Keep 306 HDI or buy Fabia VRS

[Toms306]

Granted they don't handle like a NEW 306, but no worse than the knackered old ones these days lol.  Oh and the air con usually still works in them lol.

It would be a very knackered 306 to handle as badly as a Mk4 Golf, even my estate with leggy Meridian spec dampers and tired P-bushes is a finely honed sports car in comparison.... especially as lets be honest, most Golf's are equally knackered these days. given that they've fallen into the "shed" price bracket and the ownership mentality/demographic that brings with it.

If you want cheap power and quality feeling soft touch plastics then great, but they're not for me... and I'm certainly not one that believes that 306's are the best car ever.

They are very knackered now...have you seen the beams on most of them...getting the same camber as the VAG crowd aim for... Can't ruin shocks and springs to the same point that you can a beam/mounts, I hate the loose rear end feeling that 306s have, I know some people enjoy the feeling of imminent death from it though. I've never LOOS'd or had a tank slapper in a Mk4 compared with quite a few times in 306s... Just understeered into a kerb a few times in the Mk4, pretty predictable. But 306s understeer as well with my lack of skill...Fiesta corners much better with a dead shock and crap tyres somehow....just goes to show the extent of ruin that 306s have got to I guess...

It's not the soft touch plastic that I'm bothered by, ignoring the power or handling for a minute, it's things like cruise control, climate control, modern looking clocks with trip/mpg computer, one touch windows all round, hydraulic clutch, cable shift, lighter PAS, 6 speed, more comfortable ride, sound deadening, arm rest, even the dull thud of heavy doors compared to the clicky check strap and tinny twang of 306 doors etc etc. It is personal preference, and you clearly prefer older stuff, but for me I prefer the more modern stuff. I seem to remember 306s with rose tinted glasses, get excited when buying one and looking at them...then really disappointed when I actually drive one!! Honestly don't know how I drove them daily back in the day, with the most recent '6s it just felt like a chore to drive and I kept making excuses not to drive it... Been spoilt with modern stuff and can't go back now I guess lol, but my longest owned cars were a 2001 Golf (11 months), 2006 Vectra (12 months) and the 2008 Focus (21 months and counting!)... 4th longest was a 1.4 306 (8 months) having only owned 306s before it, since owning modern stuff I haven't owned any 306 for more than about 3 months through preferring the modern stuff. Point is it's purely down to preference, so people really need to spend time in different cars rather than asking what we think. And I mean spend long enough to get used to it...no point going for a 10 minute drive as you'll hate anything in that time (or at least I do lol).

Would rather chew off my own pubic hair than drive a Mk4.

Well each to their own I guess, I'd even drive a Corsa over chewing off pubic hair I think...