Faults:

The cars has so far had 3 heater matrix's, and the dashboard has to come out every time which causes problems. Usually around £300 a time to fix. You know when its on its way out as the car fills with steam - excellent fun.

The suspension has developed a few rattles and knocks.

The interior trim doesn't stand up to the test of time. The drivers seat is badly worn and the passenger seat bolster metal has broke which is poor.

The terrible spare wheel slung under the boot has had to be put in the boot as it got nicked and the frame has rusted now so I can't put a locking bolt on it.

The alarm has just about given up the ghost (the key fob is at fault)

Alloys have badly corroded.

It eats brake pads and discs'.

General Comments:

Okay this car handles so well, but because it's gearbox is so low ratioed you do 4000 revs at 75mph - so it returns like 26 mpg on a run - not as good as my previous diesel 306 DT which was excellent.

Bit harsh on the old depreciation.

Feel like I have had the shirt ripped off my back every time it had to have a dealer service just to keep the warranty in. At least they made me a cup of coffee eh.

Time for a change I think - Lexus IS200SE looks alright.

Faults:

Power steering box fluid leak.

ABS ECU fail.

Cam-belt cover gasket break, which caused oil to spill out into the engine bay. This when contacted the exhaust rose to ignition temperature and went up in flames while driving down the M1.

Exhaust Down-pipe and CAT joint corroded and broke under the strain.

Rear wiper motor fail.

General Comments:

Performance is good, but not as good as it feels it should be, it pulls hard, especially when you hit 4100RPM. This may seem reasonable for a power band, but the XSI is a very high revving engine as cruising at 80Mph you are running 4000RPM in fifth. So it could really do with the extra gear the GTI-6 has, but it does mean that whatever speed your at you have instant power as it is running high revs.

Handling is good due to very little body roll, it has a tendency for under-steer as 306's are renowned for there sloppy front ends, but overall it is a great handling car, only let down by the tires it has. I replaced the Goodyear Eagle tires as they seem very bad on length of life. So I went for another expensive tire in the Pirelli P6000, unfortunately the side walls on them are very soft, so it tends to make the car feel unsteady on road.

Overall a fantastic car, I would definitely buy another one, it is a shame I picked one up with some expensive problems so quick. I would definitely consider buying the 16v version of the XSI for the extra poke or the GTI-6 for the extra gear. The advantage of the 8v is the insurance, it is dirt cheap for a very powerful car!!!

Faults:

Illumination on dash panel has blown due to shorting fault in the fog lamps (on same circuit). This has then had the wonderful effect of blowing the temp sensor which now reads 78 degrees C even when it is icy!

Battery keeps going dead although plenty of charge from the alternator and has had a new battery. Still trying to sort this - hopefully will be the fog lamps of which I have now removed the bulbs to see.

Slight rattle in passenger door (front)

Annoying wind noise from front left wheel arch (inside).

Slight knock from the front nearside suspension strut. Needs bush replacing.

General Comments:

The car sticks to the road well.

Has plenty of torque, but you need to thrash it to get good performance.

4,500 rev power band means revving the nuts off it to gain any serious performance however when there the car does go well with enough power to embarrass most hot hatches, sales reps etc.

Nice interior, very comfortable with bucket seats although slight rattle is annoying.

Clutch is heavy making it hard work in traffic. Good fun through the lanes though.

Turns heads well - even better with a few subtle styling touches - Quad headlamps anyone?