3008 or not?

[Zanda]

Hi, I'm thinking about buying a 3008 HDi 110FAP but I haven't owned a Peugeot for many years and a few things are bothering me slightly.

I currently drive a 2.0 litre auto (7 seater) and although I don't do a lot of mileage .... 7000 or 8000 a year, much of it is short journeys and I only average about 26 mpg ..... and it's starting to hurt! I don't need the extra seats although don't want anything too cramped either but what is important to me is getting something more economical with easy access and a compliant ride (back problem) and the 3008 ticks a lot of boxes.

Reading postings on various forums there seem to be quite a lot of negative comments relating to Peugeot/Citroen diesel particulate filter problems but I also realise that people who are p**** off are more likely to voice there opinions than those who are happy and so I am wondering how big a problem this really is and whether my type of journeys (often short) are likely to influence/increase this problem?

Likewise, there also seem to be a lot of complaints about the 'limp home' mode switching in at inappropriate moments ie. suddenly losing power when joining a roundabout or major road from a slip lane ..... are these still issues with Peugeots?

Finally, as mentioned above, I have been driving full automatics for the past few years and I do like the lazy driving style. I have only tested the manual 3008 so far and intend driving the EGC version in the next few days but I was wondering what opinions/experiences users here have because there are such mixed views around but a lot of it seems to be from people that have not driven one!

Thanks for any thoughts, opinions etc.

[chopper1192]

Originally Posted by Zanda

Reading postings on various forums there seem to be quite a lot of negative comments relating to Peugeot/Citroen diesel particulate filter problems

No one sells a diesel car over 90BHP in the UK which does not have a particulate filter of some kind, and the problems afflict all types from all manufacturers.

Properly maintained they're not that bad. The 110 unit is tried and test and problems with suddenly lurching into 'safe mode' are extremely rare. The unit is used by Ford, Volvo and Mazda with little problem.

At the mileage you do annually, there's is no advantage to be gained from buying a more expensive to buy and service diesel. Any fuel saving will be obliterated elsewhere - take it from someone who owns both a petrol and an HDi.

The other problem with your mileage - it's going to murder the paticulate filter and will cause problems sooner rather than later. It needs to get really hot, really frequently, to work properly, and at your mileage this will simply not happen and you will suffer premature FAP failure, guaranteed. The THP is a fairly thrifty unit for a petrol, and at the mileage you do a better long term financial and reliabilty proposition.

[Zanda]

hmmm ..... there I was, gradually convincing myself that diesel was the way to go and then ????

No, seriously, thanks very much for your reply ....... it's great to get an informed response from someone that has experience and knowledge of this sort of thing and who doesn't have a vested interest.

So, it's settled ...... I will stick with petrol.

I appreciate it won't happen for a variety of reasons but it would be nice if manufacturers made some sort of reference to these potential problems in their brochures, after all, there are a lot of motorists out there who mainly do short journeys and who are going to come unstuck at some point! I'd also like to win the lottery jackpot but that isn't going to happen either.

[chopper1192]

Fear not Zanda. The THP150 is a cracking machine in its own right, and not bad at all with the motion potion.