1.0 Urban 5dr

Summarising Ten Years of ownership and 112,000 Miles with a 16 Year Old Peugeot 107 'Citybug'

Having owned the car for almost ten years, here is an update on the review I submitted after thirty months of ownership. https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/owner-reviews/peugeot/107-2005/?review=6324#selected

This 'citybug' is now sixteen years old, with 122,000 miles on the clock and a full service history. I bought it from a member of the family, who bought it new in 2009. My partner and I have put an additional 112,000 miles on the clock and for the last two or three years, it has been covering over 20,000 miles a year.

Firstly, a correction to my 30 month review. The larger 7"clutch is good. We eventually discovered that the first replacement clutch, fitted at under 10,000 miles for the original owner who only used it around town, was the same 6" size as the original. Even with very careful use, it lasted us for under 50,000 miles. That's not impressive. The next clutch, which was the larger 7" version, doesn't smoke unless really provoked on a very steep hill start. So far, it has lasted us for 70,000+ miles.

Electrically, some of the original bulbs have not yet been replaced and all other electrics are fine. On the back lights, some of the bulb and wiring connectors benefitted from a little polishing and the application of a little petroleum jelly.

Mechanically, it has had four small welding jobs. The rear axle mounts and the rear of the sills seem to be the areas most vulnerable to corrosion. At ten years old I started protecting the non-plastic parts of the wheel arches, most especially the front of the rear arches where mud and salt can collect. At twelve years old I started to wax the underside and the sills/box sections/subframes etc quite comprehensively. I think this work has been paying off, because I know the sills are in much better condition than other 107's/C1's of the same age that have done far fewer miles, that have not been rust treated. If I had started spraying the interior of the sills and protecting the rear axle mounts several years before I began, maybe I would have held back the need for welding. I have noticed that the metal work to which the rear bumper assembly appears to be attached at the back has badly corroded where it was not fully covered by the wax. At the front, this year I noticed that the paint had largely peeled off the small box section below the radiator, so I have now treated that area.

Mechanically apart from two clutches and the mirrors, there has been nothing unexpected to replace and the mirrors were cheap enough. The car still has its original exhaust, although to be fair two of the exhaust mountings have required replacing with simple aftermarket substitutes that are readily available and I have used jubilee clips to hold sheet of metal that I wrapped around the point where the two exhaust sections meet at the back. The sheet steel that I used is tin-plated, it's a repurposed baked beans can that was easily opened up using tinsnips.

Yes, it has let water in the back. These Toyota-based 'citybugs' are notorious for that. Sometimes It seems that thoroughly cleaning the rubber around the rear windscreen has done the trick, but on two occasions I have also used silicone to help reseal the back lights, letting it dry before pushing the lights back into position on the car. In the spare wheel storage area, I have removed the rubber bung so that most of what leaks in can escape.

My wife is now the main user and most weeks she drives it about 350 miles. I prefer it for journeys of up to 20 miles whenever it is available. Having said that, this month I'm taking it on an overnight trip of 300 miles. It is a journey that I have undertaken before in the little Peugeot. It's much quieter at 60mph, so I'll drive with the trucks. I'm old enough to realise that the 107 is luxury when I compare it with 1960's Minis, in which I was forced to shout to make any conversation with my parents while travelling in the back at 70mph.

We keep this car because it remains 100% reliable, it's fun (but noisy) to drive and it's very cheap to run. There is hardly and depreciation remaining and it handles quite nicely. The ground clearance seems a little limited, especially with more than one adult in it, but looking at other car specifications it doesn't appear to be excessively low.

Last month, after getting the car through what must have been its fourteenth MOT with just a weld and a handbrake cable, the mechanic and co-owner of the small garage which has been maintaining it for ten years said it is capable of lasting us to 200,000 miles. He likes the Toyota Aygo, Citroen C1 & Peugeot 107 Citybugs.

Since new the car has done 122,000 miles. It has never let us down.

However long it lasts us when it needs replacing, if we go for another ICE we'll be very likely to buy the updated version, the Peugeot 108 or the Citroen/Toyota equivalent.

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