Faults:

Power steering box fluid leak.

ABS ECU fail.

Cam-belt cover gasket break, which caused oil to spill out into the engine bay. This when contacted the exhaust rose to ignition temperature and went up in flames while driving down the M1.

Exhaust Down-pipe and CAT joint corroded and broke under the strain.

Rear wiper motor fail.

General Comments:

Performance is good, but not as good as it feels it should be, it pulls hard, especially when you hit 4100RPM. This may seem reasonable for a power band, but the XSI is a very high revving engine as cruising at 80Mph you are running 4000RPM in fifth. So it could really do with the extra gear the GTI-6 has, but it does mean that whatever speed your at you have instant power as it is running high revs.

Handling is good due to very little body roll, it has a tendency for under-steer as 306's are renowned for there sloppy front ends, but overall it is a great handling car, only let down by the tires it has. I replaced the Goodyear Eagle tires as they seem very bad on length of life. So I went for another expensive tire in the Pirelli P6000, unfortunately the side walls on them are very soft, so it tends to make the car feel unsteady on road.

Overall a fantastic car, I would definitely buy another one, it is a shame I picked one up with some expensive problems so quick. I would definitely consider buying the 16v version of the XSI for the extra poke or the GTI-6 for the extra gear. The advantage of the 8v is the insurance, it is dirt cheap for a very powerful car!!!

Faults:

Illumination on dash panel has blown due to shorting fault in the fog lamps (on same circuit). This has then had the wonderful effect of blowing the temp sensor which now reads 78 degrees C even when it is icy!

Battery keeps going dead although plenty of charge from the alternator and has had a new battery. Still trying to sort this - hopefully will be the fog lamps of which I have now removed the bulbs to see.

Slight rattle in passenger door (front)

Annoying wind noise from front left wheel arch (inside).

Slight knock from the front nearside suspension strut. Needs bush replacing.

General Comments:

The car sticks to the road well.

Has plenty of torque, but you need to thrash it to get good performance.

4,500 rev power band means revving the nuts off it to gain any serious performance however when there the car does go well with enough power to embarrass most hot hatches, sales reps etc.

Nice interior, very comfortable with bucket seats although slight rattle is annoying.

Clutch is heavy making it hard work in traffic. Good fun through the lanes though.

Turns heads well - even better with a few subtle styling touches - Quad headlamps anyone?

Faults:

CV gators & brake disks all needed replacing when first acquired. (£150-odd)

Cam belt done at 77k (£100-odd)

Speedometer stopped working at 78k, required three different garages to examine and eventually fix. (£50)

Dashboard 'light are on' indicator bulb gone. (unfixed)

Glow plugs had to be replaced at 81k. (£cheap)

Battery replaced at 82k. (£60-odd)

Radiator had two huge holes and needed replacement at 84k. (£200-odd)

Fuel pump (!) replaced at 85k.. symptoms erratic revs at idle, random stopped stalling, failure to start properly even after turned over. (£400)

Power steering column just gone, leaked everywhere, clacking noise sounding in engine, as yet undiagnosed. (£probably a lot)

Rear, driver side speaker gone at 86k. (unfixed)

Starting is *terrible*.. was turning over v. badly before. Better since fuel pump mended, but now sometimes doesn't turn over at all...

General Comments:

Well.. it's cost me so much money now that I'm starting to feel sick about this particular car. I think I've managed to spend more than its value.

Handling is wonderful - except on very tight corners, at high speed in the wet (so basically excellent). Inspires confidence.

Top speed is reasonable given the law, acceleration is very brisk from 1st through to 3rd gear. Needs to be worked for best performance, but definitely nippy (92bhp, but feels like more)

The dashboard is very well laid out and looks good... everything is easy to find and use.

Seats are reasonably comfortable, even for extended periods. Fine for long-legged drivers.

Basic equipment on SL model is lacking, but less to go wrong I suppose (no e/w, but pas and e/s, no fancy bits really).

Boot on this one is smaller than hatchback (SLDT is a 4-door Saloon), but I've found it pretty spacious. Plenty of room in the back too, given the size.

Love the car, just wish it didn't go wrong CONSTANTLY. Never ever ever ever get one without a *full* service history. Trust me.

And the main dealer garages really are a rip-off. Don't bother trying to find cheap servicing and repairs - it's never cheap with this car. Forget DIY too.