USED Peugeot 207 Hatchback (06 - )

My car

We had several test drives in petrol and diesel waited untill Nov 06 to negotiate a £2000 discount from main dealer. Car is very quiet for a diesel judged against 320d previously owned and Bora. Good to drive if a little hard on A and B roads. Very high geared agin requires a different driving technique to petrol in urban areas and slow to move off. Gearbox a little stiff but getting better, overall very pleasing. Watch out for the increased servicing Peugeot in their wisdom have changed the service schedules from 12000 miles two years to 12000 every year, only learned this when trying to get the car first free 6 monthly service which is now scrapped. Two a services at £177 and a c service at £240. The mini with the same engine is £150 TLC to cover 3 years. This is the second new Peugeot I have bought but will be the last.

My car

I test-drove this car after several others, including a Nissan Micra, Citroen C3, Renault Clio etc, and it ticked all the boxes.

My local dealer beat all the internet prices and I ordered it with dual-zone climate control, reverse park sensors, auto wipers and headlights, category 1 alarm, metallic paint and cruise control. It already had the panoramic glass roof. List price was £15,070 and the dealer supplied it for £12268, saving £2800 (thanks to hubby).

I was delighted with the price but more so with the drive - it's a good motorway cruiser and no slouch in town. I have had it for six weeks and 1800 miles I am still smiling, this is one superb car.

My car

I was after a diesel supermini, with sporty looks, a decent drive and plenty of space. I also had to have five doors. I looked at the Vauxhall Corsa and Peugeot 207.

The Corsa was more comfortable and I liked the engine. The interior was tasteful and I had plenty of space. The problems were the gearbox, first of all - it’s possibly the worst I have ever come across, but my main problem was that the five-door version looks horrible. I like the look of the three-door and I wish you can have a five-door looking like that.

I was looking at the SXi with air-conditioning and the total price with metallic paint was £12,970. I got the price to £12,600 but the salesman was reluctant to offer any more.

I then went for a look at the Peugeot 207. The looks are striking, but it wasn't as pretty as the old 206. I went for a test drive and liked the ride and handling, the engine was smooth and had lots of torque. The interior was quite nice. I liked the airy feeling and the comfy driving position, something I never thought I would say about a Peugeot. The stereo and air-conditioning controls were a bit old fashioned but nonetheless worked well.

Now it came to prices. I was still unsure whether to go for the Vauxhall or for the Peugeot. The list price is £12,595. I also wanted Iron Grey paint (£350) and full-length glass roof (£400). I got a 207 1.6 HDi 90 Sport 5dr with these extras for £11,750. Bargain!

Peugeot is back on form with the 207.

My car

I had test-driven a Seat and was looking at the new Vauxhall Corsa, but as soon as I saw the Peugeot 207 and test-drove it, I knew it was my perfect partner!

It is very quiet drive - you don't even know the engine is on. Steering is light, but becomes more heavy at high speeds, so you feel in more control.

This is a fantastic car and I can't wait for it to be delivered so I can show it off.