Hi JBM,
I bought my 156GT on August 4th 2017.
My first bit of advice is not to buy the first car you've found. I wish I'd bought a 200THP, for the improved performance. I'm glad I don't have a satnav though, it's a personal thing but it does block the view out of the windscreen quite a bit.
I'm naive and really trusted the Peugeot dealer, SG Petch in Darlington, to be selling me an "honest" car. They actually fell at the first hurdle when I picked up my car by not doing a new MOT and also not giving it it's overdue service. In fact the car was showing that a service was overdue when I started it, "Service Limit exceeded by 1150 miles”.".
When I got home I realised that they were taking the piss and immediately emailed the dealer, copying the email to the general service manager and the MD. They were apologetic and did offer to collect the car from my home address. I drove it there and used their courtesy car while they did the MOT and overdue service.
When I collected the car, for the second time, I asked if they'd stamped the service log. They had. My receipt however was just that. A receipt showing the service was done. My previous car from the same dealership came with a fully itemised receipt at every service, showing exactly what work was done and what parts were changed. I also realised later that they hadn't stamped the four year corrosion check, presumably invalidating my corrosion warranty.
I just had a new air filter fitted to the car yesterday. The old air filter was pretty filthy, certainly not what you'd expect of a car having done just 1100 miles since it's last service. The oil colour on the dipstick is also darker than the very pale yellow colour I would expect.
I think they just stamped the book. How do I prove otherwise? So I would insist on a fully itemised service receipt, like you, I would certainly like to know what would cost. They did charge me for an RAC 24 month warranty which gave me some peace of mind. So far my car is faultless.
My mpg on the trip computer over 1000 miles is 36.6. I do have a quite heavy right foot and drive in a "spirited" way. I've driven the car slowly as well and got just over 40. But I bought my car to enjoy driving so 36.6 is fine for me. I didn't factor in buying premium unleaded but I feel its tantamount to abuse to just fill her with straight unleaded. My naivety again!
I'd check your tyres very carefully, they are quite expensive to replace, £68 for "no name" tyres or £140+ for known brands. The jacking points being damaged is something I was totally unaware of and still scared to check! Also check that you've got the correct tyre repair kit in the boot. Apparently they have a "use by" date on them, again, I haven't checked mine.
Check for paint chips of course. Mine only has one which is quite incredible I think. My old Hyundai i10 had dozens in just 24k miles.
You might become an obsessed clean car freak. It seems to be quite common on this forum and I've certainly become one myself. It could be quite expensive!
All the best for buying an RCZ, mine makes me smile everyday, even just looking out of the window and seeing her parked outside my house.
Regards,
Ian
