How bad can it be? Peugeot 306

[pandamonium]

During my car hunting, I keep seeing this, and can't help wondering if it would be a sensible purchase... 

 

I hear good things about Peugeot diesels, but diesel power is witchcraft to me, I wouldn't know where to begin. 

 

Can anyone make any useful/useless remarks about them? 

 

[Lacquer Peel]

It's survived this long, it's probably okay. There's not much to go wrong with these except for the rear axles and some hidden rust in the rear quarters.

An old mechanically controlled diesel is as simple as it gets.

[somewhatfoolish]

XUD dizzlers will survive the apocalypse; 10 years after the balloon goes up there will be giant mutant cockroaches trundling around in scorched 306s and ZXs with fucked rear beams.

[Des]

It doesn't seem long since I was working at a Pug dealer doing the PDI on those, before Peugeot stopped taking the meds and sought design cues from barryboys.co.uk, I rather liked them because if you squint they look like an Allegro.

[dollywobbler]

1.9D, so it won't exactly be a ball of fire. On the other hand, you will never, ever need to rev it beyond 3000rpm. There's no point.

[Remspoor]

350 or less and you are worried? Never be afraid of coke. Especially if it has a MOT of great longevity.

[Lacquer Peel]

It looks quite good in the photos with original 90s dealer plates, the engine looks clean and it's had the rear beam bushes/mounts done for the last MOT. GIB.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

It's even got shite wheel trims pre-fitted.

[Jim Bell]

Theyre alright. Better with a turbo but if you dont mind a leisurely pace and like high mpgs, youll be in. Clutches get heavy and eventually snap the plastic clip on the back of the pedal. Various pub bore folk lore tales blame the routing of the clutch cable via hot areas, and failing springs in the pressure plate thing.

 

If it drives ok, cant be bad for the money eh?

[beko1987]

Having had 3 of its zx cousins, and tbh still wanting a 4th even after a foray into laguna-ship I'd say go for it! If you want something that is just a car, nothing fancy, just a comfy car, to do car things for as long as you need, with dirt cheap tyres and servicing and general parts available, go for it!

 

As said, check the rear beam. If it's like the zx then the bushes that connect the beam to the car are a piece of piss to change, but worn axle bushes, not so easy from what I've read (well, not hard either but it'll cost you that £350 again to fix)

[bramz7]

Just be warned that if you're a seat snob (soz that's me) some of the lower spec ones have pretty awful pews.

 

Otherwise they're good. Slow, but nothing with a XUD isn't really.

[Bren]

A tidy looking one can hide weighbridge - sized bits of rot. Pull the carpets back in the boot.

[sierraman]

Looks a worn out old nail. Get it bought.

[406V6]

.... I rather liked them because if you squint they look like an Allegro.

Or, to my eyes the pic at the top could be a Renault 14

[purplebargeken]

Decent size, comfy, useful. Get it bloody bought man. Only issue I found was close together pedals.

[D Spares & Tyres]

Rear axle bushes are cheap and easy to fix. Axle bearings not so easy but replacing the axle is easy.

 

Rot by the N/S/R seatbelt mount can be bad even if the rest of the car is mint. Hard to check for. Lifting boot carpet will reveal a mint boot floor, you need to remove quite a bit of plastic to get to this but it's safe to assume that this area will be rotten. Only as issue if you carry a car full of people. The O/S/R doesn't rot so put kids that side.... MoT man cannot see the rot so don't blame him or twosmoke will get his knickers in a knot.

 

The killer for these now is for in the front chassis rails and sometimes above the rear axle. Awkward to do and expensive to pay someone to fix. These cars hide rot well so what looks like a minter may not be so good underneath.

 

Engines are great and will last indefinately but do not take kindly to overheating so check head gasket symptoms but do not worry about high mileage, these cars are tough. Just be aware that the air intake is very low down...I

[Talbot]

To check for rampant rear-end inner-wheelarch-and-structural-rot, pull very hard on the rear seatbelt upper mountings. If they move and there's a crunching sound, walk away (unless you fancy getting a bit handy with the welder)

 

Other than that, there's not a lot to go wrong with an XUD. If it starts well from cold, everything else is buttons.

[Aston Martin]

The facelift cars, particularly the cabriolet is beautiful.

 

Not helpful I know.

[Floatylight]

I had a P plate TD version, had 285k by the time someone drove into the back of it and wrote it off, had very little done to the engine throughout its life, was clocked to 70k by the scrap man and put back on the road to do another 18 months, best car Peugeot ever made imo, GIB!

 

Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk

[Talbot]

had 285k ..... was clocked to 70k

That's one hell of a haircut! Did the rest of the car not make it obvious that was a very big fib?

[D Spares & Tyres]

This 306 had 51 weeks mot. No symptoms of rot other that some rust streaks below the plastic mouldings.

[Floatylight]

That's one hell of a haircut! Did the rest of the car not make it obvious that was a very big fib?

Nope, car was spotless apart from a rust bleb by the sunroof, seats were spotless and suspension was taught, it was 2008 when written off, so not that old just high mileage..

 

Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk

[Lacquer Peel]

Looks a worn out old nail. Get it bought.

Still better than any Ford.

[AMC Rebel]

I looked at one in a dealer with a full MOT, illegal tyres and totally seized rear beam.

 

I would have bought it if not for that though.

 

DO give the rear a bounce to check it still works.

[Talbot]

This 306 had 51 weeks mot.

Blimey! Never mind a very hard pull on the seatbelt.. I think a mild sneeze in it's general direction would have found that!

[sierraman]

Only on here would you need to sit in a specific seat for fear of the seatbelt mounts pulling out the floor when a cat runs into the road.

 

I’m only saying this in jest before the Peugeot mafia leave an XUD head on my pillow...

[Remspoor]

Theyre alright. Better with a turbo but if you dont mind a leisurely pace and like high mpgs, youll be in. Clutches get heavy and eventually snap the plastic clip on the back of the pedal. Various pub bore folk lore tales blame the routing of the clutch cable via hot areas, and failing springs in the pressure plate thing.

 

If it drives ok, cant be bad for the money eh?

The old Viva HA had a habbit of clutch cables snapping. Sorted with a mod from the Opel of the same age. Coor-tina Mk4/5 had a plastic self-adjusting ratchet thing that went bang. Both were hard to fix but cost of spares were almost zero. Sorry that was off topic.

 

IMG_20170619_092835_hdr.jpg

This 306 had 51 weeks mot. No symptoms of rot other that some rust streaks below the plastic mouldings.

 

Looks like the beginnings of a new rag top!

 

We have to remember these cars are getting on for 20 years old. But the Pugs outlast many competitors. No turbo will never have found it's way into the ricer or Barryboy sort of lad-owner.

[Des]

Or, to my eyes the pic at the top could be a Renault 14

 

I rather like the Renault 14 because if you squint they look like an Allegro.

[Jim Bell]

Des may be world squint champion by the end of this thread.

[320touring]

Des may be world squint champion by the end of this thread.

I suspect someone has just drawn the outline of an R14 on his glasses..