Faults:

I broke a steering rod on a dirt farm road, cost $900 to fix.

Tires were badly worn when I bought it.

General Comments:

A very sporty hatch, it's great in the city and quick off the mark, but absolutely superb on the open road with a great exhaust note. I used to own a 92 205 GR; I liked the heaviness of the Peugeot, but wanted something much sportier.

It has a firm ride: I'm not sure, but mine may have been lowered slightly, and the steering is very tight through corners.

Also a practical car: the boot is huge, there is a lot of leg room in the back and it is very easy to park.

It tends to be thirsty and hard to drive, especially in the city, if it's not well-serviced; if it's regularly maintained there are no problems at all.

Faults:

Blown Head Gasket (Repaired). Blew between middle 2 cylinder's resulting in compression loss. Engine was still running!

Back axle (radius arm) collapse. Needed a complete new axle.

General Comments:

The car handles very well indeed! Nice and punchy on the gas.

I have changed the exhaust to a Longlife stainless steel mid-sport.

The engine now has an Induction Kit Added.

Faults:

Rear brakes needed major attention, resulting in a £180 bill.

Head gasket blew very spectacularly; several litres of oil were discovered in the cooling system. Radiator also ruined as a result. Had to be towed back from London to Shropshire, where the car was in the garage for 2 weeks. Total bill came to £475.

Electric sunroof & central locking temperamental.

Leak from off side door seal.

General Comments:

In my opinion, the 306 is one of the best looking 5-door hatches around.

Bodywork dents very easily, I have started parking it at the rear of the car park at work. However, the body shows no signs of corrosion and looks very tidy for it's age.

For a mere 1400 8-valve, the engine pulls very well up to 60mph, partly due to the gear-ratios which I find to be very good. The engine produces 75BHP which is identical to a friend's 1.6 8-valve astra.

The car had a K & N induction kit when I bought it, and even with the standard exhaust, this sounds fantastic, with an induction roar that turns heads!

Warning - The handling is second-to-none, but only with good quality tyres. I fitted some (new) cheap tyres to the back of the car, and the handling was terrible on corners, even though the tyres had plenty of tread. I've since changed them for some older, but better quality Michelins, and the handling is very tight.

I'm a big fan of the interior of the 306; it's spacious, comfortable & the dash is pleasant. Mine doesn't seem to have many rattles and sqeaks which are a common complaint with Peugeot's.

Despite the head gasket problem, the car has been very reliable.

For what I paid (£1495 in June 2003) the car was a bargain.

Faults:

Very little has gone wrong with the car, just little niggles.

My heater hose split, causing the engine to rapidly overheat (only cost £40 to sort out though)

A couple of bits of interior trim have come a little loose, namely the door locks and the drivers' door handle.

Not much else to report, just an occasional squealing from the engine bay, but the car is nearly 10 years old now and this is to be expected.

General Comments:

The car is generally a laugh to drive and in spite of a small engine (1.4) is actually quite nippy and has plenty of power for overtaking.

I average about 30-35 mpg, which is pretty impressive considering the amount of town driving I do.

If I have to criticize, the lack of power steering can make parking a bit difficult and some of the fixtures and fittings can feel a little flimsy.