Faults:

Had to replace rear subframe, due to seriously worn trailing arm bearings. I've been told this is a common fault with older 306's now. £100 for used part and fitted myself.

General Comments:

Despite its age and miles, the car looks good. The styling is still pretty sleek and inoffensive in 2006, the handling is superb, and still outhandles many modern cars.

The engine is a real cracker, my engine came out of a 200k+ car, and still can surprise a few reps in brand new Mondeo's and Audi's! It really is an exceptional diesel for its time, the turbo is quite fierce, which takes some getting used to, but it's nice to suddenly pull away from whatever little oik is trying to race you in a 1.2 Clio when they see that you're driving an elderly, and slightly tatty diesel.

There is buckets of torque, so overtaking isn't to much of an issue. *Allegedly* the engine is pretty easy to bring up to about 115BHP by simply fiddling a few screws. (Do your own research :-) )

Around town, it's not so much fun, as you normally can't rev the engine high enough to provoke the turbo into doing something! But it's not too bad!

The interior on my model has worn well, despite rapidly heading towards a stonking 200,000 miles. The electrics still work on my model, but occasionally a window winds itself down, or it refuses to lock.

For a twelve year old car, it has electric windows/electric sunroof/remote central locking/alarm and steering column controls for the stereo, which I think is pretty neat for a £500 banger!

The clutch is extremely heavy, and I like it, but it takes a bit of mastering, probably not the best clutch for learning to drive with.

The steering is poised and accurate.

The cabin looks a little dated, but it's well laid out, and the car feels quite "big" on the inside.

Faults:

Rear brake light bulb blew at 69,000 miles.

Rear brake pads worn out at 65,000 miles. All pads replaced with EBC pads and performance disks.

General Comments:

This car is quick, and has always been reliable to me. It was well maintained by the previous owner, and came with full Peugeot service history when I bought it, with just under 60,000 miles on the clock.

Although it's a 2.0 liter, it seems to lack a bit of power higher in the rev range, which is why I made a few modifications of my own.

The car's handling is good and responsive. I'm not too keen on the seat position, although it's all adjustable and I have tried many different positions, I can't get it right.

I have made a few modifications to my 306 XSi. I have a full S/S exhaust straight through with decat and panel filter (don't believe in cone filters, they suck in hot air) and have a chipped ECU. It has approx 150+ bhp and is a lot faster than in standard form, and has no problem keeping up with other hot hatches ;P

It's lowered 30mm all round, it's sitting on 205 1.9 GTi alloys and Yoko tyres (good grip), and a front strut brace, which made a big difference on the handling, and I had uprated brakes all round, as the originals seem to lack the meat to stop.

I think the 306 XSi is a good, reliable car, and quite fast in standard form, despite what I have read about them, and they are a very good basis for tuning or modding; there is a wide range of parts made for them.

I would prefer a GTi-6 or the Rallye model, which might be my next car, as I do love the 306. It looks aggressive and is a nice car to drive.