15 October 2014

The little Peugeot

In many ways, I think the little Peugeot 206 that I bought in 2003 might be the best car I've ever had. Maybe it seems that way because I don't drive nearly as many miles per year as I used to. Or maybe it's because it's a small car with a big diesel engine.

When you look at the photos of the Peugeot here, you'd never think it was 14 years old, but it is. Its engine is going strong, and the car looks good inside and out.


I've owned a lot of cars since 1971, when I got my first one: a 1966 Ford Fairlane. My father gave it to me as a graduation present when I finished college. I kept it for one year. Over the years, I've owned a 1973 Opel, which I bought new in North Carolina back then for about $3500 U.S. It was pretty basic. And  for a year in Paris I owned a 1972 Renault R4, which was nearly ten years old when I paid $350 for it. That's not a typo. The R4 was even more basic than the Opel, but it was more fun to drive.


Subsequently, I owned two Subarus (one used, one new), three VWs (all new — a Jetta and two Passats over a 12-year period), and now the Peugeot. The new Subaru (1984) was a great car and lasted nine years, and the last Passat (1996) lasted seven. It was almost a luxury car.. Now I've had the Peugeot for more than 11 years, after buying it used here in Saint-Aignan.

The Peugeot 206 was the best-selling car in Europe for many years. It's too bad that French cars don't get much respect in America. You can't even buy one over there.

18 comments:

  1. My first car was a Mercury Montego. Dark green with white vinyl roof......$350 in 1980. Maybe $550.....I'm not sure. But it was a HOT car. After that I had a VET.....a little yellow Corvettet....haha! I still don't care about cars.

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    1. I realize now that I forgot my point in writing about the Peugeot. It was that I took it in for service yesterday. It is doing fine. We are going to be doing more driving than usual this month.

      Having a good mechanic is like having a good dentist.

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  2. No reason to sell a good car...
    that's only really for the fashun-istas....
    you are doing more for the environment by not buying new every three years...
    the manufacture of a car is more polluting to the atmosphere...
    and the environment around...
    and uses much mor energy...
    than keeping an older car on the road for thirty years![#]
    So you can keep running this one for another sixteen and feel really good!!!
    Keep it in a really good state for sixty... and wow... Gaia will thank you!!

    [#] That environmental payback time has now begun to come down, albeit very slowly, due to more modern manufacturing techniques...
    and new, more readily recycled materials...
    The least polluting car ever manufactured was the East German car with a pressed-cardboard body... the Trabant.
    It wasn't actually card... it was recycled paper and fabric... and there are still a surprisingly large number on the road!!

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  3. my first car - 1972 ford pinto, given to me by my parents as a high school graduation present (yes, they had a death wish out on me). purchased new for $2200.

    since then I've owned a pontiac, a chevy, and two hyundais. my current car is a 2001 hyundai elantra, bought used in 2006 for $7K. still going strong. and a good mechanic/regular maintenance is essential.

    we used to have a peugeot dealer in the area years ago. may you get many more years out of yours!

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  4. We bought an Opel Kadet station wagon the summer of '69 and definitely got our money's worth out of the car. We picked it up in Amsterdam and drove it 8000 miles. We camped and rigged up a tent in the back. Shipped it to the US and drove it for nine years, trading it in on our VW Camper which still runs.
    Buick serviced the Opels in Cincinnati and they did a good job with our "yellow bye bye", named by our son lol.

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    1. E., I kept my Opel Ascona for 6 years, but I ha a lot of trouble with it for the last couple of years. Still, it was a good car, but very stripped-down. No AC, only AM radio, etc. Those were the days.

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  5. Ken, your Peugeot sure does look fantastic!
    Are you two vacationing this month, or just having lots of out-of-town shopping and appointments? :)

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  6. Glad to read the car is going strong again after the spot of trouble you had in June. I think French cars are very elegant and are showing some very innovative design. Yet, I prefer Opel. The new Mokka is just gorgeous, but unfortunately too big to fit in my garage :)! So I'll stick to my little Corsa for the time being.

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    1. I don't remember any specific trouble in or around June, but with a 14-year-old car one always must be cautious. It wouldn't be good to be stranded on the highway with someone who was depending on the transportation. When I went to get CHM in Paris to drive him back to Saint-Aignan, I hired a car so that we would not have to worry about such eventualities.

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  7. Currently have a Citroen C4, Sue has the Peugeot 307 and we handed down the Xantia to the younger son. Like any car they all have the occasional problem along the way but I think they just appeal to us rather than the big Fords and Holden of Australia.

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    1. Leon, are you in France now? I have to say that I wasn't enamoured of that 1966 U.S. Ford Fairlane. However, my parents had a 1960 Chevrolet that ran great well into the 1970s -- it was the car I learned to drive on.

      Alt-hough it's not at all comparable to the '96 Passat, I really enjoy driving the 14-year-old Peugeot. It hugs the road, has good torque, and is comfortable even for a guy who is as big as I am.

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  8. Hi Ken, yes in France now and arrive at Carol and Michaels sometime tomorrow.
    I understand we are catching up on Saturday night?

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  9. We've had some fun times in that little car. Most memorable was when we zipped around the Arc de Triomphe in 2007!

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    1. That was fun for me, Chris, but I think my days of driving in Paris are now behind me. I just don't have the confidence and reflexesI once had.

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