Faults:

Exhaust - catalytic converter replaced twice (after market), rear silencer rotted away so replaced, but both these items are pretty cheap. It is more the hassle than the cost.

Head gasket replaced at 60,000 miles; well it failed about 6,000 miles before, but I didn't have time to fix it. There was more oil in the cooling system than water. The 106 is infamous for head gasket failure, as the sealing between the water and oil galleries on the front of the engine is poor, so oil goes into the water and you get an oil leak. But all sorted now. Engine is fine, clean and dry on the outside. Also replaced the cam belt, water pump, tensioner bearing, plugs, HT leads and all filters at 60k miles. Peugeot wanted £1,100 + VAT to do all this! No way. So I did it myself for a lot lot less and properly as well. The car now runs sweetly. Still uses very little oil.

General Comments:

Like a little go cart. Makes driving fun. After replacing the head gasket and de-coking the head, the car is genuinely quick for a 1.1 petrol as it is so light. Mine doesn't have power steering, but this is not such a problem. In the dry it sticks to the road like glue going round bends, but in the wet the rear end can become quite light if you are pushing on. A couple of times when pouring with rain it has spun, fortunately not resulting in any damage to me or the car or anyone or anything else. One was on a mildly bendy left hand bend in a small village, and the second was going around a roundabout on a slip road to join the M25. This roundabout must have had diesel on it as the back came around so easily. I am really careful with it in the wet or when road surfaces are greasy, as it can be scary. But in the dry it is fine.

Interior is basic but comfortable. Obviously not the refinements of more modern cars, but not having all the bells and whistles makes it a lot lighter. Everything works as it should, no electrical problems, heater is fantastic and it warms up quickly. Very economical. I get about 45 MPG, maybe a bit more on a long run, about 425 miles to each full tank of fuel.

The head gasket was quite straight forward to change, and as I say, now it has been done, the engine is very eager; probably better than when it was new. Through the gears is quite quick. It starts to run out of power at 75-80, though it will go on a bit more if you ask it, but I don't drive it this fast, as well it is a small car with a small engine, and frankly this is plenty quick enough on the motorway.

Driving position is offset, so you tend to sit at an angle as the pedals are offset and close together. Unless you have feet the size of surf boards, you won't have a problem. Gear change is nice and slick. Brakes are adequate. They could be vented discs, but the car is so light it's not really needed.

Headlights are excellent. Horn is good for a standard horn.

Plenty of space in the back with the seats down. I can get my bike in the back if I take the front wheel off.

They do corrode, but a lot lot less than other cars. Mine has just started to corrode underneath to attract the attention of MOT testers, but providing you keep on top of it, it is not a problem. The car is nearly 20 years old after all. Topside paint work is still excellent.

The only major negative is car security. They like all older Peugeots seem to suffer from car thieves. You will need some sort of after market security.

Easy car to service yourself if you are able, and this keeps running costs low.

Faults:

A knocking noise started coming from the front of the car, and it required a bottom suspension arm, due to excessive play in the ball joint. While I had the car jacked up, I just replaced both lower arms at the same time.

Also, sometimes when it's at idle, the revs vary between 1000 and 3000rpm. Apparently this is a common problem with Saxos and 106s with the single point injection engine. This began to happen around the 110000 mileage mark.

General Comments:

The car is very quick, and the engine responds well from a hard drive, and is not the slowest 1.1 engine ever made.

Engine seems to be bullet proof, as mine is through the 200000 mile mark, and so far no problems with the gearbox etc.

Everything I have replaced on the car has been wear and tear, such as brake pads, discs, rear brake shoes etc.

Interior has worn well, considering the car has not had an easy life. The seats are very comfy, although there seems to be a problem with the rails, because now and again, they seem to slide back while driving.