A decent quality, but slightly expensive super mini
Excessive wear on the front tyres.
Pretty good run about. Nippy at slow speeds but 50-70 takes an age.
Internal features are great, with quality half leather/cloth seats as standard in the Meridian special edition.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 18th May, 2001
I took my "T" reg 306 Meridian in for its 20,000 service and to repair a faulty/fan motor which worked on and off for months before completely packing up prior to its service two weeks ago. The car had only clocked up 16,000 miles, but as we plan a round trip in Ireland in March 2001 I thought I'd get the fan fault fixed and have it serviced at Vilton Cars Barnet, Herts.
During the service I got a call informing me that they needed to investigate further as the cause of fault had not been identified. Three hours later and with the clock running at £50/hour labour costs I was told that a burnt-through wire had been found and replaced. It was hurriedly mentioned that I could also pay for further diagnostic tests to be made or collect it as repaired. The car had been tested on the open road twice and so I felt that collecting it in working order with the fan wire replaced was OK.
However, the next day the same faulty fan problem re-occurred. First it worked only intermittently and now it's mainly broken - but then when you think it is dead it bursts back into life!
The dealers at Peugeot Vilton Cars then said that if we took it back they would charge us all over again and that it could take 5 hours + parts! Bearing in mind I'd just spent £360 the day before on service and repairs I blew my fuse!!
I contacted head office and they talked to the dealer and the dealer called me. Because the car is newish and has low mileage and regular service intervals I might qualify for a discretionary "Goodwill" cashback from HQ. But then I might not - in which case I may have to pay a total of over £700, or 10% of its secondhand value!! No wonder automakers are reaping such vast profits out of the aftermarket. I'm now convinced that dealers actually wreck new cars deliberately to boost their margins so they qualify for their year end bonuses. I should have taken it to the bloke up the arches to start with!
Peter J.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 9th February, 2001
Excellent performance for pocket money!
Nothing as yet but the previous 306 GTI-6's second home was at the dealership. Faulty airbag switch, warped rear discs, faulty alarm sensors - pretty much the electrics!
The best car I have owned and driven. Other cars on the market may have that little bit of power but you really cannot get the same handling/performance on a car for this price. It really is an awesome experience - if you don't mind a few squeaks from the poor build quality.
I would recommend this car to anyone who needs a car for everyday use and who also loves to blast around country roads!!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 18th July, 2000
2001 306XT 2.0 manual - dubbed Rallye. It's a great car to drive if you don't mind numerous squeaks, external imperfections & pinging under light acceleration. Dealer & Peugeot Australia deny the pinging problem exists even though I have an independent report that verifies this from a qualified mechanic who used to work for Peugeot.
Rating:
Drive & handling...9
General quality & detail...4.
My GTi6 pings when poor quality fuel is used. In Australia it pretty much amounts to anything non PULP, or even PULP from non-brand dealers.
BP and Shell seem to be the only ones that perform the best in the 2L Peugeot.
And I have to add that it's a hot... hot hot hatch. I bought it 10 months ago and still look forward to driving it every day.
9th Mar 2001, 05:29
Further to taking my complaint to Head office, Peugeot eventually agreed to foot the bill for the repair and labor to fix a faulty conection to the fan motor.