Project 307SW FIN :(

[rainagain]

With a growing family I found I needed a car with six seats, I really didn’t want to end up with a people carrier so I looked at estates with seats in the boot. I really wanted a diesel V70 after owning an S80 but I couldn’t find one I could afford. I looked at 307 SW/estates and found an estate being advertised seriously cheap that just needed ‘brake pads’.  I had the slightly stupid idea of fitting the rear seat mounts and seat belts from a 307 to this estate to save money as the estates are so much cheaper than the SWs.

 

Before even seeing the car I sent a cheeky text offer of just slightly more than half the advertised price and the owner accepted, it had been her grandad’s car then she had been using to transport her dogs around but now didn’t need. The viewing was a bit mixed it had obviously been sitting for a while as all the discs were rusted up, the ‘brake pads’ it required turned out to be an ABS fault, both this and the stability control lights were on. It had some giffer parking marks on the bumpers and one of the rear doors. The inside stunk of fag smoke and dogs and there was dog hair all over the back half of the car. The clutch/DMF made a slight squeaky noise that went away when you pressed the clutch, whilst the spare wheel was lying in the boot as the carrier mounts had dropped off.

 

However it was my OH that discovered the best bit, whilst sitting in the car she pressed a button next to the hand brake and the electric roof cover rolled back, this wasn’t an estate, it was the more expensive glass roofed SW complete with all seat mounts and belts in the boot and better than that it was the SE edition so second top of the range! I gave it a quick drive around their estate as it wasn’t taxed and insured and it seemed to go ok. Back at their home I haggled another £50 off due to the ABS fault and the car was mine.

 

A days insurance purchased and I started to head to my dad's, the drive home resulted in more dash light bingo.

 

 

[loserone]

Nice*

[rainagain]

I went round the inside using the two bucket wrong 'un technique, check out the colour of that water and purchased some dog/fag fug begone air fresheners

[rainagain]

The outside required a bit of a scrub as it was covered in moss, I don't think it had been washed much in it's life. I thought it came up quite well.

[mrbenn]

Looks alright, that! Bit of a win on it being the SW model.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I wouldn’t kick a 2.0 HDi one of these out of bed, would have to invest in a decent diagnostic gizmo I suppose as I imagine them to be very ‘fault codey’ but they look a useful size. Am I right in thinking they’re absurdly heavy?

[rainagain]

Am I right in thinking they’re absurdly heavy?

 

Yep, the standard 2.0 HDi hatchback manages 0-60 in ~10 seconds, the SW takes 13.5. I think it's a combination of the heavy glass roof and the reinforcing to support it. I do really like the glass though, it's not something I thought I would every want on a car, but now I have it I'd miss not having it.

[rainagain]

Here's the 2.0 HDi donk under the bonnet, I've still not managed to track down a cheap engine cover for it. It also has the 'they all do that sir' oil leak from the anti dozzer valve. I quite fancy ripping this out and replacing it a 3D printed replacement that's just a straight though.

[loserone]

Let's see the glass roof then, this sounds like it could be a nice place to be

[bub2006]

I had the sw also with glass roof but mine was a lowly s trim. Manual ac and front leccy Windows but had glass roof. Mine also had belts but missing rear most seats. The standard estate had metal roof and bench seats in rear whereas the sw has 3 individual seats. 90bhp hdi in mine. Not a bad steer in all honesty

[bub2006]

I wouldn’t kick a 2.0 HDi one of these out of bed, would have to invest in a decent diagnostic gizmo I suppose as I imagine them to be very ‘fault codey’ but they look a useful size. Am I right in thinking they’re absurdly heavy?

The 90bhp doesn't have coded injectors,dpf dmf or anything like that.Mine never threw a light on but a generic cheap obd reader should be fine. Mine's now 4 or 5 years old and cost 20 quid in eBay new and worked on many a car.

[Supernaut]

It's rather easy to whack a 120hp remap on the 90hp 2.0HDi too.

[bub2006]

Certainly an option id have ventured into if I'd have kept it. Lots more to go tits up on a 110 though. Like the colour of this one and the dashboard is a nice change to the usual black.

[Pillock]

My ex had an SW, must have been the SE with four electric windows and climate and shizz. Yes, it was glacially slow because only 90hp and weighed more than the moon.

 

Also, watch out in the winter. I learned the hard way about clearing the roof of snow when I braked a bit going downhill and a sheet of ice slid off the glass roof where the cabin heat had made it all slippy, straight over the windscreen where the wipers utterly failed to move it. 30mph, no visibility, thankfully I could see out the back so stood on the brakes and let my arsehole de-pucker

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I certainly like the idea of a panoramic glass roof, but not if its going to cost me a fiver on every tankful to carry the heavy bastard round with me everywhere

[bub2006]

 

 

I certainly like the idea of a panoramic glass roof, but not if its going to cost me a fiver on every tankful to carry the heavy bastard round with me everywhere

I averaged around 42 mpg from mine so not too bad. Local but on a run a bit more. Closer to 50

[jonny69]

SWMBO has a 207 SW which is basically a slightly smaller, just as shit version of this, sporting the sort of out-of-date dashboard design you’d expect to see in a mid 90s Fiat. Auto. We bought it about a year and a half old for just over 1/3 of it’s original sale price. Gearbox exploded while still in warranty and was replaced for free by Peugeot no questions asked. Aside from that and being a bit thirsty, it’s never missed a beat and everything still works. It’s really cost bpfa to run and never needed any attention so I can’t complain. Fucken hate the thing.

[jonny69]

What was my point? Can’t remember.

 

JUST FRENCH CAR BANTER

[artdjones]

The green interior is the best part.There aren't many cars with that kind of colour inside,now.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Don't know how or why I thanked Bub for his post!

 

 

Anyway I've had a couple of Pugs of this generation lately- a 206 convertible thing and a 307, neither of them was as shit as I expected.

For me that's a major endorsement for a modern French car. These little 7 seaters seem like a particularly good idea and look to have as much 3rd row space as a modern X5 or Range Rover Sport.

[Pillock]

I averaged around 42 mpg from mine so not too bad. Local but on a run a bit more. Closer to 50

 

I was seeing high 30s from the 90hp, low 40s on a run. Don't think I ever saw close to 50, but I did rag it absolutely everywhere because it was slow as treacle. Redline it to get it to move. So the benefit of being the lowest power output was outweighed by being the lowest power output.

[bub2006]

I never felt the need to boot mine,it felt perfectly able. It shifted very well when hoofed but fault it wasn't sluggish at all. Maybe mine was a oddity?!

[artdjones]

I've had two hdi 90 306 estates which did around 47mpg but of course the 307 is taller than the 306.I also had a HDi 110 Xantia which always did 50.The OP's car looks like a 110 so will probably give better mileage than a 90.

[r.welfare]

Green inside and out including the dash, it's like Peugeot looked at a Mk2 Cavalier and thought "yeah". I like it.

[davehedgehog31]

I have a Peugeot 407 2.0 HDI, circa 140bhp. It's a bit of a heavy, cumbersome beast about town for a fairly modern car but it chews up miles like no car I've had before. Pulls like the proverbial train in gear and is spectacularly comfortable on the motorway.

 

Front "ball joints" are some hideous big upside down monstrosity full of roller bearings and are the cars weak point, don't think the 307 has the same setup but know quite a few PSA group cars did. Don't mess about with cheap shite, just go straight to the best of gear when replacing. I bought some 30 knicker disasters off eBay, spent hours fitting them and they performed a miraculous feat of seizing solid within days, yet disintegrating upon removal.

[wuvvum]

Am I right in thinking they’re absurdly heavy?

I remember looking at the brake weight charts at my local MOT station a few years back, and these came it at something ridiculous like 1850kg.

[bub2006]

Kerbweight is sub 1400kg if I remember. Tow weight was around 150pkg though and had quite a decent tow bar nose weight too if I recall

[bub2006]

According to parkers,the 2.0 hdi 90 sw in s trim was 1390kg. Just had a quick look. Can tow 1500kg brakes though.

[wuvvum]

Is that with the panoramic roof though?  That adds several hundred kilos if memory serves.

[bub2006]

Yes,all sw had glass roof. The estates had solid roofs.