1997 Peugeot 306 Spinnaker 1.9 turbo diesel

Summary:

Excellent to drive, good-lookin' but never 100%

Faults:

The radiator had begun to leak, due to the bottom of the air inlet hose rubbing on it. It proved relatively easy to take out except for the bottom hose which was secured by a clip that was very difficult to get anywhere near. The new radiator proved a nightmare to put back in.

I have also had problems with the suspension; the front dampers had 'gone' and began to creak. 1000 miles after replacement the creaking has returned and a knocking sound has developed when turning left. The back suspension does not seem to like having two people in the back of the car as the tyres rub on the wheel-arch.

One of the bonnet hinges has broken (a common fault I am told).

The air bag light stays on.

General Comments:

I love the feel of the car, it grips the road well. It is excellent on the motorway and at high speeds it always feels like it still wants to go faster.

Can't fault the engine.

This car is excellent to drive. I'm just getting demoralised with the problems I've had, especially the suspension ones, they let it down.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 7th October, 2002

18th Aug 2005, 13:37

I am a current Peugeot 306 Spinnaker owner. I too have had the bonnet hinge break, this was actually broken as I bought the car and I had them fix it before I purchased it, but still this shows that the bonnet had been a problem with this particular model. That said, I absolutely love this car to pieces. No wonder people rant and rave about this car's handling - it's just great to drive. Anyone else that drives the car has noted that the power steering seems somewhat heavy. This isn't a bad thing it's very responsive and the car just grips the road even on the most demanding of bends. The 306 was given a face-lift in 1997 and some people may think the phase 1 306 now looks out of date, but if anyone wants to make their phase 1 car look even better than the phase 2 there's plenty of mods out their on the market to do this.

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1997 Peugeot 306 Genoa 1.4 petrol

Summary:

A lean, mean economical machine!

Faults:

Faulty door wiring loom resulted in random flashing of the SRS (airbag) warning light.

Fan blades have become warped and are scraping against the housing resulting an annoying ticking sound when the fan is running.

General Comments:

As standard the car accelerates leisurely and is rather breathless in upper gears.

0-60 time is quoted as 14 seconds in the book. I have got this figure down to 10.7 seconds by fitting an up-rated engine management chip and ecotech fuel unit.

The interior is rather basic, but adding a brushed aluminium dash kit offers a welcome contrast to an otherwise dull plasticised interior.

Electric windows are unfortunately not standard on this model so consider adding an electric window kit.

Seats are very supportive especially when cornering at high speeds.

Fitting M3 mirrors and quad headlights does wonders for the car's appearance and aggression factor!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th April, 2002

12th Dec 2005, 06:33

Well since writing the first review a few years back, I still have the car and it is still going strong!

I have totally transformed the car and the only thing left standard is the floorpan - seriously!

I got fed up with the performance of the 1.4 and plumped for a 2.0 litre conversion from the XSi model. Combined with the excellent chassis, lowered suspension this thing is a beast! I still can't keep up with the local Nissan Almera GTi though - I wonder what he's done to his car?! Or perhaps my driving isn't quite up to it?

I fixed a lot of the faults mentioned in the first review - the radiator fan was upgraded to a Calsonic unit as the OEM fan (I went through three) had a tendency to keep warping!

I fitted a MOMO steering wheel which cured the SRS warning light problem - let's just hope I don't need an airbag anytime soon!

If I'm honest, I have spent £20K+ on this car and sometimes I wish I'd gone out and bought something different.

All in all, a few niggles here and there, but nothing major to worry about - the 2.0 powerplant seems far stronger than the 1.4 unit.

Next on the cards is NOS and a carbon fibre dash kit!

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