Used Peugeot 107 review and buying guide (2005 to 2014): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Peugeot 107 should you buy?

A 107 from the January 2009 facelift onwards is the one to go for, because every car from then left the factory with a bigger clutch than the one that wore out early on 1.0 petrol cars. The water pump was uprated from 2009 too, but pump failure is still a known fault across all years, so don't treat a later car as immune.

Cars built between 2005 and 2009 aren't ruled out, but they need more proof. The original small clutch lets water in, its surfaces corrode and some have given up after only two and a half years. An early 1.0 is only worth having with a receipt showing the clutch was swapped for the larger later part, which was the official service bulletin fix.

Whichever year you pick, the electric power steering is a known weak spot on every 107, with motors giving up when cars are three or four years old and between 30,000 and 60,000 miles. That's something to test on the drive rather than a reason to choose one year over another.

Which 107 engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

Neither engine is in the clear, because a failing water pump is a known fault on both the 1.0 petrol and the 1.4 HDi diesel, and it's usually between 30,000 and 70,000 miles or three to six years in that it goes. Coolant dripping under the car, a low coolant warning or a rising temperature gauge are the signs, so ask whether the pump's been changed and when.

The 1.0 petrol is Toyota's 1KR-FE three-cylinder, shared with the Aygo, and it uses a timing chain with no fixed replacement interval. Beyond the pump, its big weakness is the clutch: the early one on pre-2009 cars shows trouble between 20,000 and 50,000 miles, so on one of those the clutch receipt matters more than the mileage.

If you come across a 1.4 HDi diesel, listen for a whirring whine from the engine, which can mean the tensioner's roller bearing is on its way out. If a garage replaces that tensioner, have the water pump renewed in the same job, since pump failure is a known fault on this engine. Its pump also had a plastic housing that was later changed to aluminium, so ask which one's fitted.

What should you check when viewing a used 107?

Lift the boot floor and feel for damp, because water gets into the load area through the extractor vent, badly fitted rear door and hatch seals, the rear light seals and the aerial seal. Check the passenger door seal too, as leaks have come in there. Don't open the glass tailgate in a strong wind, since a sudden gust can twist it and shatter the glass.

On five-door cars, check the rear side windows are firmly attached, as the glue holding them to their hinges eventually lets go and the glass can fall out. Try the key in the driver's door and boot locks, which can wear out after just over three years of heavy use. Look under the back for a rusty exhaust back box, which can rot through in two years, and ask whether the catalytic converter's been replaced, as some have failed at two to three years old.

On the drive, turn the wheel at walking pace: it should feel light, with no power steering warning light. Heavy steering or lost assistance points to the motor or its control unit, and holding the wheel on full lock for long can burn the motor out. Check the clutch doesn't slip under acceleration or smell hot, and listen for noise from it in stop-start traffic; one owner with a noisy clutch on a car just over three years old was quoted £664 to replace it.

The rear brake cylinders can fail early, in one case after four years and 4,000 miles, so look behind the rear wheels for fluid. Ask for receipts for any water pump or clutch work, and proof that the sticking accelerator pedal recall was done if the car was one of those called back.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

Is a used Peugeot 107 Mk1 (2005 to 2014) a good buy?

It's a sound buy as a 2009-on facelift car with the water pump's history on paper, since early cars carry the small clutch and every year can still lose its pump. There's only one generation, so the choice comes down to build year and paperwork rather than a different model. Apart from the leaks and worn locks, the feedback on these cars has been positive.

One owner's 2008 car, at 45,000 miles, had an unfused starter relay stick on and burn out the starter motor. That's a single report rather than a pattern, but it's worth listening when you start it from cold: the starter should stop the moment the engine catches, and it shouldn't keep whirring once you've let go of the key.

Don't take a clean service sheet as proof on its own. One car just over three years old had been serviced five months earlier with no defects noted, yet a garage then found a rusty joint at the bottom of the radiator, a leaking water pump and rear suspension mountings that had rusted through. Get down and look at the lower radiator joint and the rear mountings yourself.

What does a used Peugeot 107 cost to run?