What is it about 306s?

[RadiationBeta]

I'm just trying to get people's views on why they think the 306 is such a great car. I have owned 2 so far a 1.4 and a Stage 1 XUD DTurbo. I sold my first one and bought a Toyota Celica and ended coming back to the 306. I then sold that again and bought another Toyota Celica and I am now contemplating selling it and getting another 306! What is it about them that has got under my skin!?

What you thinking should I get another 306? Or should I persevere with my Celica?

[Niall]

People nearly always seem to come back to the 306. They are old, rattly, not very well put together and not very well spec'd but there is just something about them which make them such good fun to drive.

[clarkey2010]

probably because they are cheap, parts are cheap and still look very well for their age imo even after 'x' amount of years

[THE_Liam]

I keep coming back to them and pugs in general, went from 2 306s to an Audi 80, then a 106, then a Golf, then a Calibra, then an Octavia, had 2 306s since that...

Great handling, good looking, cheap to run, simple to fix, reliable, don't rust, easy to find, decent on a long run, reasonably comfy, practical. They do everything for pocket money. Brilliant cars!

[adamm306]

dont rust? tell that to my old phase 1!!

[Wolverine1091]

I had a 1.4 as my 2nd car. It was shit. slow, and didn't stop. had it a month and blew the gearbox/drivetrain ( didn't know much about cars back then so couldn't tell you what i did)

I've got this HDI because it was reasonably priced, gets half decent mpg, and seemed fine. This one too is shit slow. but it stops which is good.

For me a 306 is more circumstance than "want"

[THE_Liam]

I went from a 210bhp Octavia with leather, cruise and climate to a '93 XRDT in green with a beige interior and didn't regret it. I must be mental...

[Wolverine1091]

I went from a 210bhp Octavia with leather, cruise and climate to a '93 XRDT in green with a beige interior and didn't regret it. I must be mental...

I've come from an e39 523 with full leather, climate, sat nav, cruise etc etc

The 306 has half leathers, and that's where the similarities end for me.

[THE_Liam]

I went from a 210bhp Octavia with leather, cruise and climate to a '93 XRDT in green with a beige interior and didn't regret it. I must be mental...

I've come from an e39 523 with full leather, climate, sat nav, cruise etc etc

The 306 has half leathers, and that's where the similarities end for me.

Oh I wouldn't say there were similarities. The Octavia had all the luxuries, acres of space and more power than you could ever need, and great build quality, but it just bored me. It was too big and quick to really hammer down a country lane, you needed space. Yes it could cruise at 100+ comfortably but I don't want to, it requires too much effort to watch for people changing lanes at far slower speeds, police and cameras, so I just sit at 70-75. It did 20mpg average, cost 150 a month to insure, broke constantly because it had so much unnecessary crap, and was a twat to work on.

The 306 has cheap insurance, great handling and feel, limits you can find at legal speeds and enough power to be fun without needing a track to fully open it up. Who needs climate, sat nav or cruise? I can adjust the heater myself if I'm cold, I have a sense of direction and a right foot.

To be honest that's a rant at modern cars. I hate how much unnecessary shite they have weighing them down

[Toms306]

I literally came back to one of mine the other day. My china 1.4 (owned April 2010 - March 2011) was parked behind my current car in town lol. Has been ruined by the later owners unfortunately though.

As for coming back to them, not sure why I did, I had 4 in a row as that's what my first car was and I don't like change.

Then I got into a bit of a shit situation with a broken Golf and Rowell kindly offered me his estate (though I had to fix it first haha). When I gave it back I just bought another so the insurance price didn't change lol.

That said, I'm still drawn to them when looking for cars....theres a cheap XSi kind of local to me.....not much power, not much mpg, not much spec (compared to others I've had) so why was I contemplating it!? I realy don't know lol.

[Wolverine1091]

If it had abit more oomph, I might enjoy it abit more, Don't like the fact i'm having to be in 4th or 3rd for hills round my way, were as previous vehicles could cruise up happily in 5th.

The bloody airbag light annoys me on the 306, tightened up the connections, but forgot I had a can of antifreeze in the rear footwell, it must have knocked the wires and turned the light on. so I'll be taking the seats out, AGAIN. that annoys me too, the 1 bolt between the seat and centre console is a right pain in the ass!

I must admit though, I can see it handling quite well if I had some decent tyres on it.

I don't think i'd come back to another 306 after I sell this one.

[THE_Liam]

That doesn't sound totally healthy mate, a HDI should go up most hills in 4th at least. Is it mapped? Stage 1 map and a decat transforms the HDI, takes it to around 120-130bhp

[Wolverine1091]

na, completley standard with 140k on the clock now i think.

Never had any issues engine wise, it's just bloody slow!

[Eeyore]

na, completley standard with 140k on the clock now i think.

Never had any issues engine wise, it's just bloody slow!

You need to get a stage 1 and decat on it mate. Its transforms the car! Only 100 quid to get all that done.

[RadiationBeta]

Well it's looking like I will be going for the HDi next! I love the fact that they handle great and are cheap and easy to fix. The 306 is the first car that I was properly into getting greasy with. My Celica scares me. I dont like messing with it because parts are so expensive to get hold of!

[rocker8742]

I'm currently on number 3 and 4 lol 1.9 nad which is so slow its unreal and the 6 parked up off the road was thinking of swapping both for something newer and more powerful but whenever I come to it something tells me not to let go of the Gti so it's staying for the time being even though I've lost the love for all my cars recently lol

[Dave]

Great to hear your getting another 306! I knew you would get some pointers off Karl he's got his setup pretty well now ....

[ozonehostile]

Easy to repair, cheap parts, good looks, great handling, easy to tune, made almost entirely out of 10mm bolts, 13mm bolts or clips

They're cheap enough that resale value isn't really an issue, so you can enjoy the car alot more and regularly find its limits, very communicative driving feedback, you can feel if you're pushing it too hard, unlike some more modern cars, mk5 golf's for example, where they're so quiet and numb it's scarily easy to provoke chronic understeer.

A phase 1 306 actually looks retro now, and people who aren't into cars see them and often ask what it is haha

Ph3 are modern looking enough that they still look decent in that classic handsome Peugeot way in any modern carpark, aged much better than other cars the same age..... Look how dated a corsa b looks now when next to a 306



That's just some of my thoughts, could go on about Peugeots all day haha

[stu9]

Heaps of shit but they go, stop, steer

[Dum-Dum]

Its not really the cars, its the rampant bum sex here that you just don't get on a Ford or Vauxhall forum that keeps me in a 3-ho-sex

[ozonehostile]

Its not really the cars, its the rampant bum sex here that you just don't get on a Ford or Vauxhall forum that keeps me in a 3-ho-sex

[kentiiboii]

Its not really the cars, its the rampant bum sex here that you just don't get on a Ford or Vauxhall forum that keeps me in a 3-ho-sex

Haha dum!

I'm on my 4 and 5th 306. Although one I'm now breaking.
But I also keep looking and thinking about a new car but the 306 ticks all the right boxes for me, More than any other car does. I don't know what it is but I just love mine.

As said though highly recommended a stage 1 and decat transforms into a whole new car.

[Eeyore]

As above. The Phase 3 306 looks modern for its age and still looks good today. The phase 1s have the retro factor and lets forget about phase 2.

All the parts are ridiculously cheap and there are lots about which means you can try things and not worry about breaking things. There is a massive pool of knowledge around each model of 306 and a great community on here. The modifications we do have been done numerous times and are proven. The show scene is fairly decent and isnt as full of faggots as other brands.

[RetroPug]

In the 90s the chief suspension engineer insisted that steering feel should never be compromised. The PAS is weighted beautifully on the '6 at least (I imagine it's similar across the range) and it is just assisted enough not to be really heavy without being like a video game controller which a lot of other cars are.

The '6 engine just loves to be revved up and once you get it in the high revs it absolutely sings to you, all whilst being well-balanced and changing direction with ease. If you look at the basic silhouette of the car it is not that tall and it is wide, look at more modern cars from the front and they are often as tall as, if not taller than they are wide, which despite their excellently designed suspension makes them ungainly.

Yes, they've used the wrong fasteners almost everywhere which are a twat to get off, yes, it rattles and there's loads of road noise (although I'm hoping to sort this with sound-deadening soon), yes there are common faults (although to be honest, my car is 17 in 1 month so that's to be expected, and they are all fixable) and yes they aren't the last word in comfort. However, they drive like a dream when well sorted, and in later models you get great extras (rain sensitive wipers, climate control (kind of), heated wing mirrors, 6cd changer and stalk controls in 1998 is pretty impressive!).

The day I bought my first '6 I laughed all the way home on the 2.5 hour drive after stepping up from a 1.1L 8v 106 from the sheer pleasure of driving it. I'm not sure another car will do that for me unless I spend vast amounts of money.

In summary, try spending a grand on anything else and having as much fun and I'm sure you'll be disappointed. Smiles per pound a Gti-6 is brilliant value.

[Midnightclub]

^^ Summed it up pretty well there.. there isn't really a much better car you can get for the same money

[PugRory]

I'm 19 and I'm already on my second 306, after this one i'm even contemplating getting another one, XSI or GTi6!
But I do think there's some kind of bug for 306 owners... I seem to have it. They're fun cars to drive and for their age, mines 14 years old now and it still looks like a very smart modern car

[procta]

the 306 is a bug, once you been bitten by it, that's it! like mini owner ship

[ozonehostile]

the 306 is a bug, once you been bitten by it, that's it! like mini owner ship

Minis are a pita haha.


Although I do quite fancy another one even though all my entire parts collection has been sold now :-(

[procta]

the 306 is a bug, once you been bitten by it, that's it! like mini owner ship

Minis are a pita haha.


Although I do quite fancy another one even though all my entire parts collection has been sold now :-(

yeah I know, the parts for those have got a bit silly in price recently.
have you got shot of yours?

[Slam Wagon]

It ticks all the boxes, i literally couldnt get the smile off my face yesterday so much fun getting the maps put on and giving it some shit. Even when i killed it i dont think i was sad, it was too much fun in the process. And i still want to go out and fix it, just so i can have another go.