Worried New Aygo Owner

[kilts147]

Just placed order for new Aygo Go delivery march. Reading all the reviews leaks/clutch problems etc wondering if made right choice. I know all the negative reviews can anyone say anything positive please?

[Raistlin]

I've had my Blue for three years and it doesn't leak, always starts even under a foot of snow and it still looks as good as the day I got it.

It's fun to drive, cheap to tax and run.

That enough...

[mbellinger]

I have recently bought a new Aygo Go. I have unfortunately only driven two miles home and then two miles back to the dealer because it was handed over with myriad problems. My experiences are detailed on another thread.

Like all cars I buy, I researched the matter thoroughly first.

The Aygo is, as I am sure you know, the result of a joint venture betweeen Toyota and PSA (Peugeot/Citroen) and is built in a dedicated factory in the Czech republic. The Citroen is sold as the C1 and the Peugeot as the 107. Contrary to some mis-informed posts on this site, the cars are built by the same workers using the same parts, and are subject to identical quality control and inspection procedures at the factory. The cars are not even built in batches - a Peugeot can follow an Aygo which in turn follows a Citroen as they come down the line. The factory was funded by a substantial EU grant and is owned by Toyota and the workers are on Toyota contracts. There is absolutely no argument whatsoever that the Toyota models are "better built" or "better quality". Some argue that the Toyota model goes through different Quality Control procedures once it arrives in the UK, but my own experience exposes this as arrant nonsense.

For what it is worth, Toyota supply all the running gear and electronics for the cars. The only area the French part of the JV provides is the diesel engine and gearbox (no longer available in the UK), and the interior trim (door cards, seats, carpets). This is one of the reasons that, for a small car, the Aygo has such comfortable seats - the French are good at seats.

When first introduced in 2005, Toyota's ludicrous pricing policy meant that the Aygo was substantially more expensive than the two French twins, and was massively outsold by them. Over time, this difference has eroded, and subtle differences in equipment levels have also served to redress the balace a bit, such that nowadays, the three cars are more evenly matched as a showroom purchase, and sales have moved to a more level playing field. All three cars were given minor facelifts in late 2008, though this is much more obvious to the untrained eye on the two French badged versions as the Toyota changed by far the least to look at.

It is true to say that the two French marques have allowed the small car to whither on the vine a bit, and the car is now used by both manufacturers as a "loss leader" to tempt people into the showroom and then sell them a more expensive (and profitable) model. Peugeot in particular are guilty of this. Only Toyota has continued to invest in the car, by lauching new special editions such as the Blue and the Go!; and Toyota continue to give the Aygo a consistent brand identity. It is worth noting that, following Toyota's descent into build mediocrity generally, and the resulting myriad recalls, the firm started to offer a 5 year warranty in 2009, so there is now a clear showroom difference between the Aygo and the two French twins.

Since launch, there have been a number of consistent quality control issues with the cars based around clutches, water pumps and water leaks into the interior and boot areas. Like you, I was very cautious about this, and I conducted extensive research into the issues. It helps that I have access to certain trade and industry data that most folk would not. The clutch issue was reacted to by Toyota by the launch of a larger more robust unit that seems to be a fit and forget solution. No newer cars are affected. Ditto the water pump, which was replaced by a much better item.

The leaks issue is a thornier one. From the research that I have done, it would appear that in the early years of the Aygo/107/C1, as many as a third of all cars were affected. There are some striking consisitencies. Three door cars suffer more than five doors. Toyota has more recorded incidents than the two French marques added together. Toyota has not sat on its backside in fairness, and items like door and boot sealing has received constant attention and modification over the years. The reason the Toyota seems to suffer more leaks than the two French versions is because the Aygo has a huge problem with leaks into the boot area that the two French cars do not. This is attributed to the horizontal rear lamp clusters on the Toyota, whereas the French cars both have vertical clusters than run down the sides of the rear window. Toyota has redesigned the sealing in this area on the Aygo several times. The incidence of leaks has decreased massively since the facelift. Now the biggest incidents seem to be leaks into the boot area attributable actually to two vents behind the rear bumper that can just be poorly fitted at the factory. All three marques have experienced isolated incidences of this, but it is now no greater problem than any other car from what I have been able to establish.

The Aygo's good points are the general equipment level (especially on the new Go!), the warranty, the superb engine and gearbox combo that gives willing and urgent performance yet incredible fuel economy, and its low insurance group. It has comfortable seats as mentioned previously. It is arguably the best looking of the three cars as well - especially since the facelift. That said, Toyota's labour rates and parts prices are by far the highest of the three marques so it pays to shop about when buying bits and bobs. The current three year free servicing deal means that this is less of an issue on a brand new car.

There is inevitably some evidence of cost-cutting. In this day and age a glovebox lid should be standard. A seat height adjustment would be nice. Models with electric windows require the driver to lean across the car to operate the passenger window. Having an interior light that only works on the drivers door is taking the pee. However, most of these points are minor irritants that do not detract for me from the quality of the core vehicle at doing what it was designed to do. In any event, for the sake of a few quid and a Saturday morning fiddling, they are all surmountable quite easily.

I test drove three different Aygo's at different dealerships so as to experience different cars. They all struck me as delightful to drive, comfortable, and with an air of robustness. Ironically, given my own experiences, none of them rattled at all. I looked at every other manufacturers offering at the same or similar price point before making my decision, and test drove thirteen different types of car. In the end, like most people there was a bit of head and heart involved - my favourite to drive was actually the Fiat 500, but it is miles more expensive and that is before you even look at specification. Of the rest the Aygo/C1/107 stood out. My Peugeot dealer could not have been less interested in selling me a 107 if he tried - all he wanted to do was get me to sign for a 207 Verve. The Citroen dealer was helpful, but the overall package was not as good as the Aygo Go!, what with the TomTom built in, the low rate finance and the three year service deal.

I am looking forward to actually starting my relationship with the car properly. They are not the best thing since sliced bread, and don't pretend to be; but I doubt you will regret your purchase just as I don't - even with the hiccups that I have had.

[S_J_P]

I'm on my second Aygo and think they're great little cars.

Inexpensive, cheap to run, minuscule tax, cheap to service, reliable, fun, quirky, what more could you ask?

All cars have their faults and foibles, people tend to be far more vocal in their complaints than their praise.

[Jan&tone]

I'll go along with sjp.... Great little cars, cheap to buy, run,tax etc... Maybe not the cheapest, but you get what you pay for, I have no complaints.

[acetip]

I have recently bought a new Aygo Go. I have unfortunately only driven two miles home and then two miles back to the dealer because it was handed over with myriad problems. My experiences are detailed on another thread.

Like all cars I buy, I researched the matter thoroughly first.

The Aygo is, as I am sure you know, the result of a joint venture betweeen Toyota and PSA (Peugeot/Citroen) and is built in a dedicated factory in the Czech republic. The Citroen is sold as the C1 and the Peugeot as the 107. Contrary to some mis-informed posts on this site, the cars are built by the same workers using the same parts, and are subject to identical quality control and inspection procedures at the factory. The cars are not even built in batches - a Peugeot can follow an Aygo which in turn follows a Citroen as they come down the line. The factory was funded by a substantial EU grant and is owned by Toyota and the workers are on Toyota contracts. There is absolutely no argument whatsoever that the Toyota models are "better built" or "better quality". Some argue that the Toyota model goes through different Quality Control procedures once it arrives in the UK, but my own experience exposes this as arrant nonsense.

For what it is worth, Toyota supply all the running gear and electronics for the cars. The only area the French part of the JV provides is the diesel engine and gearbox (no longer available in the UK), and the interior trim (door cards, seats, carpets). This is one of the reasons that, for a small car, the Aygo has such comfortable seats - the French are good at seats.

When first introduced in 2005, Toyota's ludicrous pricing policy meant that the Aygo was substantially more expensive than the two French twins, and was massively outsold by them. Over time, this difference has eroded, and subtle differences in equipment levels have also served to redress the balace a bit, such that nowadays, the three cars are more evenly matched as a showroom purchase, and sales have moved to a more level playing field. All three cars were given minor facelifts in late 2008, though this is much more obvious to the untrained eye on the two French badged versions as the Toyota changed by far the least to look at.

It is true to say that the two French marques have allowed the small car to whither on the vine a bit, and the car is now used by both manufacturers as a "loss leader" to tempt people into the showroom and then sell them a more expensive (and profitable) model. Peugeot in particular are guilty of this. Only Toyota has continued to invest in the car, by lauching new special editions such as the Blue and the Go!; and Toyota continue to give the Aygo a consistent brand identity. It is worth noting that, following Toyota's descent into build mediocrity generally, and the resulting myriad recalls, the firm started to offer a 5 year warranty in 2009, so there is now a clear showroom difference between the Aygo and the two French twins.

Since launch, there have been a number of consistent quality control issues with the cars based around clutches, water pumps and water leaks into the interior and boot areas. Like you, I was very cautious about this, and I conducted extensive research into the issues. It helps that I have access to certain trade and industry data that most folk would not. The clutch issue was reacted to by Toyota by the launch of a larger more robust unit that seems to be a fit and forget solution. No newer cars are affected. Ditto the water pump, which was replaced by a much better item.

The leaks issue is a thornier one. From the research that I have done, it would appear that in the early years of the Aygo/107/C1, as many as a third of all cars were affected. There are some striking consisitencies. Three door cars suffer more than five doors. Toyota has more recorded incidents than the two French marques added together. Toyota has not sat on its backside in fairness, and items like door and boot sealing has received constant attention and modification over the years. The reason the Toyota seems to suffer more leaks than the two French versions is because the Aygo has a huge problem with leaks into the boot area that the two French cars do not. This is attributed to the horizontal rear lamp clusters on the Toyota, whereas the French cars both have vertical clusters than run down the sides of the rear window. Toyota has redesigned the sealing in this area on the Aygo several times. The incidence of leaks has decreased massively since the facelift. Now the biggest incidents seem to be leaks into the boot area attributable actually to two vents behind the rear bumper that can just be poorly fitted at the factory. All three marques have experienced isolated incidences of this, but it is now no greater problem than any other car from what I have been able to establish.

The Aygo's good points are the general equipment level (especially on the new Go!), the warranty, the superb engine and gearbox combo that gives willing and urgent performance yet incredible fuel economy, and its low insurance group. It has comfortable seats as mentioned previously. It is arguably the best looking of the three cars as well - especially since the facelift. That said, Toyota's labour rates and parts prices are by far the highest of the three marques so it pays to shop about when buying bits and bobs. The current three year free servicing deal means that this is less of an issue on a brand new car.

There is inevitably some evidence of cost-cutting. In this day and age a glovebox lid should be standard. A seat height adjustment would be nice. Models with electric windows require the driver to lean across the car to operate the passenger window. Having an interior light that only works on the drivers door is taking the pee. However, most of these points are minor irritants that do not detract for me from the quality of the core vehicle at doing what it was designed to do. In any event, for the sake of a few quid and a Saturday morning fiddling, they are all surmountable quite easily.

I test drove three different Aygo's at different dealerships so as to experience different cars. They all struck me as delightful to drive, comfortable, and with an air of robustness. Ironically, given my own experiences, none of them rattled at all. I looked at every other manufacturers offering at the same or similar price point before making my decision, and test drove thirteen different types of car. In the end, like most people there was a bit of head and heart involved - my favourite to drive was actually the Fiat 500, but it is miles more expensive and that is before you even look at specification. Of the rest the Aygo/C1/107 stood out. My Peugeot dealer could not have been less interested in selling me a 107 if he tried - all he wanted to do was get me to sign for a 207 Verve. The Citroen dealer was helpful, but the overall package was not as good as the Aygo Go!, what with the TomTom built in, the low rate finance and the three year service deal.

I am looking forward to actually starting my relationship with the car properly. They are not the best thing since sliced bread, and don't pretend to be; but I doubt you will regret your purchase just as I don't - even with the hiccups that I have had.

what a terrific post its very detailed and fair.very well done.

[Duce D]

Had a blue for just under a year and so far nothing has gone wrong and no leaks!

Also it seems to be quite good in the snow, it managed to get up the hill (all be it not very steep) to our house when the neighbors 4x4 couldn't manage it!

[MartyB]

I have an 60 reg Aygo Black and yes mine has leaked in the boot. But even this was dealt with in a professional way and it didn't cost me anything to fix. It was ironic that the curtesy car also had a leak. This car and my previous C1 have both been good cars which are cheap to run and economical. You tend to find these web sites you get more problems than praise so dont worry too much. You have made a good purchase me thinks.

PS- I agree about the 107, dealer couldn't even give me a price.

PPS- When I had my C1, they used Toyota parts as they were a lot cheaper than Citroen.

[benwiddowson]

we were so impressed with our blue ive brought a Go.

[Phoenix999]

we were so impressed with our blue ive brought a Go.

My daughter was so impressed with her Aygo Black.... she went and bought a Renault Clio

Sorry but her Aygo was a constant source of annoyance, leaks, leaks and more leaks. It needed new steering, new clutch and constant looks into the gear change problems.

Yes the car was fun when it was running right and it was cheap but the damn thing kept going wrong. She and I could never recommend this car to anyone

But the problem with car forums is that there is far more problem posts that there are ones that praise.... its a fact, people tend to write about negative issues

[kilts147]

Sure is! thanks so much

I've had my Blue for three years and it doesn't leak, always starts even under a foot of snow and it still looks as good as the day I got it.

It's fun to drive, cheap to tax and run.

That enough...

[kilts147]

Thanks you so very much, very well put, thanks for taking the time - really helped!

I have recently bought a new Aygo Go. I have unfortunately only driven two miles home and then two miles back to the dealer because it was handed over with myriad problems. My experiences are detailed on another thread.

Like all cars I buy, I researched the matter thoroughly first.

The Aygo is, as I am sure you know, the result of a joint venture betweeen Toyota and PSA (Peugeot/Citroen) and is built in a dedicated factory in the Czech republic. The Citroen is sold as the C1 and the Peugeot as the 107. Contrary to some mis-informed posts on this site, the cars are built by the same workers using the same parts, and are subject to identical quality control and inspection procedures at the factory. The cars are not even built in batches - a Peugeot can follow an Aygo which in turn follows a Citroen as they come down the line. The factory was funded by a substantial EU grant and is owned by Toyota and the workers are on Toyota contracts. There is absolutely no argument whatsoever that the Toyota models are "better built" or "better quality". Some argue that the Toyota model goes through different Quality Control procedures once it arrives in the UK, but my own experience exposes this as arrant nonsense.

For what it is worth, Toyota supply all the running gear and electronics for the cars. The only area the French part of the JV provides is the diesel engine and gearbox (no longer available in the UK), and the interior trim (door cards, seats, carpets). This is one of the reasons that, for a small car, the Aygo has such comfortable seats - the French are good at seats.

When first introduced in 2005, Toyota's ludicrous pricing policy meant that the Aygo was substantially more expensive than the two French twins, and was massively outsold by them. Over time, this difference has eroded, and subtle differences in equipment levels have also served to redress the balace a bit, such that nowadays, the three cars are more evenly matched as a showroom purchase, and sales have moved to a more level playing field. All three cars were given minor facelifts in late 2008, though this is much more obvious to the untrained eye on the two French badged versions as the Toyota changed by far the least to look at.

It is true to say that the two French marques have allowed the small car to whither on the vine a bit, and the car is now used by both manufacturers as a "loss leader" to tempt people into the showroom and then sell them a more expensive (and profitable) model. Peugeot in particular are guilty of this. Only Toyota has continued to invest in the car, by lauching new special editions such as the Blue and the Go!; and Toyota continue to give the Aygo a consistent brand identity. It is worth noting that, following Toyota's descent into build mediocrity generally, and the resulting myriad recalls, the firm started to offer a 5 year warranty in 2009, so there is now a clear showroom difference between the Aygo and the two French twins.

Since launch, there have been a number of consistent quality control issues with the cars based around clutches, water pumps and water leaks into the interior and boot areas. Like you, I was very cautious about this, and I conducted extensive research into the issues. It helps that I have access to certain trade and industry data that most folk would not. The clutch issue was reacted to by Toyota by the launch of a larger more robust unit that seems to be a fit and forget solution. No newer cars are affected. Ditto the water pump, which was replaced by a much better item.

The leaks issue is a thornier one. From the research that I have done, it would appear that in the early years of the Aygo/107/C1, as many as a third of all cars were affected. There are some striking consisitencies. Three door cars suffer more than five doors. Toyota has more recorded incidents than the two French marques added together. Toyota has not sat on its backside in fairness, and items like door and boot sealing has received constant attention and modification over the years. The reason the Toyota seems to suffer more leaks than the two French versions is because the Aygo has a huge problem with leaks into the boot area that the two French cars do not. This is attributed to the horizontal rear lamp clusters on the Toyota, whereas the French cars both have vertical clusters than run down the sides of the rear window. Toyota has redesigned the sealing in this area on the Aygo several times. The incidence of leaks has decreased massively since the facelift. Now the biggest incidents seem to be leaks into the boot area attributable actually to two vents behind the rear bumper that can just be poorly fitted at the factory. All three marques have experienced isolated incidences of this, but it is now no greater problem than any other car from what I have been able to establish.

The Aygo's good points are the general equipment level (especially on the new Go!), the warranty, the superb engine and gearbox combo that gives willing and urgent performance yet incredible fuel economy, and its low insurance group. It has comfortable seats as mentioned previously. It is arguably the best looking of the three cars as well - especially since the facelift. That said, Toyota's labour rates and parts prices are by far the highest of the three marques so it pays to shop about when buying bits and bobs. The current three year free servicing deal means that this is less of an issue on a brand new car.

There is inevitably some evidence of cost-cutting. In this day and age a glovebox lid should be standard. A seat height adjustment would be nice. Models with electric windows require the driver to lean across the car to operate the passenger window. Having an interior light that only works on the drivers door is taking the pee. However, most of these points are minor irritants that do not detract for me from the quality of the core vehicle at doing what it was designed to do. In any event, for the sake of a few quid and a Saturday morning fiddling, they are all surmountable quite easily.

I test drove three different Aygo's at different dealerships so as to experience different cars. They all struck me as delightful to drive, comfortable, and with an air of robustness. Ironically, given my own experiences, none of them rattled at all. I looked at every other manufacturers offering at the same or similar price point before making my decision, and test drove thirteen different types of car. In the end, like most people there was a bit of head and heart involved - my favourite to drive was actually the Fiat 500, but it is miles more expensive and that is before you even look at specification. Of the rest the Aygo/C1/107 stood out. My Peugeot dealer could not have been less interested in selling me a 107 if he tried - all he wanted to do was get me to sign for a 207 Verve. The Citroen dealer was helpful, but the overall package was not as good as the Aygo Go!, what with the TomTom built in, the low rate finance and the three year service deal.

I am looking forward to actually starting my relationship with the car properly. They are not the best thing since sliced bread, and don't pretend to be; but I doubt you will regret your purchase just as I don't - even with the hiccups that I have had.

[kilts147]

thank you very much appreciated

I'm on my second Aygo and think they're great little cars.

Inexpensive, cheap to run, minuscule tax, cheap to service, reliable, fun, quirky, what more could you ask?

All cars have their faults and foibles, people tend to be far more vocal in their complaints than their praise.

[kilts147]

Thanks very much and to all who have responded to reassured me!

[Mord]

Aygo is a cheap to run car. Ours has never leaked nor given us any troubles.

But it's !Removed! small 4 seater with literally no boot. That's what has been bothering my wife for a while so she's talking about moving onto VW Polo 1.4 BlueMotion.

I won't be stopping her. I would keep our Aygo if I was her though.

[Unklian]

But it's !Removed! small 4 seater with literally no boot.

Hi there.

Don't want to be rude, but if it's too small for your wife's needs,

why did she buy it in the first place.

Surely she opened the boot in the dealership.

Wouldn't a slightly larger car have been a better buy?

As I said, no offense intended.

My Triumph Bonneville isn't as fast as a Honda Blackbird I owned.

But it suits my current needs.

Ian.

[Jan van de Wouw]

Mine is just as small and I have no problems with the inexistent boot.

Bought a 5dr and have a blanket on the rear seats: THAT's my boot :D

[Jan&tone]

Strangely enough my Wife's Aygo is quite small too.... mind you, you wouldn't think so when she's been shopping - I'm surprised at how much she can actually get in there!

Like Jan though, the 5 door is much more convenient for putting suitcases in when going away...

[geezbeez]

In reply to Mbellingers post,

Thought it was the 5 doors that suffered more with leaks?

Dont think any of these cars are sold as loss leaders. There was a huge up front cost in setting up the factory, but ongoing production costs should be comparatively low.

The engine is good and has won awards, the gearbox is mearly adequate, the car has many good points, the last think you would put on the list to recommend the Aygo/C1/107 is the gearbox. MMT or Manual. If there was existed an Aygo with a reliable CVT box it would probably be the best of the buch.

Dealer service makes a lot of difference to a car. Small problems can become big problems if not addressed or noticed quickly.

Toyota dealers generally have a good reputation for service and standards, Citroen/Peugeot less so although theres variation between dealerships. If you have a good relationship with a dealership and have bought there before, if the price is the same buy from who you know be that Toyota/Citroen/Peugeot. If Bad take business elsewhere.

On a side point:

Aygo/107/C1 still look fresh after more than 5 years but the Kias/Hyundais and Suzuki have cought up recently with revised models, where there was no comparison to Aygo before there is not much in it now. Recent updates to Aygo/C1/107 range were quite minor.

What one wonders is, with a huge car plant dedicated to producing 300,000 cars a year all almost identical is, how easy is it to apply major updates to the model range so if you buy a new Aygo in 2 years time it wont be exactly the same as your old one.

There are some useful inovations on the IQ which the Aygo/C1/107 would benefit from but will the Aygo ever get these and will Toyota even want to improve the Aygo to the standards of the IQ, the IQ being a more premium product.

[gordonh]

My only problem with my Aygo is the fuel economy, average 43mpg is too low really. Other than that I really like the car.

[geezbeez]

I've had 43 also but thats the worst I've had. Average around 50.

According to co2 results for other cars ECO tyres make a diference of about 3 mpg, do you have ECO Continental tyres as were fitted standard?

[AYGOgummy]

In reply to Mbellingers post,

Thought it was the 5 doors that suffered more with leaks?

Dont think any of these cars are sold as loss leaders. There was a huge up front cost in setting up the factory, but ongoing production costs should be comparatively low.

The engine is good and has won awards, the gearbox is mearly adequate, the car has many good points, the last think you would put on the list to recommend the Aygo/C1/107 is the gearbox. MMT or Manual. If there was existed an Aygo with a reliable CVT box it would probably be the best of the buch.

Dealer service makes a lot of difference to a car. Small problems can become big problems if not addressed or noticed quickly.

Toyota dealers generally have a good reputation for service and standards, Citroen/Peugeot less so although theres variation between dealerships. If you have a good relationship with a dealership and have bought there before, if the price is the same buy from who you know be that Toyota/Citroen/Peugeot. If Bad take business elsewhere.

On a side point:

Aygo/107/C1 still look fresh after more than 5 years but the Kias/Hyundais and Suzuki have cought up recently with revised models, where there was no comparison to Aygo before there is not much in it now. Recent updates to Aygo/C1/107 range were quite minor.

What one wonders is, with a huge car plant dedicated to producing 300,000 cars a year all almost identical is, how easy is it to apply major updates to the model range so if you buy a new Aygo in 2 years time it wont be exactly the same as your old one.

There are some useful inovations on the IQ which the Aygo/C1/107 would benefit from but will the Aygo ever get these and will Toyota even want to improve the Aygo to the standards of the IQ, the IQ being a more premium product.

Hmm well having sat in a Nissan Pixo, Suzuki Alto and Hyundai i10, none of them are anywhere near being as characterful or high-quality as the Aygo. So the i10 may have more kit, but it's chock-full of black plastic, whilst the Nissan/Suzuki twins are tried & failed copies of the Aygo and its twins. The Aygo/C1/107 are definitely still at the front of the pack in my opinion, and next year's replacements can only improve on what already exists!

[AYGOgummy]

Aygo is a cheap to run car. Ours has never leaked nor given us any troubles.

But it's !Removed! small 4 seater with literally no boot. That's what has been bothering my wife for a while so she's talking about moving onto VW Polo 1.4 BlueMotion.

I won't be stopping her. I would keep our Aygo if I was her though.

Well I must say, I carry three people + myself quite regularly and every single person comments on how roomy it is in the back. Some of them can't quite believe how small the boot is, but then are equally shocked when all their stuff goes in with relative ease! Polo Bluemotion is beautifully built (if you're talking about the latest model) but I've heard the economy doesn't quite stack up to the figures. Then again, what car is ever as economical as the manufacturers suggest?! I'd do the same as you and keep the Aygo probably! ;)

[viper262]

Has my car for 2 years, No leaks, No problems, at all :) Flown through services and MOT's wasn't affected by the recall, never let me down, good all round car for me, there are little niggles like no boot light and some various things but i have sorted them all out so my Aygo is now perfect for my needs :)

[mbellinger]

Some clarifications.

The data I have seen definitely shows a greater history of leaks to the interior on three door variants. Leaks to the boot area are equally dispersed between three and five door.

"Quality" falls into two areas where cars are concerned - quality of the product, and quality of service by the dealer.

The C1/107/Aygo are all the same quality of product. Stands to reason as they are essentially the same car made in the same factory by the same people using the same parts and procedures.

With any mainstream manufacturer there will be a variance in the quality of service received at the retail end. Sadly, unlike years ago, Toyota's general dealer satisfaction rating in the UK (and Europe for what it is worth) is no better than "average". This is on a par with Peugeot and Citroen. However, as the previous poster acknowledged, there is a wider variation with Peugeot/Citroen dealerships, such that some are "very good" and others "very poor". There seems to be a greater uniformity with Toyota dealerships, though my own experiences with my dealer were abysmal; and I will not be returning to them even though they are less than five minutes from my house. Unfortunately, because the same dealer group owns and runs the four closest Toyota franchises to me it means I will have to travel quite a long distance for my servicing and maintenance to avoid them. So be it.

As it happens, one of my other vehicles is a Citroen, also bought new. My local Citroen franchise has the second highest customer staisfaction rating of all Citroen dealerships in the UK, and they thoroughly deserve it - my experience there has been the best I have ever received from any motor dealer ever.

For anyone who cares, the manufacturer with the highest dealer satisfaction ratings in the Uk is Skoda. Some have suggested that this is because many Skoda dealers were and are small independently owned businesses rather than part of a large dealer group. Personally, I believe there is some truth in this.

What I am getting at is that, at the retail level, you can have a good or bad experience entirely due to your dealer, whatever the make of vehicle you have chosen. This does not imply anything fundamentally wrong with the quality of the product itself.

In the case of the Aygo/C1/107, the product is a small car deisgned predominantly for urban running about (but which will happily cope with longer trips if required) that can seat four adults in reasonable comfort in a small road area, whilst being cheap to insure/fuel/service/etc. It hits all of these buttons - luggage accommodation was secondary to the designers, and if it is not big enough, don't buy one. Other manufacturers have joined the fray intorducing other vehicles (Alto, Pixo, i10, etc). I test drove all of these. For me, for what they were designed to do, they were actually all good cars and, if I am honest, quite difficult to seperate. The motoring press would tell you that the i10 is the best all-rounder in this class, and I would not disagree with that analysis. However, its the old head and heart thing again - for me the Aygo had a bit more "character", mainly due to the offbeat thrum of the 3 pot engine. I have a history of liking quite quirky cars, and this character endeared the Aygo to me. So I bought one.

In my opinion looking at its market rivals, is the Aygo a better quality product? To be honest no.

Is the dealer experience any better? in my experience definitely not, and nationally the highest dealer satisfaction rating of its rivals is Hyundai.

Do I like the car though? Of course. It has its faults (some infuriating) but overall my initial assessment that it has character has held true.

This is all of course like many things, down to personal choice. I prefer a car than is a bit more than an appliance. I like something with character. Others may not be so bothered.