Faults:
New clutch need due as the revs are constantly jumping up.
Drivers side window totally broken, currently taped up.
Clutch Mountings worn out, need replacing.
Central locking not working.
Two new bulbs required.
Handling feels very unstable when accelerating hard.
Interior lock buttons have both fallen off.
Doors have a large gap between them and the main frame causing motorway trips to be very noisy due to wind being funnelled into car.
Sunroof control panel is missing.
General Comments:
Having had plenty of lifts in my friends 1.4 litre 306 and seeing that it was clearly far superior when compared with my 1.2l Corsa Ls I chose to purchase a 1.6l XS Peugeot.
An expensive decision. for £850 I got what appeared to be a high mileage, but otherwise good condition 306. It wasn't until I had it for 2 days that the clutch started to slip and a strong grinding noise began to develop when changing gear. Also when deciding to see what this power upgrade had got me I almost lost control of the car as it did a strange wobble going round a fairly wide corner. After all this the window then fell down into the door and my tax ran out which on renewal cost a staggering £170 for 12months. I am currently facing a garage bill somewhere in the region of £500 to sort out the clutch, mountings and window. Whether the suspension needs adjusting or I need new wheels or whether 306 handling is simply very poor is something I'm yet to find out.
Having said all that for the 2 days everything worked I enjoyed driving the car immensely, It can handle itself on the motorway easily overtaking cars with minimal effort (something the corsa could never do easily). And its also a fair bit faster than my friends 1.4l 306, in fact due to the low (ish) insurance costs I own the most powerful car out of all my friends. Plus the power-steering makes parking very simple indeed and it uses the same amount of petrol as my old corsa (£15 a week- 150-180 miles).
I'm curious as to whether I've merely been unlucky having had all these problems or do all 306s struggle with reliability. I'm in no doubt that if this car can get on the roads problem free then a 306 xs is the best option economically and performance wise for an 18yr old. They look better than Saxo VTR's and are only a fraction slower due to the cars having the same engine. And at the same time there far cheaper in all areas (apart from garage bills perhaps).
Overall, once I've weathered the massive cost of this car (I'm a student) I will love driving it while constantly hoping nothing else goes wrong with it.
