Peugeot RCZ Forum

Evening everyone.

I'm new to the board so bare with me whilst I tell my story. I'm looking to get myself a stylish and not overly common coupe.........hence my interest in the RCZ. I'm married with a 7 year old child so need more than two seats and currently drive a 2006 Hyundai Coupe Auto which is perfectly good for what I need but I want to get something a bit newer. I've recently looked at TT's (don't like the image), Merc C Class Coupe (too expensive, even used), Hyundai Veloster (wife doesn't like it & 3 doors????) and VW Scirrocos (too plain inside). Then by chance I came across a RCZ in my local Peugeot garage. I've seen a few about and thought of them as a TT clone but when I looked closer there are a lot of subtle styling cues like the bubble roof that appeal to me and it looks more expensive than it costs. Having sat in one my child fits nicely in the back so everything is good in that regard and you can get RCZ's in auto's which is a must for me.

Anyway, I've booked a test drive of an ex-demo at a Peugeot dealer. It's a June 2011 RCZ 156thp GT auto in mercury grey with 5000 miles and has been used by the directors wife since new. It's up for £17995 which is a big saving on new and with my part-ex i'd hope to get in it for £15k if i like it........... BUT and there's a few buts which i need your help on.

1) It's a Peugeot and to be honest I've never been a lover of French cars since getting my money back on a brand new Saxo years ago, but thats another story. I'm just of the opinion that reliability and build quality is patchy.
2) I'm reading on this site and on reader reviews about a lot of faults on RCZ's ranging from clutches to sagging leather dashboards which concerns me.

As the RCZ is a new car I'm a little worried about shelling out a lot of money on a stylish car only to find out i'm back and forth to the dealers with niggling faults. Can I have some honest opinions on your experiences with your RCZ's and especially those of you with autos.

Many thanks

Welcome to the forum en8wall

I don't drive the Auto RCZ, but it is car that I would consider when I come to trade in the current RCZ.

Some members have experienced problems ( not all) and to be honest those you mention are very few and far between. You can get problems with any make of car, even Audi, BMW etc so I wouldn't let them put you off buying the RCZ. Those people who have experienced some problems have found, on the whole, that Peugeot have sorted them out quickly. There are also Peugeot staff from HQ who are active members on this forum ( which is unique for a forum I think) who will do their upmost to resolve problems and liase with dealers directly, should the need arise.

I've owned my RCZ for 15 months now and loved every minute of it. I would recommend one to you wholeheartedly but ultimately the final decision is down to YOU.

What you have to remember is that the forum is a concentration of the problems that people have suffered from. I have the manual 156 and I wouldn't want any other car.

Welcome fellow newbie

I too am a commited auto fan. 20 years from a 520 BMW through Audi A4 & A6 to Hyundai V6 to Jag x type to Volvo C70 convertible to VW Passat. Could find aa second hand auto 156, secondhand they are as rare as rocking horse poo. Had a test drive in a manual and wondered why I'd bothered with auto's for so long. Fun or what. I you are buying new then go for the auto but try a manual as well.

If you turn up for the test drive, then be prepared to become a French car owner (made in Austria) They are amazingly fun cars to drive. They look awesome, which means you wouldn't be able to stop yourself from admiring it. As RCZ1 has said there are members on here that have discussed a problem that they were having and Peugeot UK have contacted them and got the issue resolved. Now all cars go wrong at times but how many manufactures will get involved with sorting them out ?
TEST DRIVE. THEN BUY. THEN ENJOY YOUR OWNERSHIP of the best looking car on the road, that also happens to stick to the road as if on rails and pulls away as if it is a Porsche, but is a whole lot more economical to run.

I DO have an auto, no worries about the clutch problems that others have spoke of and touch wood, so far no problems with sag on leather. Its a six speed box same as the manual and gets close to match on the MPG (not as near as some, but close) and it has sport mode and snow mode.
For use on the M25 (car parking area) its great, no left leg problems !
Are you going the GT or Sport route ? If you are using the rear seats a lot you may wish to have the manual seat adjuster as the power is off on the seats till you switch on, so sliding the seat forward to make passage to the rears easy is not possible.

Any other questions ?

Regards
Paul141

Thanks all for your replies.

I'm going for a GT as it just makes sense with the extras you get. I'm going for used as personally i dont want to take the year one depreciation hit. On the Peugeot site there were only 2 used auto's which backs up the "rare as rocking horse........" quotes but one of them is only 25 miles away and it's the one I'm going for.

It's got to be an auto as i do a lot of traffic driving. I did notice today when my child got in the back that the seat base didn't go forward as it was electric but she still managed to get in OK.

Things i've read since my original post are dashboard sag; warping/denting bumpers in hot weather; whistling vents (seems minor issue), suspension crashing noise and engine faults relating to it being the same as Mini?? I know i shouldn't think negatively as the car is very appealing in the looks department it's just that i'm old enough now (sadly) not to be sucked in by first impressions and I need to go and look at it knowing what the ownership experience is going to be like. Anymore advice/tips greatly accepted. Test drive is next Saturday.

With the 19" wheels it is a bit "crashy" on our shite local roads, but once on the run its fine. So be prepared for that. I have a GT, so the one you are looking at is the same as mine (mine is the Blue) with black leather. You will find a nice size boot, the best rear vision I have EVER had in a car, and that includes the mirrors (you can see all three or four lanes on the motorway in any one of the 3) its bloody amazing. Do not bother with the manual shifty bit, its slower than the full auto.
Air vents ? I got no problems, problems like the mini (it is the same basic engine), but fail rate is nothing compared to theirs.
Do be prepared for missing kerbs in a big way, unless you got lots of money to replace wheels/tyres. Do look for decent parking spaces. Do be prepared for people to want to look/talk about the car. Do Rainx (or whatever) the rear screen, it has no wiper and the flow of air clears it, but Rainx speeds that up massively. Do expect the passengers to try and brake for you, the brakes are GREAT and you soon use that and brake later and later and later and then sometimes not at all as it has very nice grip in corners, passengers who drive normal cars don't like that. Do make sure you get the boot net that comes with the car when new, grippy corners and late braking is not good for contents of the boot unless strapped down by the net, use mine lots !

Have FUN with it, it is a fun car to drive.

Paul141

Go for it, choose whatever you are comfortable with, I am 70 this year & have owned well over 20 cars since 1964 & my THP 200 Sport is without doubt the most enjoyable car I have owned, just ordered quad exhausts today. Had the car for 10 Months now, no problems at all.

Had my test drive today, 90 mile round trip in freezing weather to see the car. 2011 Mercury Grey GT Auto with 2000 miles up for £17995. Faults, kerbed alloys that dealer can fix, BUT, rear near side panel had been painted which the dealer denied knowing anything about but couldn't deny it had been repainted when i pointed out masking lines, paint was an excellent match but got me think what may have happened. Dealer suggested it wa sre-painted in factory as the car was Dealership Director's wife's car from new
The Drive- Auto very nice and pretty quick and electric seats easy to adjust. Lovely airy cabin. No problems with sagging dash, the only thing i noticed was the constant whistling noise when heater on your feet which dealer convieniantly turned off during the test drive.

Final decision. Didn't buy it, not because of the paint as many wouldn't have even spotted it. Just the car not special enough (bit of badge snobbery) and it really suited my Mrs better than me, she loved it but it'll be me that's driving it. Maybe I'll have to wait for the Toyota GT 86.

Want to thank all of you for the tips and advice as I went into the test drive knowing loads about the car and what to look for. What did we do before the internet??

Thanks again.

So it is possible to have a test drive but not buy. I would not have thought that possible. Happy hunting en8wall and hope you get the car you desire.

Gorwell wrote:

en8wall wrote:Just the car not special enough (bit of badge snobbery) and.....

Wow, that's a lot of time, effort and wasted resource to discover you didn't like the Badge

???
I'd call it a lot of time, effort and research used well to make sure I didn't blow £18k on something I wasn't totally happy with when seeing it in the flesh. When you test drive a caryou need to use your head too rather than impulse. "Research" showed it had the same stereo as a Peugeot 206. Nonetheless it's pretty car the RCZ.

en8wall wrote:"Research" showed it had the same stereo as a Peugeot 206.

Not sure where you did your research but i would suggest you try harder next time......the RCZ does not share a stero with the Peugeot 206.

PS ... did you know Peugeot dont actually make steros so the headunit will most likely have been made by one of their standard suppliers i.e Clarion, Blaupunkt , Phillips, VDO or Harmon Kardon and while the head unit may be a standard Peugeot spec head unit available in other models in the Peugeot range the installation will have been specifically designed and tuned for the RCZ.