Peugeot 106
Andrea decides to take the plunge with a tasty Pug!
Ihave never been fully girly (apart from my love of Barbie). I grew up with boys so anything they were into I was too. My father is a keen car enthusiast, so I remember weekends spent working on his cars, watching some type of motor sport such as rallying on TV or going to a car show or meet.
My dad has had a fair few cars, but my favourite was his Mercedes Cosworth 190E. I will never forget the interior and the performance. At the moment he has a MKII Ford Escort, VW Caddy and a Lexus. Not a bad trio.
My favourite classics are as follows: Ford Sierra RS Cosworth – one of the first cars I remember at a show. Next VW Golf GTI MKII – always loved it and the shape. I’ll always stop what I’m doing if I see one. Finally, the VW Jetta – this is a nostalgic one. It reminds me of childhood, being driven by my mum. I saw the feature in the magazine with Danny and James delivering a Polo to its new driver… a first time classic owner. I decided the 106 had to be mine. When the deal was done I called my parents straight away and they were over the moon – Kenny was mine. I then immediately started looking at what other owners had done with their cars. There was a variety of specs and modifications. Plenty to think about.
I bonded with him immediately. I am very sentimental and I cannot see myself ever parting with this car.
I found him through work after all… I never thought such a thing could or would happen (those of you who advertise in PC might recognise my name, I am one of the ad team).
There is only five years difference in age between myself and Kenny and he is the first car I have owned with no power steering, so I had to get used to that. Also, there is no rev counter! Still, I took the long route home from Peterborough to Leicester driving through Uppingham seeing some amazing scenery and enjoying the drive. It feels so connected.
My daily is a Peugeot 208 and the difference to the 106 has changed my perspective on driving. I have to ‘drive’ the 106 whereas, in my 208, the car tells me when to change gear and has parking sensors. Since owning Kenny I have had a people acknowledge the car while driving, which is a lovely touch.
Getting down and dirty
So, to the workshop. I was offered a front and rear bumper for £40 in total on ebay. I have seen that most 106 parts are cheap, so my aim is to stock up on parts such as wing mirrors, bumpers and any other parts I can find. Including a full service kit, which I put to good use when I went to the workshop with Matt Tomkins. He showed me the basics of maintaining a classic car.
I was handed the Haynes manual for Peugeot 106, which is a life saver and then I changed the oil and oil filter. I am ready to change oil on any car now! I was shocked at how much came out and how messy it was. Next I changed the other filters – air and fuel. I know this probably sounds
‘I’ll be going to car shows to meet other 106 owners. It’s addictive…’
a bit simple for most of you, but these are my car mechanics baby steps, so bear with me.
My resolution for 2021 is to be outside more and explore more. I have bought another bumper that I plan to get colour coded to the rest of the car. With the world now opening up again, I wish to travel to some car shows to see if there are any more Peugeot 106s there. It’s quite addictive, this classic car life!
The fun, and sense of purpose, this car is giving me is all down to Alona Simister, daughter of PC columnist, John Simister. This was her first car – named ‘François’ – I hope she doesn’t mind me rechristening him. He was bought by proud parents John and Deborah 16 years ago and gave Alona her first taste of independence. When Alona decided she needed newer wheels, Danny and James pledged to look after the car, making sure he would go to an equally caring owner… me. So, I look forward to building some new memories in a car that give so much joy to its previous owner and I promise that I will lavish the same care and attention that she did over so many, memory filled, years. ■ andrea.barrow@bauermedia.co.uk