First drive! 😎

[Ecrivain]

Hello, all.

Further to my 'seriously looking' post on 24 Sept, and at the risk of creating buyer competition, I thought it was time for a quick update on my search...

Another couple of HDi cars have come up not far from me. One is a 13 plate Dolphin Blue GT with black leather, (which appeared to have sold and then came back...) , not 10km from my house. Significantly above my planned budget, and not my ideal colour, but apparently in good nick with 34k on the clock. 3m warranty, extendable to 15 for less than £200. The garage is a small ex- Peugeot dealer, who claims to have sold 8 or 9 RCZ's in the last few years, and may be able to source others, when they come into the dealer network. Had a quick test drive yesterday and it seemed excellent to drive. Stiff ride, but certainly not uncomfortable as some online comments had made me fear.
So that's my first drive in an RCZ - big smiles, very enjoyable, even more hooked on the idea, now....
Took my 15 year old boy, too. He had a brief ride in the back before I let him go in the front, and said it would be okay for occasional trips if necessary (i.e. if we had to take his sister and she wouldn't go in the back...) He's quite small for his age! He was impressed with the trim, too, and told his mother it was 'as nice inside as Sam's Mum's Audi Q3', which I couldn't have planned better if I'd put him up to it! The MOT record on gov.uk seems ok, with only 2 or 3 of advisories and no failures.

There's also a 62 plate (Nera?) Black HDi GT in Norwich (25km away) this morning, 'arriving soon', no web photos yet, nearly £2k cheaper but with 69k on the clock, and 3m warranty. Planning to go and look, but weather forecast is terrible for today and tomorrow, sadly. The Covid secure, trying to sell online dealer I mentioned in another thread, with a 12 plate 73k mile Dolphin Blue with brown leather (who wouldn't let me drive it 'unless I was pretty sure I was going to buy it'... see another thread), has also phoned me twice since, despite saying they 'don't negotiate'...

I'm also becoming a bit more familiar with the options that may or may not be available, according to the foibles of the original purchaser, having found various brochures online. For example, Peugeot RCZ Brochure although the colour reproduction on my laptop isn't good enough to distinguish between some of the paint options on this link. e.g. Nera Black and Charcoal. The Wikipedia article on the RCZ, with all its links, is useful too. I hadn't realised they were made by Magna Steyr in Austria before I read it, here: Peugeot RCZ - Wikipedia

Any advice, comments, or other engagement welcome, btw.

 

[RCZIain]

Yes, Magna Steyr.

So if anyone mocks it for being French crap, you can point out is in in fact Austrian crap. Which was my favourite retort to the Peugeot non fans that I met.

My current car is pure Japanese rice, assembled in non other than the performance car Mecca that is Gunma Prefecture.

 

[Ecrivain]

The list of cars assembled by Magna is impressive. I must admit I'd not heard of them, though I have friend who is Austrian. Must ask her about that. We don't normally talk cars.

Link to info here for the interested: Magna Steyr - Wikipedia

I've actually see an ad for an RCZ this morning that said made in the same factory as the Audi TT, but my research suggests that may be wrong - the Audi seems to be Hungarian crap, to use your nomenclature.

The GT 86 looks a bit too pricey for me, atm, sadly, though you may have seen my 1990s Toyota tale on other threads...

 

[RCZIain]

The GT 86 looks a bit too pricey for me,

£7k plus an RCZ.

And not a poorly RCZ at all *cough*

 

[Ecrivain]

And not a poorly RCZ at all *cough*

Haha. I still feel a bit guilty about trading in that overheating MR2... But they were a main dealer, and they didn't *ask* if anything was wrong with it...
To assuage the guilt, I'll mention the dead A/C on the Citroen!

 

[RCZIain]

I'd just had the chain and tensioners done on my RCZ, then about 2 months later it started making this quite loud chattering noise,
and the clutch had started mooing when hot in traffic
Neither of which the dealer seemed fussed about after the salesman had driven it. So hey ho!

 

[Flanners]

Check out Pistonheads they have just made the GT86 a 'Pistonhead Hero'.

I like the concept of the GT86 but it is far too expensive for what it is and is underpowered, Yes I know it is about driver connection and handling but it has no real/proper oomph, in the real world 30-80mph driving on B roads the engine has pitiful torque around 150ftlbs at a whopping 6400rpm, my MG TF has more and look how they were slated for lack of ooomphh circa 2002, you have to rev the nuts off the GT86 and I had my foot on the boards a lot in the 2hrs I drove one (but then I don't like VTEC or the S2K power delivery either), think they chose the wrong engine to put in it and then the emission targets created even more problems as well; the exchange rate and taxes took it well over the promised £20K price.

I was into superbikes when I was a bit younger R1s GSXRs 916s etc and when I got the courtesy bike which was usually a 500cc Honda I thrapped the nuts off it and canned it everywhere it was fun and exhilirating but also exhausting to be on the total limit mechanically, handling wise and my own skills; screaming into corners to try to carry corner speed as the 500cc had little torque to power out, I feel the same way driving the GT86, Not sure if that makes sense?

I know most issues can be modded out but if you're paying £25-32K it's not on. With the MKII being released later next year, if the prices should fall for a decent used one I would definitely consider one, Twin scroll turbo should see it good nice linear power delivery and hopefully keep the playfulness of the chassis/handling, a bigger NA lump would be great but fall foul of modern emissions I guess.

Re chatter and mooing my R is going in for a Warranty job on the DMF due to chatter and the mooing! I want it sorted given the low mileage, I have flagged it up before and ignored at other dealerships, recent service flagged it up at another main dealer who was not aware I had the Peugeot Warranty.

 

[RCZIain]

I agree that that the 86/BRZ are under powered and do need a good shove to get them moving, but personally I think that's half the fun.
If I wanted loads of power for no work I'd have kept my 508 GT. That had 330 something ftlbs from literally tick over.
Compared to my 200 RCZ it's not as well equipped, not as quick and the interior not as nice. Plus economy is slightly worse and road tax more.

In fact my Mrs hates it.

I on the other hand love it, compared to other cars I've owned I literally drive it every day. More often than not to go nowhere, just to drive. It carves through corners like a house fly. Above about 4k it really comes on song.
Plus, 2 years and nearly 20k miles and not so much as a murmur in the reliability stakes. Not even a blown bulb. I check the oil once a week and stick some screen wash in it.

My RCZ, well I had that about 18 months. Coil packs went pop, timing chain and associated parts, and then just before it went, the loud chattering and clutch problem.
As much as I loved the RCZ I couldn't keep chucking cash at it.
My 86 is my first non Peugeot in about 10 years.

 

[DKZ5745]

A friend of mine has just chopped his BRZ 2014 in against a 2016 hybrid merc. He got £9500 which he thought was more than he expected. Not sure how many miles it’s done, but he used it for his daily drive so it will be quite high.

 

[Ian J.]

Yes, Magna Steyr.

So if anyone mocks it for being French crap, you can point out is in in fact Austrian crap. Which was my favourite retort to the Peugeot non fans that I met.

My current car is pure Japanese rice, assembled in non other than the performance car Mecca that is Gunma Prefecture.

Magna Steyr have assembled some pretty good cars over the years including some Jags and BMW.
Back in 2008 I bought a 2006 crossfire also put together by Magna Steyr and that was one of my favorite cars I've owned. The 3.2 litre Mercedes engine howled when used in anger and like the RCZ they were great value in part due to the slagging off they got from Clarkson on top gear.

 

[Marmite]

There is also a R in Norwich but it’s not for sale .... it’s mine Iv seen a few z’s in that garage over the past couple of years but think he’s a little high on he’s prices , my mate bought a cracker from a dealer the other side of Norwich a few weeks ago .. hope u find one soon