Buying used - what should I be aware of?

[Flatcoat]

Having initially dismissed an Aygo (and its siblings) as a cheap used car, they are growing on me. My budget stretches to facelift Mk1’s with high miles (100k +), usually Citroen badged. Have seen one Peugeot version with the PSA 1.2 engine which appeals for its performance. What should I be looking for in terms of potential faults and so on? 

I will be commuting 25 mile each way, mostly motorway, 4 times a week. 

[Wiz201]

Mk1s were known for water ingress issues, I'd look at the Mk2s really for a second hand Aygo finances allowing.

[forkingabout]

47 minutes ago, Flatcoat said:

Have seen one Peugeot version with the PSA 1.2 engine which appeals for its performance. What should I be looking for in terms of potential faults and so on? 
 

Avoid the PSA 1.2 engine at all costs, it's an absolute disaster as an ownership prospect & also has an expensive to replace wet timing belt.

Just Google PSA Puretech problem.

Always stick with the Toyota 1 litre power unit when looking at a C1 or 108.

[Vandals01]

What ever you do, DO NOT BUY PSA 1.2 Engine.  They use wet belt known for nothing but disaster (drink oil like mad, premature cam belt failure and before the belt breaks, it will send pieces of belt rubber down the oil pan, clog the oil pickup and starve the engine from oil to death).  AND it is the very same reason why you found them so cheap.  Much like the Ford EcoBoost 1.0 crap.

1.0 uses Timing Chain, so as long as you service the car regularly, the chain will last the lifetime of the vehicle.

 

Overall, Aygo MK1 is quiet reliable.  However, like all other cars, no one can spare from the age of time:

1. Water ingestion at the boot. Look at the spare wheel well in the boot and you might find a fish aquarium.  Not too difficult to fix, usually a tube of silicone will does the job. (Centre brake light, light cluster on both side and the rubber stopper for the tailgate glass).
2. Broken exhaust.  Look at the rear, if you found the exhaust dip lower on one side, that means the exhaust is broken.
3. Broken ball joint boot - I've replaced one side at 80K then the other side at 90K.

Other things to note:

1. Sound system is crap.  The Speaker and Head unit is absolutely trash.  I can withstand the system in my 2005 Renault Clio, but not the one in Aygo.  They used the cheapest component they can get their hands on.
2. Fast brake wear.  In my oil Clio, a set of pads can last 30K+.  Whereas Aygo, they typically last 12 to 20K.
3. Fast tyre wear.  On sets of premium tyres (Bridgestone), 30K is all I can achieve.  If you use budget, 10K per tyres?
4. High braking point - just the way how the clutch operates.  Do note that the clutch is adjustable.  However, even after adjustment, the braking point will still be a few centimetres from the top.
5. Tailgate squeaks when you go over bump.  Just how the tailgate was designed (not very solid), you can do nothing but live with it.

[Puglet]

As mentioned, all the Mk1s suffered water leaks due to bad rear end design, sorted with Mk2 re-design. The Mk1s with 100k+ miles could suffer high oil consumption, just need keep eye on it, but they can still soldier on to do 150k-200k+ miles. If your buying a 5 door Mk1, the pop out rear window hinges like to detach, there was a recall for this with varying fix levels from inspect to fitting brand new rear windows.

As mentioned stear clear of the PSA 1.2 engine, (wet belt and all), that was fitted to the posher versions of Peugeot/Citroen Mk2 models, sensibly Toyota only used their own 1.0 engine in their Mk2 Aygo.

If going Mk1, check the rear subframe for corrosion/rust cos they can suffer badly and it can be uneconomic to fix. Also, the Mk1s do seem to suffer more electrical gremlins than the Mk2, as been mentioned on here many a time.

Personally, we have a Mk1 and a Mk2, both with the Toyota 1.0 engine and if your budget can stretch to a Mk2 it is just a better built car and lots of niggles with Mk1 sorted in the Mk2, like better front seats, proper driver front leccy window switch, proper glovebox, touchscreen+trip computer, better insulation etc, etc, and just a better quality more sophisticated drive.  

[Flatcoat]

Thanks for the comments. I had picked up elsewhere the PSA engine is a clunker. 
 

Have found a handful of mk2 C1’s and 108’s, no Toyota badged versions. Will have a look over the weekend at a couple. 
 

Will also drift upto Yaris 1.3’s. Seen an 09 plate one owner around 100k miles that might be worth a look. 

[TonyHSD]

Aygo and Yaris of an old age and higher mileage could have been a ex trade cars and seen a lots of abuse. These are the food delivery industry favourite cars and best to be avoided. They should go straight to the recycling centre after end of service. 
The place I live there are food shops and often the street turns into Toyota dealer area but when you travel the time 10-15 years ago. 
Nothing wrong if you can find a good example with Toyota engine and preferably at lower miles. Other cars you may consider and they definitely worth attention are vw up and it’s siblings, Mitsubishi colt, kia Picanto. 
High miles cars in uk corrosion is a biggest enemy, something to look about too. 

[forkingabout]

7 minutes ago, Flatcoat said:

Have found a handful of mk2 C1’s and 108’s, no Toyota badged versions. Will have a look over the weekend at a couple. 

Don't worry about the Badge, as long as it's the 1 litre Toyota power unit there all the same underneath - a Toyota Badge on the triplets just adds a buyers premium 😉

 

[Flatcoat]

1 hour ago, TonyHSD said:

Aygo and Yaris of an old age and higher mileage could have been a ex trade cars and seen a lots of abuse. These are the food delivery industry favourite cars and best to be avoided. They should go straight to the recycling centre after end of service. 
The place I live there are food shops and often the street turns into Toyota dealer area but when you travel the time 10-15 years ago. 
Nothing wrong if you can find a good example with Toyota engine and preferably at lower miles. Other cars you may consider and they definitely worth attention are vw up and it’s siblings, Mitsubishi colt, kia Picanto. 
High miles cars in uk corrosion is a biggest enemy, something to look about too. 

You can quickly tell the ex fast food delivery cars, just look at the corners of the bumpers and worn drivers seat bolster edges. Most ex delivery cars also lack aircon, which is a must have. 
 

[Cyker]

5 hours ago, Flatcoat said:

Will also drift upto Yaris 1.3’s. Seen an 09 plate one owner around 100k miles that might be worth a look. 

If you do, just be aware the 6-speed 1.33L Mk2 Yaris that were released in 2009 and onward are the ones that have the high oil consumption problem (Ask me how I know...). If you get one, make sure the history shows it had a new fixed engine from Toyota; A lot of owners apparently did not take advantage of this repair campaign and have the original bad engine.

Otherwise stick to 2008 or earlier - The 1.3L engine in that is the same as in the Mk1 Yaris and, although has higher tax, is much more reliable (It's also, anecdotally, slightly less gutless for some reason, despite being 87HP vs the 1.33's 100HP!)