
Thanks J, seems a passable cruiser for sunny UK days. Peugeot did consider themselves the French equivalent to Mercedes back in the day. 🙏🙏
My wife is wanting to change her petrol 308cc, bought new by her in 2011. Took it for a MOT, needed a tyre, a bulb, and a washer wiper motor. all came in for £220. Over the years it has cost very little in repairs. It is also an easy car to work on for the home mechanic.I has about 45000 miles on it. As a trade in offered next to nothing a few hundred ponds if lucky. The mechanic that sorted it out thought that my wife would be crazy getting rid of it, as still in really good rot free condition,. As he said you have entered the realm of really cheap motoring. This is a very nice, and very reliable car. If you are an attention seeker then drop the roof, and watch the expression on observers faces - brilliant.
Just bought one to go back and forth to work. Thanks for the vid.
Oh no! I get it we are summer crazy but I will remain in my hardtop on this occasion. Thank for featuring a wide variety of cars across the genres.
I’ve got a 308cc diesel on the hole it’s been a good car two broken springs,which can happen to any car,I love driving it on a sunny day with the roof down.if you want a car that has a roof that can go in the boot get one.
Love Peugeot, I had an rcz diesel and it never went wrong and was smooth as anything. Made in Austria even some mechanics noted how well built it is. Yes it wasn't chuckable in the corners but as a GT car and general relaxing and occasional fun I loved it and would t hesitate to get another.
We had a 206CC, Peugeot's first attempt this hard-top convertible body style. It was a fun car when it worked, but the roof constantly had issues and frequently got irremediably stuck, usually in the most inconvenient position possible at that specific moment. Peugeot dealers were hopeless at fixing it and the loaner cars (standard 206s) were usually in even worse shape.
What about the engine,any problems?
@@FilipVkv Ours had the 2.0 16V petrol and no issues to report, it's a solid engine they used in tons of cars. Don't think the 308CC was ever offered with it.
Maniac. Bloody council not mending the bloody roads
Owned a 308 1.6hdi 5 dr it clocked up a lot of miles, but did give trouble towards the end. I wouldn't say they are great, but they do deserve a bit more recognition than those chaps Clarkson, Hammond and May gave them. I think the mk2 Ford Focus CC would be a smidge to drive though.
Just finished the intro and already I can't get the top gear peugeot board meeting sketch out of my head. Even though I've owned 2 peugeots and they were excellent cars in that they were very reliable, fun to drive, dirt cheap to buy, maintain and insure, and reasonably spacious and comfortable.
A shoot-out for all old European convertibles we be awesome. Round up all the Saabs, Volvo, A4, Megane and other convertibles of the time.
So I once hired a convertible class car from hertz in Spain.
Only to be given one of these when they were new. Any ideal how hard it is to open the boot on one of these in a dimly light spanish carpark.....
Ended up half dropping the roof, opening the load cover and throwing the luggage through the gap before putting the "roof" back up.
This just lend to a bigger problem at the apartment as the light was worse and the roof wouldn't go down as there was too much stuff in the boot .....
After much muttering about french cars someone I was with figured out that you needed to press the center of the 0 in 308.... 🤦♂️
I remember when these were released and had a sit in one. Almost chinned myself getting in, did smack my head on the way out
Today I learned that £5,000 is bargain bin territory 😅
Sadly in 2023 it is! Though I was more referring to the £1500 examples
1 x zero too many?
You can still get bargain bin £500 bangers. But a lot of mundane stuff these days is this sorta price!
This car in the US would be at least 10k. Most likely would be more. Cars in the UK lose their value so fast its ridiculous
@@baronvonjo1929 Exactly...biggest depreciation in the World
My partner has one of these.
I wouldn't want one for myself, but despite that I've got to say it's unbelievably good for the money.
The main problem with these cars is that practically all of them have a damaged top/hood system, and those that don't, are in the process of being damaged. Here in Spain are A LOT on sale, and all of them say (top sistem does not work).
Usually the pump fluid goes low, the switch goes or the windows need a bsi reset, they’re pretty easy fixes alot of the time
The steep rake of the windscreen always made it look odd, same with the Renault Megane CC. I remember when I sat in one, nearly hit my head on the edge of it. The metal roof is a bonus but everything else around it was average. Other alternatives about for the money.
In person it looks much better. And the interior is much better than any rival. And the back of the car looks hot
@@pap_chr5063 seen many in person and I disagree it looks better, Peugeot interiors being better than any rival is not true at all, I think Peugeots are better than Citroen and Renault but not there yet.
@@snbala No they are even better than Audi's these days and mat watchon claims it
@@snbala for example a3 cabrios and 1 series cabrio have both ugly interiors especially a3 has too many plastics. Peugeot has leather dash and seats
@@pap_chr5063 not real leather is it? Plus both will have better quality interiors and hold their values much better for a reason. You can’t compare the German brands to a Peugeot, it’s like comparing Ferrari to a Skoda. Two different things. I have been in many Peugeots, they are decent cars that do the job. I am not a fan of the Peugeot interiors of this era, the modern ones are better.
I just got a bargain 2011 308cc with only 140.000km. There are some little details on the chrome window trims to repair but overall is in good shape. Engine is 1.6 vti 5 gear manual box. Very low consumption. I'm happy with it :D
The back end looks as if it's wearing a nappy! Not my cuppa, but I like the way you pointed out positives of it which I would find hard to do.
Wtf?the back end looks extremely attractive
@@pap_chr5063 beauty is in the eye of the beholder
I wanted a convertible after years of having little hatchbacks but I still wanted something cheap to run. I bought a 2013 Golf Cabriolet 1.6 TDi with the optional leather and a few other bits and pieces. It still feels luxurious and is so cheap to run - £30 tax, £300 insurance and ~ 60mpg. Truly great all round car.
i always thought the 308 CC was an attractive car, if i wanted a budget RCZ, i'd get one!
I have never liked soft tops but love a convertible. I thought about one of these but in 2007 Renault Mégane CCs were £13k new in car supermarkets so I bought one and loved it. This type of car is great for cruising around in and the roof is usable most of the year with a wind deflector. I have an SLK now after a regrettable period with a Renault Zoe. I disagree on diesel convertibles, horrible traffic jam cars
That's a bit misleading saying the THPs are unreliable, they only really have one issue which is the timing chain tensioner which gets stuck, if the engine was that trash there wouldn't be as many R56 minis on the roads as there are, as it's the same engine.
Ive had the cc thp version since 2011. Throughout the years i have had these parts replace a couple of times
- thermostat housing, oil filter housing
-alternator
-ac compressor , condensor and cooling coil
- waterpumps, high and low pressure fuel pumps
- timing chain, turbo electric coolant pumps
- head gasket, piston rings (full overhaul due to engine oil consumption issues)
- brand new ECU
- multiple ignition coil packs
- various water hoses and cooling system
- Flywheel & torque converter oil seal
- valve cover, abs sensors
- dump valves, brand new turbo, exhaust manifold
- starter and solenoid switches
- radiators and related components
It's surprising how nice Peugeot interiors can be, some on par with nice german or italian stuff, and definitely nicer than plenty of the newer german luxury models which now have plenty of obvious plastic.
Had a 307cc 2.0 HDI as my first car.... thought it would be hilarious, and insurance was cheaper than any corsa or fiesta I quoted. Spent about £700 fixing egr and turbo issues, but that was lack of maintenance so not the pug's fault. Enough torque to keep the fiesta boys quiet and in my opinion handled well for its weight. Sold it and apparently a day later all the electrics failed 😆 Good memories with that barbie car..
Car 😍 I love a convertible. Shape & interior is nice & funky. Makes me want to purchase for my 1st car 😊
It’s the modern definition of cheap-and-cheerful motoring. These days, if I had to have an ‘ordinary’ car, I’d want it to be something interesting, which this is, certainly more interesting than the soulless crossovers been crapped out by every manufacturer these days
I got a 207 cc and i love it in all weathers 🌞☔
I have the 207cc. I've had it for over 10 yrs. Love it fun to drive and my dog loves the top down. Always wondered about the 307cc or 308cc as a replacement.
307cc did fine by me when I had it... never driven a 207cc though.
"Not all that bad". Peugeot marketing should use that
Like this restaurant we went to in Portugal which had the tag line "A Typical Portuguese Restaurant". I guess something lost in translation but it was funny.
Just recently bought a direct competitor to this. A VW Eos 2.0TDi, also 140ps, 6 speed, 18's etc etc. Completely standard, and like you say, the diesel torque delivery suits this type of car, only problem is the sound.....
My cousin has the eos ,it looks hideous and it's very unreliable.
Good for u mate. I donr agree with your view on fords bit pleased channel's going good. Your vids are entertaining and pleased you have a decent sponsor base. Looking forward to your future vids and pls review a mk 1 seat leon
Managed to buy a 207 GTI for £1500. It was listed for £2290 but the seller was very kind and when I took it out for a drive, the spring collapsed. Only just recently discovered they did the 207 SW in GTI/RC spec.
I own the petrol turbo one and it needs a tow to the shop once every 2 or 3 months
Do you also like being spanked?)
Test drove this on the Adriatic coast when it was new. Fond memories of that day, but not much to write home about regarding the car. Certainly wouldn't touch a used one 😬
Love this car. The guy driving it in this video is so smug it hurts. This is one brilliant car.
True, avoid any THP engine prior 2011. I have a 2014 THP that doesn't burn oil and is very reliable. The 2.0 HDI is brilliant.
Where are you based? I only ask as in the UK we got the revised engine in 2010 in the Mini. Not sure about other manufacturers though
In the spirit of convertibles, I'd love to see you review the Evoque convertible.
Personally, I find the Evoque a bit awful in normal guise. But the convertible is something special
That ducks top 🎉 feel like you have a bruins jersey in your locker somewhere!
The A pillar is really up in your face. I don't hate the looks, but I prefer a more 'open' convertible. This seems almost targa-ish. For similar money, but obviously more hassle since they're old now, I got a Saab 9-3 old generation. £1500 for the car, same again for suspension and assorted deffered maintenance stuff.
Peugeot's dont get the credit that they actually deserve, especially in the UK. I've owned the 207 for 6 years and 130,000 miles on the clock, the car has been much more reliable than I could have ever imagined! Yet, over here in the UK, we are to believe that these cars are unreliable and terrible to drive after reading reviews over the years, you'd think the worst of a car. But in reality, 15+ years later, why are so many still on UK roads? Clearly Peugeot has been doing something right for all of these years.
Don't have any French cars in my market. But they clearly have enough issues to earn such a reputation. Good on you for not having any tho. I will swear up and down people should never buy Volvos after mine but others say theirs been great. Just all about personal experiences. If you have enough good or bad you know what most people experienced.
@@baronvonjo1929 Hi mate, thanks for the comment. I think the problem is to what you have expressed, perception. I owned a Mercedes C Class, thinking that it would be this amazing car and would be ultra reliable. Honestly, that car had it's fair share of problems. Did I enjoy driving it? Yeah, definitely! But was it reliable? Not as great as it is cracked up to be. Naturally if you drive like an idiot, you will do some damage underneath your car. But honestly, in regards to my own car, it's a very simply engineered car. Now, if you take that into consideration with brands such as Dacia, that is recognised as a reliable car brand. There is no real difference when you think about that being compared to a 207. It's not necessarily over engineered for the sake of proving a point that clearly no one had ever asked. Sure we want a car to drive well, but at the same time, does it need to be seen be a specialist when it breaks down? Or should it be designed in such a way, that it can be fixed with common hand tools? So far for me after 6 years, the car has done it's job perfectly well and still drives like a new car.
I nearly went for one of these but the tiny rear seats did put me off. went for a Volvo C70 D5 instead
Pearl white, nice enough, I'd have the V6 3.0 407 Coupe over it tho. Every day week. Where being a Lion, that is.
Hello just bought one and there is a really strong smell of exhaust fumes. Could you please advise why? Thank you
As a former owner of a Peugeot (4007) I encountered two major problems:
1) Every repair was a very costly ordeal- for some reason you need a specialized tool for everything which means you have to bring it to a Peugeot Dealer or a Peugeot specialized shop
2) I had major issues selling the car- despite being in good condition I had to trade in the car for half the price it would have been worth because nobody in Germany wanted to buy it
He mentions no one buying a higher spec Peugeot, going for a lower trim german - small wonder, because people know how much residual value both will have in the end.
Germans also overwhelmingly chose home-produced vehicles and non-German vehicles tend to have minimal resale value.
Peugeot 4007 it's a Mitsubishi Outlander in disguise. So you had a rebadged Japanese car. You wouldn't have selling issues with Outlander
It looks like you’re driving round in a half-eaten ice cream.
14:50 ah, so it really was an Aventador I saw the other day. Downtown, it’s very good at aggravating every other roaduser. Monday morning commuters, kids on bikes, buses, pedestrians… Especially if you go up and down the same street four times, revving it all the way, you make a lot of friends. Other than that… why? What’s the bloody use of 700hp anywhere but in a professional racecar on a track?
I paid more than 1500 pounds equivalent (well I traded a car I bought for $2500 for it, but the seller also wanted $2500 for the car...was a straight swap, but for sake of argument, easier to say $2500) last month for my beat up, bad paint, 1998 Nissan Sentra eith a manual transmission. Prices must be chraper in the UK because of more strict regulations for registration, thus making vehicles lose value more.
In the U.S., states with vehicle inspections generally have mucj cheaper beater cars, but stayes like mine (Georgia) with no vehicle condition inspections, vehicles hold their value long term much longer....which does suck if you are poor trying to buy a cheap car. You could buy a beater cheaper from a "inspections" state, but those are mostly northern states that have salted roads so the cars are rusted. So even though we have to oay more here for used cars, we generally dont have rust. B14 Nissan Sentras are known for rusting away hody panels...but mine has no rust on it at all, besides where paint has gone away. So yes, even though I paid more for a worse vehicle....I wont have as many headaches tondeal with long term like any inspections or rust. The car could easily still be rust free another decade from now.
Somehow, many car makers ventured into four seater metal roof convertibles at the same time - all to discover that you either need to stack up at least three roof parts or end up with a very ungainly back.
I wonder how Peugeot designers could build a life sized model of the 307 convertible, place it next to the outgoing beautiful Pininfarina designed 306 convertible and say: "Yeah, that's progress!"
any review possible for the 308 GTi 2010-2013?
gj though
Renault Wind is the oddest of this small French cabs.
Watch the engines on these, any rattles needs timing chain, they burn oil, check oil weekly when absolutely stone cold, engine management light on, Depopulation system faulty can be a nightmare to sort, front springs are prone to breakage, roof mechanism generally reliable, open and close regularly to keep it free from seizures. When everything is working, a nice car to drive, we've Owned a few
23:30 I wouldn't worry - they tend to fall apart by themselves before too long...
Something to think about, these types of cars dont really have long regukar journeys, not very DPF friendly
Comedians joke about the anomaly of the number of Brits with convertibles and the British weather. The British love of convertibles actually shows our love of the sun.....when it comes out.
I am loving my first convertible, a 2009 BMW E93 325.
I've got one of those on my short-list if the local garage can't mend my Mk.2 Cavalier Convertible.
Or an 07 or even a smaller 20! But push-come-to-shove I think it'll be an MX5. Time will tell. 😎
Lowering a 308CC is just ridiculous, come on
I suspect it is just broken
not less ridiculous than putting a big turbo on some japanese stupid sports car
Hi Jay Emm. I have a 2018 Yaris in black, silver black alloys 110 bhp Icon Tec. Do you test drive everyday cars or just sports cars?
Nothing says limitless like a peugeot 308
To be fair, it was only Citroen that did the quirky suspension, struts & torsion bar is standard Peugeot
Many reviews always use the diesel, i currently have a 307cc which is the diesel, however, I don't do many miles and this is not good for the engine. I soooo want the 308cc, but not the diesel variant. What are the issues with the 1.6 THP? (Vti looks to underpowered so wont bother i think).
There are quite a few with that engine, early ones in particular
Yes don't bother with a vti
Thps suffer with lots of issues, main ones being oil leaks, timing chain issues including tensioners, turbos and high pressure fuel pumps, unfortunately just gives them a bad reputation
First of all - thanks for introducing all these interesting, kind of niche cars. I really enjoy watching your channel. However, i'd be seriously interested why all your "cheap cars" are so much more expensive in mainland Europe. I did a quick look and here in Austria, the cheapest option you can find is about 10.000,- EUR. Trade prices from dealerships? Maybe you're a good negotiator? 😅
brits change cars like residents of other european countries changes socks; wouldnt want to be seen on "an old plate" is part of it methinks. WIth a limited export market, that brings the prices down,
@Richard Harrold No of course its not everyone, and probably not even the majority.
But compared to most other nationalities in the geographic region, brits are much more status obsessed. Even mentioning "status" out loud as a reason for doing anything in a lot of countries would get you labeled as a twat. I guess history, class society and population density of britain all play their part in making it so important, I would think.
I guess the car is one of the few "accepted" ways of showing off.
Anyway, good on you. Also very good first post, I really just repeated what you said, but I wanted to add my own slant of it also being partially influenced by lots of people changing cars often, PCP deals etc.
@Richard Harrold Might well be....though I can just think back to very old top gear episodes where Quentin Willson used to rate some kind of "status factor" for almost every car he reviewed. Sure it was with a bit of humor and tongue in cheek, but it was certainly based on some kind of rather common sentiment...
Lots of other guys whos been around since the very old days says it was a matter of life and death if you got the Cavaliers GLS or just the GL as company car/repmobile etc.... ;)
But perhaps thats just London centric as well.. I am not sure. About 15 years ago, my friend got order s from above to change out his own 90s Astra for at least a 00s Mondeo when he was out selling products for the company... otherwise people would think they werent serious, was their reasoning. His own money, didnt get a penny from the managment to do it though,
hi-5 on the mighty ducks t-shirt though James
I used to love showing the trainees the 207 roof that would more often than not close like a brain damaged transformer either to left or the right of where it should be 😂😂
At least its decent diesel engine. Vs The 1.6 THP engine that was a joint venture for the German & French. The worlds 1st chocolate engine.
I always thought these cars are the biggest contrast between hideous front end and gorgeous, almost supercar like side profile and rear end. And that's coming from someone who owns the next generation of 308 after this one. Shame they couldn't get the front of the RCZ right either!
Yeah Peugeot really struggled with styling after the 406
Ironically, you will find a split in opinion here, with what I am prety sure the majority having the exact opposite opinion to yours!
@@GoldenCroc I doubt that somehow!
@@GryphLane No really, I am serious. Just shows how different opinions can be.
In person the front doesn't look bad in the 308cc and rcz.The back ends of these cars look extremely hot and modern
Dreadful things incuding the 207CC for which I had two from new in the space of 3 months, build quility poor and no doubt long term reliability poor. The dealers were clueless with issues, both cars were rejected in the end. Shame as they drove reasonably well but never again.
Hope peugeot relive this model and 407 v6
Don't do the NC500 - unless you like spending hours staring at somebody's push-bike, strapped to the back of a motorhome (which will, paradoxically, probably have the word "Swift" or "Rapido" on it). It is the road-trip from hell.
Which petrol engine would you recommend in this model?
And do you think diesel is the much better option? Thanks!
Diesel is much better option than the petrols
1.6vti non turbo it's the most reliable downsides are you won't be able to get a top spec model
@@LIMITLESSMEDIAUK_ Is it because the GT spec was never available with that engine (1.6 VTI)? Sorry for the stupid question, I'm not quite familiar with 308cc.
@@Teominatorbg the 1.6vti only comes in the active and sport trims - not the SE or gt
@@LIMITLESSMEDIAUK_ thank you for the info and help. You've got a lovely 308cc GT there! :-)
THANKS FOR THE AMAZING VIDEO! If anyone is after a cheap 2010 308cc my friend has a top spec gt hdi for sale 🤟
It is bad! Too didn't work, headlights constantly broke down and was due to some strange canbus error. The engine used so much oil that I was are regular customer at my garage. The knew me by my first name (not a good sign) driveshafts went bad every 30k miles, rattles all over the place, it was heavy, slow and ate trough tires like an obese person in an all you can eat chinese restaurant. Did I mention the roof that mallfunctioned every time the car was in the rain? It went down but refused to go up went it was damp outside. I kicked it off to a toyota dealer and bought a camry fully specced. It was 4 years older I paid 2k in euro's on top of my cc. Never had a better day in my life. The only good thing I can think about PSA are the HDI diesel engines, those are pretty quick and economic. I thought my Alfa 156 was bad (but nice to drive!!!) but this thing completey drove me insane.
They did make a WRC car out of this things predecessor and it was driven by Marcus Grönholm. I have no idea why!
135PS 306 Cabrio is the one to get 👍
Pfff I've been driving with my roof (AND WINDOWS) down all winter.
Bloody fair weather windows up drivers aren't real brits
Mighty Ducks I see. I'm surprised your wearing that in England.
So with roof up you could get 465 litres of explosive liquid in the boot 🤔
It's gorgeous🦚❤️🔥