What it is like to drive a 15-year-old French car in South Africa

Against the better judgment of my friends and colleagues, I drive a 2011 Peugeot 308 hatchback.

When I got my first full-time job, I bought this vehicle – largely because of its affordable R80,000 price tag.

Now, over 7 years into my career, I could definitely afford an upgrade to something newer and more reliable.

The fact that I haven’t done this is the source of many jokes and barbs in our office – a few of which carry an undercurrent of genuine concern.

After all, breaking down on the side of a nondescript road could be dangerous, and running into an issue while driving 120km/h on the highway could also be a problem.

None of these things has happened to me – but that doesn’t mean I haven’t run into any issues.

Within two years of purchasing my Peugeot 308, I had already sent my car in for repairs multiple times.

To quote myself in a previous article on TopAuto:

“I have owned the car for about two years and have already taken it in to be fixed multiple times.

This has cost me tens of thousands of rand, and keep in mind I bought the car second-hand for under R100,000.”

At this point, I was definitely regretting my purchase, as highlighted by the article’s headline: Why this owner would not recommend a Peugeot 308.

However, after that article, the impossible happened: I actually enjoyed a few years without any issues.

When mocked about my car, I would respond: “I haven’t taken my car in for years now!”

I felt a sense of thrifty pride that my cheap old Peugeot was chugging along without any maintenance, while my colleagues spent way more money on their fancy new crossovers and electric vehicles.

As it turns out, regular maintenance is a good thing for a car, and in 2024, my head-in-the-sand approach caught up with me.

My car started playing up, with spluttering starts necessitating a trip to my local mechanic.

To my horror, the bill racked up to over R15,000 across a wide range of issues – none of which were worth ignoring.

I almost contemplated selling the car there and then. After all, what’s the point of spending R15,000 on a car that I could barely sell for R40,000?

A quick bit of math reminded me of the answer: R25,000.

After receiving my vehicle back, I bragged that it felt like a brand-new car – and that these other people in my office were foolish for dropping hundreds of thousands of rands on their newer models.

Alas, as 2025 draws to a close, I am strategically ignoring a couple of new issues – my engine fan keeps overworking despite the engine not overheating, and I can hear my brake boosters leaking air.

All of these are things I can ignore – for now – as they don’t pose a risk to my safety.

Whether I should be ignoring them is another question entirely – but such is life when you own a 15-year-old rust bucket.

Why?

I am often asked why I don’t just upgrade my car.

I can afford to do it, and there’s no doubt that it would be an upgrade to my daily driving experience.

However, that daily driving experience comprises a 10-minute drive to and from work, and I’m not exactly a tremendous socialite travelling across the city to the hippest spots.

As a result, 95% of my driving experience only requires a car that can get me from A to B – and my quirky little Peugeot 308 does the job.

Will I replace my car in the next year or two?

Probably.

But until then, I’ll keep spluttering along in my old, flawed Peugeot 308.