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digitalwolf

digitalwolf

digitalwolf

Soldato
Joined
27 Mar 2004
Posts
3,589
Location
England
I know many of you may be getting sick and tired of reading my threads about what my next car shall be but hear me out.

I'm certainly selling the Saxo.....shame I know but I want something a tad bigger.

I'm thinking about going for something around £1500 and building up another NCB on this whilst having money in the bank to do what I want when I want until I finish education. I'll pay the insurance off in a lump sum and save for a faster/better car for when I have 2 NCB's.

A car that stands out for me for £1500 is a 1.9 306. I know they are noisey, but I really did enjoy the test drive I had in one. The torque was wild.

It would be quite cheap to insure, would it cost a lot to maintain though? I have seen ph2 1.9 306's with A/C etc in my budget which would be nice but have 100k miles.

Would it stay reliable with 100k miles?

Thank you :)
 
As long as the oil is changed frequently and the cooling system is kept in good idea, these engines will run forever - I've had one with 225k on the clock and it was the best bit of the car. Maintenance is very easy on these engines and parts are cheap in the most part.

The 306 is a bit flimsy in other areas though, particularly electrics and interior trim. If you can find a tidy one with everything working they're not a bad buy.
 
It's 306 diesel.

This means:

a) The engine will continue running until you either set fire to it, or nuclear war breaks out
b) The rest of the car will slowly fall apart around the otherwise perfect engine in a fit of broken bits of trim, flimsey buts and irrating rattles and body creaking.
 
[TW]Fox said:
It's 306 diesel.

This means:

a) The engine will continue running until you either set fire to it, or nuclear war breaks out
b) The rest of the car will slowly fall apart around the otherwise perfect engine in a fit of broken bits of trim, flimsey buts and irrating rattles and body creaking.
Click to expand...

He is correct.
I think you will be disappointed with the interior too, coming from a saxo as the 306 has a very '80s' feel.
If you're looking for a bigger car, might be worth considering the 406? Same lump, same moola, nicer car to drive.
 
My mates got a HDi and the interior isn't that bad in all honesty.

Can you pick up a reasonable ph2 1.9dt with A/C for £1500 in mint condtion with <100k miles though?

I'll probably get laughed at for driving a "van" but when I explain to them how much I paid for, let them jump out there 1.2 clios and have a go in one reckon they would change their opinions.

They feel faster than they actually are due to torque.

As long as it is cheap to buy, run and looks reasonably nice it'll do for a 10 months.
 
Sensible decision imo. :)

From your posts you were looking to try and both save money whilst upgrading your car which in most cases just isn't possible.

A 306 td will serve you well while still being a bit fun I'd have thought.

Why are you so set on ditching the VTR out of interest? Just a size thing?
 
digitalwolf said:
Can you pick up a reasonable ph2 1.9dt with A/C for £1500 in mint condtion with <100k miles though?
Click to expand...

I doubt there are many, if any, mint 10 year old 306 diesels out there - the only properly mint 306's left are enthusiast owned and fettled GTI-6's and the like. It's not the sort of car that would generally have spent its 10 year life being cossetted and can thus still be described as 'mint condition'.
 
[TW]Fox said:
I doubt there are many, if any, mint 10 year old 306 diesels out there - the only properly mint 306's left are enthusiast owned and fettled GTI-6's and the like. It's not the sort of car that would generally have spent its 10 year life being cossetted and can thus still be described as 'mint condition'.
Click to expand...

I mean decent condition.

I went to see one 306 last year and the roof lining was brown :(
 
s0ck said:
He is correct.
I think you will be disappointed with the interior too, coming from a saxo as the 306 has a very '80s' feel.
If you're looking for a bigger car, might be worth considering the 406? Same lump, same moola, nicer car to drive.
Click to expand...

Rubish. My 6 which has the same interior as most HDI's and Dturbo's (apart from the seats) is a much nicer environment than my brothers 106 gti.
 
You have to objectively compare the dash to things from the same era and for me, it is below par (I do actually own a 306).

I'm sure your '6 is very nice but I doubt having a modern dash was high on your criteria for purchasing it ;)
 
I can't believe people buy cars/don't buy cars based on the dash... :p

As long as it's functional who cares?! There's nothing offensive about it, it's just a dash, it does it's job perfectly. The way it drives and looks is more important surely?
 
I know, I think the dash in the 306 is perfectly acceptable. Prefer it to some fords tbh.

A lot of these 1.9's seem over priced for what they are!
 
If you want a cheap 306, you might be better off looking at a Citroen Xsara. Basically the same car, not trendy, therefore more car for your money.

You could be even stingier and go for a ZX if you don't mind the looks.
 
digitalwolf said:
I know many of you may be getting sick and tired of reading my threads about what my next car shall be but hear me out.

I'm certainly selling the Saxo.....shame I know but I want something a tad bigger.

I'm thinking about going for something around £1500 and building up another NCB on this whilst having money in the bank to do what I want when I want until I finish education. I'll pay the insurance off in a lump sum and save for a faster/better car for when I have 2 NCB's.

A car that stands out for me for £1500 is a 1.9 306. I know they are noisey, but I really did enjoy the test drive I had in one. The torque was wild.

It would be quite cheap to insure, would it cost a lot to maintain though? I have seen ph2 1.9 306's with A/C etc in my budget which would be nice but have 100k miles.

Would it stay reliable with 100k miles?

Thank you :)
Click to expand...

If my 1.4 petrol can start every time and not miss a beat at 113k I'm sure the diesel would be more than up to the task.

Ignore the "but its French" stereotype. Mechanically they are pretty resiliant cars in my biased opinion.
 
TripleT said:
I can't believe people buy cars/don't buy cars based on the dash... :p

As long as it's functional who cares?! There's nothing offensive about it, it's just a dash, it does it's job perfectly. The way it drives and looks is more important surely?
Click to expand...

I hate having to stare at something ugly, so for me at least, a nice interior is important. The way it feels is nice, as well. So I wont pick a car where I dont like the look and feel of the interior.

And I don't subscribe to this claptrap about 'I drive the car i dont see the interior' - unless you have a serious case of tunnel vision and a huge windscreen, you see the interior when you drive, you touch it whenever you operate the controls, you see it every time you glance around, etc etc. You sit in it - you wouldn't watch TV in a grubby box room becuase 'I look at the TV not the wall', its the same principle. A nice environment makes driving more pleasurable.
 
Just sold my 99T Xsara HDi for £1300, aircon and 108k miles, excellent condition. Nicer, more modern interior than a 306 too.
 
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