gpssti4

iTrader: (6)

Thinking of changing the wife's run around for a 306, probably about £1000 or so. Maybe a diesel or turbo diesel. Has anyone had any good or bad experiances of them? A friend at works got one thats done 285,000 miles .

Matteeboy

If you find a good one (MUST be turbo diesel) they are pretty good cars.
Pretty much the first decent diesels you could buy.

gpssti4

iTrader: (6)

I drove a 306 TD about 11 years ago and from memory it flew along (for a diesel ), are the no-turbo's that bad then?

Any other points to look out for?

Reffro

https://www.scoobynet.com/search.php?searchid=1833770

Everthing you could ever want to know has probably been covered in one of the above threads.

The Zohan

I looked when i got my 406 Diesel for a work hack.

306 neds to be the TD, couple of options on BHP/output dependant on the year

Pugs do have leccy problems especially door locking, windows/switches.
heater/heater matrix another problem.

Go well, handle well and good on fuel.

Make sure it has had or does not need a cambelt as this c ould set you back £ 250.00 on a car worth 1000 so perhaps not a good investment, lot being sold near the cambelt change time/miles

Got the 406 as i wanted something a bit bigger and also it was a bargain.


Lot of 306s about Fleabay and AT littered with them

The Chief

Are the 406's just as reliable.

had a butchers on parkers and according to that only return low 40's

i know the HDI's are superb on fuel but these are loads more to buy.

daz4065

Experienced loads of 306s.

you would most likely be looking for a td or d-turbo (more sporty). Just slightly different spec levels. The new generation hdi is an excellent car that has very good economy but will cost more.

Make sure you check clutch and for serious accident damage. these were only group 5 insurance so loads of first timers got a hold of them. cos they were quite quick many of them got thrashed and crashed. Also, check for coolant leaks, may indicate head gasket problems.

johnnyroper

i have had 4 d-turbo's in the past 2 were early shape and 2 were the face lift never had a problem with them nice to drive and economical too.
the hdi version is better still
aswell as the faults listed previously check for play in the rear axle/swing arm bearings on high milers

abc

Had two of them when they were just out. Good cars: lift-off oversteer when you want it, decent torque and good steering feel, so plenty of fun.

orbix

I had a 306 DT for 1 year and so far it has been the worst car i've ever had!

Luckily I bought it from an Volvo dealer so it came with 12 months warranty, It spent more time in a garage than on the road which I didn't mind to much as they lent me a brand new volvo as a courtesy car each time.

By the time I sold it, all of the problems were fixed this included having a new engine. Not bad for a car that had only covered 55,000 miles.

hades

The phase 1 cars are cheaper, and a bit lighter so feel a touvh more lively. I had one for a few months of very heavy commuting (25,000 miles in 6 months), whilst a couple of odd bits showed up as being 10 years old, it was completely reliable. Do a 6,000 miles oil/oil filter/fuel filter change yourself in under 1/2 hour for <£30, put in an odd course of injector cleaner and a new air filter, they'll be fine. The engine is generally one of the most reliable out there, some of the rest of the car is only average for reliability - you'll always get a few good ones and a few bad ones.

Compared to a modern TD, you will find that the turbo kicks in really quite late - none of this boost before 1500rpm stuff, more like 2000rpm+. As a result the gearing is not as long as some - top speed is when it runs out of revs in top, not when it runs out of power - and the fuel economy whilst decent is not a patch on some modern TDi's (I got ~45mpg in mixed but generally fairly fast driving). However, the chassis is exceptional, it has enough go when the turbo's in, the D Turbo seats are very nice, and it's generally a pleasant place to be for a car of that age and price.

If I again needed a car to do 160 miles a day cheaply, comfortably and moderately fun, I'd get another.

Loost

Had a go in a 306 turbo D because my xsara vtr has no aircon and this thing did - alas it had no 2nd airbag though and its interior is quite dated, but id have to say apart from these things id have done the swap (similar mpg also)

Still have no idea ( unless it had been played with ) how it was 3 seconds slower to 60 - cos it most certainly didnt feel it

The Chief

MPG wise what would a TD achieve on a run at say 80mph???

hades

Say 46 or 47mpg. Gearing is a bit too short to get into the 50s at that speed.

stuh1981

Due to my Subaru's poor mpg the wife and I decided to buy a Diesel. We ended up getting an S reg 306 DTurbo. 72,000 miles. I must confess i was a little sceptical as i hate French cars, but it seems to do the job.

47mpg. The engine itself is very strong and it must be the easiest car ever to do an oil change on it.

scott8629

I used to get 550 miles out of a tank on my 98 D turbo. Good on fuel if you ask me.

gpssti4

iTrader: (6)

Ahhh good comments.

So, I jumped in a bought a plain diesel, none of this new fangled turbo trickery on this one! Wife's not bothered as it's a straight 20 mile drive at 50/60mph. Just about fast enough. Seems quite a straight car and goes well enough.

I'll do an oil and filter change soon, but have a coulple of questions: how did I change the clock - analogue next to speedo. Have a rattle from the suspension, maybe shocks - any other ideas?