Whats the 1.6 like?

[philpemberton94]

Hello all, my d turbo failed its mot today on corrosion and its beyond repair really so looking at other 306s so i can take bits off my old one and swap them.

Anyway, came a cross a tidy 1.6 which is cheap enough, quite fancy a petrol and this is the biggest engine i can afford (first year of driving) what are they like compared to a dt? probably not as quick but not too bothered about that!

cheers, phil

[Niall]

Nothing blisteringly fast but it does the job for someone who hasn't been driving all that long. If you want a bit more, get a quote on a 1.8. I found they were cheap to insure when i was younger.

[Toms306]

About as reliable as a 1.4 with the economy of a 1.8...

Go for a 1.8 imo...most reliable car I've ever owned! Just a shame they only average around 30mpg.

[laurence_13]

what Niall said... My 1.8 was only a bit more expensive than my dturbo for my first year of driving, pretty sure it was under a grand

[welshpug]

the 1.8 was a replacement for the early 1.6.

about as quick as a DTurbo and similar spec if its an XS, crap gearbox, decent engine.

[lolsteve]

Wank.

[philpemberton94]

1.8 is a bit too expensive on insurance otherwise would of had one, as long as its similar to the d turbo performance wise im happy, whats the mpg like compared to a 1.4?

[bashbarnard]

what corrosion did it fail on. Surely cant be that bad!! Get some pics. If its a 5 door i.might buy it off you

[philpemberton94]

Rotten on the chassis quite badly, ill take some pics tomorrow and pm you bud

[philpemberton94]

Also anything in particular to look out for with the 1.6? Not had any experience with these engines

[Toms306]

Headgaskets, coil packs and gearboxes are shit...check them well!

[306Dan]

second on the gearbox, if it feels slightly notchy it isnt going to last long
the only other problem ive had with mine is its knack of leaking its oil everywhere

[Toms306]

Leaking oil through the headgasket on the corner you mean?

[Mattcheese31]

Tom has only had 1.4s not 1.6s, although they're quite similar my 1.6 was bullet proof, no gearbox probs, no HG probs, I scrapped it on about 170,000 miles because it was using too much oil, prob valve stem seals, and it made it fail all the time on emissions, great little car though, I'm a DT man these days though

[Toms306]

That's true, but a few mates had 1.6s back in the day (2009!), I started a 306 craze in the village...they were all broken even back then though.

One of my mates also had a 1.8 at the same time, had it for ages, it was the only surviving 306 in the village from '09 right up to last year where someone decided to crunch the rear quarter of it.

[Mattcheese31]

They're really not bad little cars when looked after, the tiny block makes it handle really well on the front end, also nearly 60mph in second gear is fun lol, you have to rev them high and kick their arse but mine took it all, I spanked that car to the redline everywhere for years, no complaints

[Toms306]

Yeah, they're not bad tbf, like any car they just need looking after and some mechanical sympathy. It's alright revving them and bouncing off the limiter, but not from cold and not on cheap gearbox oil for example!

Personally, with such a small price difference now, I'd go for the 1.8 over a 1.6, but if I was given a 1.6 I wouldn't turn it down. You don't even need mechanically sympathy with a 1.8 though.

[Mattcheese31]

Who wouldn't go for the 1.8 over the 1.6 lol, that's not the question though is it?

[Mattcheese31]

I have a 1.8 here that'll be for sale soon

[Pugant06]

I've got a late petrol 1.6 (100) meridian that I have had for over 6 years and has served me well. That said it has only done 86k to date and apart from routine cam belt/water pump change, exhaust, tyres, brakes it owes me nothing. Would recommend to anyone if you can drop on a lowish mileage well maintained example. Mines for sale next year if still looking then?

[Martin306]

1.6 has a better cooling system design, it's more reliable and lighter by a tiny amount.

so ME, I'd go for a 1.6 over a 1.8 hahaha.

[philpemberton94]

Turns out the dt can be saved! Getting it welded by someone with a decent welder! So all is well

[cpg21]

I have a phase 3 1.6, It's no rocket ship but it's fast compared to the Peugeot Partner I drive all week.

[Matt]

Gearboxes are made of cheese. But I thought it mine decent. Most reliable car ive had so far

[cpg21]

This is true. Mines already had a replacement gearbox

[mattsrallye]

I have a 1.6 on ~44k miles and tbh it's very good, doesn't use/leak any oil or coolant. It only manages about 34mpg on average but then I only tend to do short journeys around towns so hardly ideal, I've seen over 40mpg on a good run. Gearbox is still very nice to use too!

[silverzx]

Best 306 ever made. Get one.

[RetroPug]

Turns out  the dt can be saved! Getting it welded by someone with a decent welder! So all is well

I was going to say, surely getting some welding done is cheaper than buying another car and swapping insurance over and getting worse fuel economy.

[Redordead89]

They're really not bad little cars when looked after, the tiny block makes it handle really well on the front end, also nearly 60mph in second gear is fun lol, you have to rev them high and kick their arse but mine took it all, I spanked that car to the redline everywhere for years, no complaints

Lmao I did the second gear 55 earlier in my 1.6 joining the m77 and it brought a huge smile!!! :-)))))
Probs brought on some bills too but it's going off the road and getting a power grip kit and pump and while the belts off the heads coming off for a wee rebuild too!

Nice one for getting the Dturbo back on the road but you should defo own a 1.6 at some point cos its a different drive from the heavier dturbo!
The 1.6 8 valve engine is fantastic and when wound up sings a sweet little tune although as has been said a bit limited top end but how often do you get to max your car anyway??
205, 206, 306,309, saxo,zx,xsara to name a few that all used it to great effect!
Most sensible and reliable petrol model for in town driving and a lot of fun too! Especially a 3 door!!!
Expensive on the tax front though but cheap and easy to fix! :-)