Should I trade in my Peugeot 206 now or wait?

I have a 2003 Peugeot 206 that needs the guts of a €1,000 worth of work to keep it going and have €12k-14k put aside for an upgrade. The only thing stopping me trading in the Peugeot against a newer car is the fact my wife is learning to drive. Would I be better off putting the money into the 206, wait 6-9 months while my wife learns to drive as I'm worried she could damage the newer car?

Gary Eastwood (Dublin)

Feb 2014 Filed under: learner

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Expert answer

Hi Gary,

Are you perhaps being a tad unfair to your wife here? If it were a teenager you were talking about I'd say yes, keep the old car but as it's your missus, and you've got a decent bit of budget, why not get something spanky new to give her the motivation to become a truly great driver?

For that cash, you could get a really nice year old Ford Fiesta or Peugeot 208, both of which are terrific to drive and very economical. Go for the 1.2 82hp 208 or the 1.0 EcoBoost Fiesta. Or you could save yourself a bundle and buy brand new by downsizing. A Volkswagen up! or the new Hyundai i10 would make a perfect learner car and still be stylish and practical family transport when she's got her pink licence.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser
@neilmbriscoe