Faults:

The rear beam has faulty bearings (very common), which means the rear wheels sit at a camber angle like this: /------\ .

The rear seat belt on the passenger side stopped working. On closer inspection, the metal that the seat belt reel is bolted onto, has rusted so badly that the reel fell off with the slightest touch! Leaving a big hole where you can see the rear wheel. The hole is as big as an orange, and that means there is no way to add another seat belt without welding in another metal plate. I recommend you check this if you intend on buying a 306, as it is a known but not much spoken about issue. It has something to do with Peugeot neglecting to put plastic wheel liners in that side (so I have heard).

General Comments:

Other than the faults, I'm happy with the car in general. Economy is on par with a 1.1 petrol car, but with a bit more poke. I tried to drive economically, and the best I could do was 50 MPG, but apparently the HDIs do 10 MPG better.

I chose an XUD turbo 306 for a few reasons:

1. Easy to tune.

2. It can deal with veg oil instead of diesel when needed.

3. Less to go wrong than a newer diesel.

Going to the first reason I chose this car, I was disappointed to find I had a GT15 turbo fitted. It's the hardest to tune; even fitting a MBC is next to impossible without the use of good lighting and ramps. Also, the GT15 runs out of puff very fast; a quick spool is nice, but to find it just has no oomph at 3000 RPM and beyond is very hard to swallow.

Having had a Citroen ZX, and 3 other 306 TDs, I can say for definite, the earlier cars had better turbos, and pre 96, better Bosch fuel pumps. A T2 with a Bosch was the best setup. The ZX, which has the same engine, usually has a KKK, and I like them - they are almost as good as a T2.

If you want a Dturbo, or DT 306/ZX for performance, ignore the 98-on models, they will mostly come with the smaller turbos and be disappointing. Get something 1997 or before, trust me!

As for economy, I found the Phase 1s better. I guess this is because they are lighter. The Phase 1s up to 96/June-ish, made 55 MPG combined.

If I was to buy another 306, I would seek a ZX instead! Labelled as the 306's ugly sister, but it's lighter, shorter geared and definitely faster! :)

Faults:

Needed new pads and discs all round at 104000.

Accelerator snapped whilst driving back from work! Was easy to repair myself.

General Comments:

Got this car in early 2008, always liked Pug 306s, and opted for the XSi over the d-turbo. Would have liked the GTI-6, but insurance priced me out of that one.

Reading other 306 reviews, it seems that other Xsi's fall to bits after a lot of miles, but this ones been brilliant. It now has 105000 miles on the clock, 16000 of those are mine. Starts first time, never misses a beat, no nasty creak from the dashboard, and interior still looks relatively fresh.

The performance from the engine isn't exactly brilliant, the engine seems breathless once it reaches 5500rpm. I was expecting more from a 2.0 engine. Between 3000 & 5500rpm though it goes really well. It's fast enough to overtake without any problems, and seems on par with my mates 2.0 focus.

Handling is superb, we all know 306s are renowned for this though! I don't exactly race round corners and push it to the limits, but when taking corners at speed it feels very planted to the road, and like it would take a lot more to reach its limit.

The interior is okay, pretty bland but I like the sports seats in the front, they're quite comfortable and have held up well from the wear and tear over the years. The doorcards are awful and look really cheap, that's the one thing I really don't like about the interior.

I do all my own servicing, part are cheap and very easy to get hold of. I change the oil every 5000 miles and follow the Pug service schedule, so hopefully this car will last a good few more miles yet!

Overall I'm really happy with the car, and although it seems I landed on my seat in finding a good, reliable one, I would definitely recommend it for people looking for a cheap, warmish hatchback.