first car, 306?

aproctor

aproctor

aproctor

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Basically i have been dicing with the idea of a bike by doing a das, now the insurance and the cost of a half decent bike is around the same money as a car (which tbh at this stage seems more appropriate).
now my budget is around £1500 maybe upto 2k and have been looking at a run around, i dont want a mondeo for the record, i know their benefits but i am just not interested.

I have seen 306's go for ok money and are cheap on the insurance (bar the xsi and gti6) and have been loking at 1.6,1.8 and the turbo diesel varients.

now which of these should i be looking at, and wht should i look out for (apart from clutch,gearbox and cambelt issues)


thanks

Andy
 
The turbo diesel is pretty reliable, good on fuel and nippy enough.

But its a diesel, and a 306 and those arn't allowed on here ;)
 
Hxc said:
About 3 months ago they were reccomended in just about every thread!
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no that would be the best car in the world, the 1.25 fez ;)

diesels are frowned upon round these parts. V6 or GTFO.

no wonder you hardly see many new car threads anymore when its not german or 300bhp + :p
 
I had a 97 1.6 for... 2 years? I don't know. It was alright, not small and evil like a 106 or other womens cars (oh no he didn't! (Actually he did)).
EDIT: Oh 1.6 is better bet than 1.8. Same performance, less mpg on the 1.8. Diesel pah!
I thought it did ok, but I must have spent quite a lot keeping the tart going, though I did put 25-30k on in 1 year (industrial placement).

'People' say it handles like a big car. Not having driven a small car/having driven a small car and wiped it from memory, I can't comment. My octy feels nicer! Interior is not the best.

Though at the end of the day i'm going to go with Fox, that colour was never too popular so it'll probably be going cheap.
 
I loved my 306 even though it was only a 1.4. Never gave me any grief and the only repair I had to have done was a rear brake cylinder. The climate control did go a bit screwy on occasion though. I loved the handling, whilst obviously the mechanical grip was much less than my Octy plus the fact it had naff all power it still put a big smile on my face.
 
The derv varients of the 306 will last forever. The engine that is, the interior and electrics (duff windows is a common fault) will fail long before that. But they're very easy to fix and the parts are cheap too.

We've just bought our 3rd 306 diesel if that counts for anything.

Not got a clue about the petrol engines in them though.
 
I have a 306 1.4 PH3( With half leather..) It was cheap, handles well & is a great little car. A turbo Diesel (XUD) 1.9 would go for ever in a 306 also it gives far more poke over a 1.4/1.6 with its additional torque. They can also easily be stage1 tuned with a few twists under the bonnet bringing standard 90bhp up to 100/110 bhp with no modifications.

Reliability wise its fine, nothing spectacular but then again there is not a whole lot to go wrong in them. The most common thing to go wrong is the electric windows but generally that will just be the loom between the door and the chassis. Most fixes are fairly easy DIY jobs. In saying that, I havn´t had any problems in mine since Ive had it from 109K miles.

My 1.4 now nearly has 120K Miles on the clock and it never failed to start!;)

I also drive a seat leon 1.4 (06) which is no where as much fun or pokey to drive as the little 306, regardless as to how slow they both are.
 
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fonzee said:
'People'???

the handling is probably the best feature about the ZX/306/Xsara platform?
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You're right of course. I however stupidly listened to idiots and my dad when I needed new tyres and bought cheapo things that didn't help at all. Before that it may have been ok, but I forget. As I say, i'd not driven a horrible small car to compare it to.
 
A Diesel 306/ZX/Xsara will make a great first car. Personally i feel the 306 is overpriced especially in HDi form but it is by far the prettier of the three. The ZX is bargainous if you shop around, the 306 is cheaper to insure.

Obviously the price of diesel is an issue at the moment. I've done almost 6000 miles since April most of which is towing too i know i'm still saving money on fuel (Normally aspirated ZX diesel, can manage 55mpg if i'm careful) but unless you want a diesel because you want a diesel, becasue you're going to do big miles, or are planning to go veg oil/biodiesel i'd go petrol in the current climate.
 
aproctor said:
looking at this, or a hdi/td

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/558740.htm - any good, looks ok to me, the only thing that puts me off is why would they use such grainy pics...?


i just got the lime green joke...god i'm slow today.
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If it's low mileage why has it had a new clutch? Has it been driven by someone who needs an automatic and has also shagged the gearbox? Worth a look if you're local but i wouldn't travel far to see it. One thing there is no shortage of is second hand cars :)
 
If you want trouble free motoring as a first car do not buy French. Especially French that is ten+ years old. The mechanical side of my 1.6xs was superb but the central locking played up, the heater matrix failed, then the hot air blower failed.

Buy something jap instead. Someone at work just passed his driving test. He wanted something cheap but nippy. He came into work in some jap box that i never even seen before.

Turned out to be a Daihatsu Avanzato. 660cc Turbo :eek:. What made me laugh even more was that it also had selectable 4wd, 0-60 in the mid 8 second range and was only a insurance group 7! He only paid 1.8k for it too on a 97 plate. 50mpg on top.
 
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My old P Reg 306 died a month after I got rid of it... read into that what you will... it wasn't a bad 1st car though, I just wouldn't rely on the electrics or the gearbox after 90K miles :p
 
um...dai what 600cc.. admittedly it will be my first car and i have yet to take my test, although driving wise its just a case of finding someone who will let me use their car for it, (fell out with a few instructors) i have been driving my gf on and off for a while and i would say i am there test wise, but i am 21, not 17 and i could get an insurance group 14/15 for £1500ish, but why, i want somethign that will last a few years.

the xsara is worth a look, but tbh i think they look naf, had a look at some toledos which seem very good cars (better than mondeys) but i diteste the back end.

....any alternatives similar to what i'm looking for, good point on the clutch btw maybe its had a shave? or hes a tool.
 
Had a 306 XSI for a couple of years. Was a bit boring tbh. Reliable enough but the electrics were a nightmare.
 
My shortlist for my first car at 23 was...

Honda Accord
Mondeo
Xsara
Primera.

I went for Honda accord. Got electric windows, sunroof, aircon, electric arial (wooh), cruise control. The lot.

Some might say a grandad car. but i love the comfort :D
 
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