The Car That Taught Me Freedom

ML – Between high school, first adventures, and a family car that ended up defining an unforgettable chapter of life.

May 21, 2026 | 5:00 PM

"I got my first car in 2000. It wasn't new, but it was a really fun car. I learned so much with it, and I even drove it to high school," recalls an anonymous owner. He explains that, at 18 years old, he had to repeat his final year of high school. On the bright side, his driving lessons had already been paid for, and by December 2000 he had earned his driver's license. The following year, he used the car every day to drive to school. Although it wasn't the newest or most luxurious vehicle, it meant a great deal to him. It was the family's Peugeot 106. "It was a very simple car, but incredibly fun to drive and very well cared for. It had its little quirks—for example, it tended to stall when the engine was cold—but I learned a lot from it."

Why Did the Peugeot 106 Stall When Cold?

In carbureted engines, fuel does not vaporize as easily when the engine is cold. To make starting easier, these vehicles were equipped with a choke—either manual or automatic—that temporarily enriched the air-fuel mixture until the engine reached its normal operating temperature. If the choke was not used correctly or was disengaged too early, the engine could stall. Source: Engineer Fix, "How a Choke Works to Start a Cold Engine."

Peugeot 106 and Citroën Saxo

Although they belong to different brands, both vehicles were developed by the PSA Group. They share several structural components, mechanical parts, transmissions, and engines, while each maintained its own distinctive design and personality.

106 Électrique

The Peugeot 106 Électrique was introduced in 1995 and is considered one of the first mass-produced electric cars in Europe. It used nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries, reached a top speed of approximately 90 km/h (56 mph), and offered a driving range of between 80 and 100 kilometers (50–62 miles), making it primarily designed for urban driving.