2.5K decent runaround recommendations

SpeedFreak · 7 Jun 2007 at 11:40

Well, I have a 2.5k budget MAX for an new car to get me too and from my lab. It's about 8 miles from home so I want something thats fun on back roads, but reliable and looks reasonable, although we'll all differ on what is reasonable I'm sure.

I was thinking along the lines of a Peugeot 306 D Turbo or 1.8 XS
The diesel is an option purely because I'd have fewer reservations of one with 100k on the clock than a petrol with 75k.

A Ford Focus may be an option, but they are a bit over budget for a tdci and the 1.6 does not inspire me.

So, to finalise, my criteria are:

1. Reasonably fun to drive
2. Reliable
3. Maintainance charges not extortionate
4. 3 doors preferably
5. Diesel if performance is similar to a nippy petrol equivelant.

Many thanks for any help, and please don't be offended if I don't like what you suggest

[TW]Fox · 7 Jun 2007 at 11:43

So actually you want a new car not a runaround - a runaround is a cheap heap of junk for A to B, where looks etc don't matter - as long as it gets from A to B, it doesnt matter what it looks like, how it goes, or how it corners.

So, spec you a new car.

You'd get a 2.0 Focus for this sort of money - Group 8 insurance IIRC. Or what about a Xsara VTR?

SpeedFreak · 7 Jun 2007 at 11:54

As i've been driving less than a year, a Xsara VTR and even a 2 litre focus pushes insurance up a fair bit. Was thinking around group 5/6 as i've had a few quotes at around 600 tpft for a 306 1.8xs.

I don't mean to sound as if my mind is made up already, more I want dissuaded from the 306 if there is somethng similar but overall better.

Stellios · 7 Jun 2007 at 12:32

Pug 306 DTurbo. My 1.4 petrol is really nice ot drive, so id imagine the derv one is too. Never had any bother with mine at all (touch wood) apart from consumables. Its needed 2 front tyres and a new backbox on the exhaust, other than that just general running costs.

To me it ticks most of the boxes your after, just make sure you get a well looked after one. Oh, and screw mod powaaaaaa

OpenToSuggestions · 7 Jun 2007 at 12:35

the 1.4 306 uses the same engine as a 1.4 xsara and 1.4 saxo that give a lame 75hp. They eat heat gaskests and the clutches arent great. please please steer clearof these. Between all my friends they had 6 of these engines in their cars. That includes 3 yes 3 new headgaskets 4 new clutches, failed emissions, 2 new gearboxes, snapped fan belt and a snapped cambelt.
for 2.5k you could get a well kept 1.9td (but rememebr the newest 1.9td is made in 1999 so they bgetting on a bit!) or even a 2litre HDI. i would go for diesel as the price of fuel continues to climb and in a lot of petrol stations is the desiel and petrol cost the same anyway. hope this helps

SpeedFreak · 7 Jun 2007 at 18:24

mglover070588 said:
the 1.4 306 uses the same engine as a 1.4 xsara and 1.4 saxo that give a lame 75hp. They eat heat gaskests and the clutches arent great. please please steer clearof these. Between all my friends they had 6 of these engines in their cars. That includes 3 yes 3 new headgaskets 4 new clutches, failed emissions, 2 new gearboxes, snapped fan belt and a snapped cambelt.
for 2.5k you could get a well kept 1.9td (but rememebr the newest 1.9td is made in 1999 so they bgetting on a bit!) or even a 2litre HDI. i would go for diesel as the price of fuel continues to climb and in a lot of petrol stations is the desiel and petrol cost the same anyway. hope this helps

Thanks for that. I've driven a 1.4 meridian and thought it was OK, but fancy something with a bit more power if I have to do the odd motorway run. I was thinking about a 2.0 HDI as well. What would be deemed reasonable mileage for one of the diesel lumps then?

[TW]Fox · 7 Jun 2007 at 18:49

SpeedFreak said:
As i've been driving less than a year, a Xsara VTR and even a 2 litre focus pushes insurance up a fair bit. Was thinking around group 5/6 as i've had a few quotes at around 600 tpft for a 306 1.8xs.

A Focus 2 litre is in a very low insurance group for what it is. It's lower than tha Xantia TD, a car I insured as my first car when I was 17.

AndrewP · 7 Jun 2007 at 22:13

SpeedFreak said:
Thanks for that. I've driven a 1.4 meridian and thought it was OK, but fancy something with a bit more power if I have to do the odd motorway run. I was thinking about a 2.0 HDI as well. What would be deemed reasonable mileage for one of the diesel lumps then?

The HDi in my Xsara was going fine at 108k, the older TD engines are even more reliable. Xsaras will probably cost a bit more to insure as the equivalent model is a couple of groups higher than a 306, but you'll make that back from the purchase discount - they're a lot cheaper to start with. I sold mine, 99T HDi SX, for £1300 earlier this year. The engine is perfectly adequate for normal driving (more torque than a S2000

) and is pretty smooth and refined for a diesel.

SpeedFreak · 7 Jun 2007 at 22:44

AndrewP said:
The HDi in my Xsara was going fine at 108k, the older TD engines are even more reliable. Xsaras will probably cost a bit more to insure as the equivalent model is a couple of groups higher than a 306, but you'll make that back from the purchase discount - they're a lot cheaper to start with. I sold mine, 99T HDi SX, for £1300 earlier this year. The engine is perfectly adequate for normal driving (more torque than a S2000 ) and is pretty smooth and refined for a diesel.

So if I was to get a DTurbo as opposed to the 2.0 HDI i't be a better bet in terms of reliability? I wonder is the trade off worth it for the extra 10mpg as they both put out 90bhp AFAIK.

mattpc · 7 Jun 2007 at 23:41

my only qualm with the 306 is that it's overpriced because its pretty and popular and then the ones that are a sensible price tend to be dogs. I'm looking for one for a friend at the moment and we've seen some right steaming turds..

SpeedFreak · 8 Jun 2007 at 00:10

mattpc said:
my only qualm with the 306 is that it's overpriced because its pretty and popular and then the ones that are a sensible price tend to be dogs. I'm looking for one for a friend at the moment and we've seen some right steaming turds..

3K seems to be the sweet price, but there are nice ones at 2.5k as well. Just have to be patient for it to come along.

AndrewP · 8 Jun 2007 at 09:10

SpeedFreak said:
So if I was to get a DTurbo as opposed to the 2.0 HDI i't be a better bet in terms of reliability? I wonder is the trade off worth it for the extra 10mpg as they both put out 90bhp AFAIK.

I'd go for an HDi, another thing to remember is the service interval, 6k on the TD and 10k on the HDi. The HDi is used in all the Citroen, Peugeot and (I think) Fiat vans too so find a decent example (cambelt at 72k) as you would with any 6-8 year old car and it should be fine. There was a 3 door HDi (VTR) but it was introduced quite late, from 2003 IIRC, so may be out of budget - 110hp version in that though

.

Twice the price for the same car

.

OpenToSuggestions · 10 Jun 2007 at 11:31

SpeedFreak said:
Thanks for that. I've driven a 1.4 meridian and thought it was OK, but fancy something with a bit more power if I have to do the odd motorway run. I was thinking about a 2.0 HDI as well. What would be deemed reasonable mileage for one of the diesel lumps then?

people say a diesel 306 is fine at 150k or even more. I personally think that even if the engines ok the rest of the car will be nackered by then

. i would say try and get one under 100k miles. imo lower mileage is good.

-westy- · 10 Jun 2007 at 12:04

mglover070588 said:
people say a diesel 306 is fine at 150k or even more. I personally think that even if the engines ok the rest of the car will be nackered by then . i would say try and get one under 100k miles. imo lower mileage is good.

Have you ever owned/driven a 306?

OpenToSuggestions · 10 Jun 2007 at 15:07

-westy- said:
Have you ever owned/driven a 306?

i driven one, not owned one but as mentioned above all my friends have had them, including 2 diesels and 4turbo diesels (the reason so many cars is they keep writin them off).

Fuzz · 10 Jun 2007 at 15:15

I've owned a D-Turbo, A pre-facelift N reg one. Never had one single problem with it and everyone said it looked the toughest 306 in town (after I'd lowered it on 17" hockenheims

)
Had it VanAken tuned with cams as well, it went like stink and returned 40 to the gallon even when it was driven like you stole it (which was nearly every time I got in it

)

Diablo red F T W :cool:

Sold it to my mother when I wanted to move on and she decided to scrape it up the side of our own house a few months later. :mad:

Andy

[TW]Fox · 10 Jun 2007 at 18:03

-westy- said:
Have you ever owned/driven a 306?

It is pretty much true that the engine in them is fantastic but the rest of the car will fall to bits around it.

OpenToSuggestions · 10 Jun 2007 at 21:52

[TW]Fox said:
It is pretty much true that the engine in them is fantastic but the rest of the car will fall to bits around it.

true. at end of the day think of this, the atrocious unreliable peice of **** 307 replaced it. Personally i think 306's are a nice car to look at no matter which phase it is. But its a french car, and when (not if

) it breaks people on here will just say its french we did say dont buy it