Used Peugeot 206 CC review and buying guide (2000 to 2007): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Peugeot 206 CC should you buy?

Buy a manual. The 206 CC was sold from 2000 to 2007 as one generation, so the gearbox matters more than the year: the 1.6 automatic uses the AL4 four-speed box, a known weak point that can start to fail between 60,000 and 100,000 miles. A manual takes that risk off the table, so don't pay for the auto unless you can't drive without one.

After the gearbox, the folding roof decides it. Its mechanism has given trouble, and a car whose roof won't work smoothly on the viewing isn't one to buy on a seller's promise. Early cars need one extra question: right-hand-drive 206s up to the 51 plate were recalled to have a pin on the brake pedal replaced, so ask for proof that's been done.

Which 206 CC engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

The gearbox matters more than the engine here. The 1.6 automatic's AL4 (also called DPO) box is a known fault area: old, overheated or dirty fluid wears its pressure solenoids, so it loses line pressure, bangs into gear and can drop into limp mode stuck in third. That's why the manual's the one to have.

If you're set on an automatic, it's only worth buying with paperwork showing the fluid has been changed, and after a test drive where the gearbox warning and the Sport and Snow lights stay off. Any thump as it engages a gear, or a box that won't shift out of third, means it's already failing.

The 1.6 HDi diesel only matters if that's the CC you're viewing. The 16-valve version of that engine has a known fault: oil cokes up the narrow pipe feeding the turbo bearings, starving the turbo until it wears out, and swapping the turbo on its own won't fix it unless the feed pipe is replaced as well. There's too little evidence on the petrol engines to pick one over another.

What should you check when viewing a used 206 CC?

Work the roof several times before anything else. It should fold away and lock shut without stalling, jerking or needing a push from you. A roof that hesitates on the viewing won't get better once you own it, so don't let a seller talk it down as a quick adjustment.

Try every indicator setting and both headlights. The indicator stalk electronics went wrong on lots of 206s from 2001, especially Multiplex cars, and the control unit that feeds the headlights on Multiplex models has been failing too. If anything flickers or doesn't respond, don't buy it on the hope that it's a bulb.

One owner found a gong sound meant the battery wasn't holding charge, so listen for it when you switch on. On an HDi diesel, a growling or whining turbo under acceleration, bluish or grey exhaust smoke when you work it, or limp mode points to the oil feed fault. And check it's a UK car rather than an import, since some were brought in from abroad.

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

What does a used Peugeot 206 CC cost to run?