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Anyone any thoughts or opinions on the Peugeot 306 xsi? I am looking for one at the moment. About £3 - £3.5k 96P ish - less than 60k miles.
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GREAT handling! If you overlook any slight interior quality problems, you\'ll enjoy this car very much.
Vagelis.
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I drive an old clio at the mo, so the interior will be like a work of art!
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Greg,
Get a good one and you'll enjoy it. But please don't pay £3K-£3.5K for one. They are knocking about the trade nearer £2K. I would be amazed if you couldn't source a nice one privately for £2.5K with a little patience.
Be aware this is just the age when a few maintenance issues may cost a bit, leave a bit in hand for this.
Price or a shiny dealer's emporium hyping the price is not always a true indicator of condition. These (306s) are a car where the trade love to justify top book and then some when on the forecourt.
The 306 is good but there are some equally good '96 cars about now for less than £2K.
Good luck.
M.M
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Thanks M.M
Where should I be looking for the cheaper ones? I can't find what I want (combination of age, miles, etc) for much under 3k on autotrader with a low mileage. It would be great to find one for that much less, or find a newer one for 3 - 3.5k. Any suggestions?
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Greg,
It is true that many have gone well over the mileage you want. You know buying at 60K as opposed to 80K plus isn't always best. Many cars go through a costly period between these mileages and buying at 60K sometimes just puts you at the start of this expense. Personally as long as a full service record was available, and repairs were up to date, I wouldn't care a jot between 60K & 80K cars.
That in itself would open up a price flexibility.
The other thing is making sure you don't allow this 306 price inflation due to talking up the image...it is very common. Try lower offers and walking away from the expensive ones while you still have the patience.
M.M
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thanks for the advice M.M. We shall see. I guess I need to decide how much a car is worth and then offer that, and if they aren't willing to compromise - walk.
Of course in the real world presented with the ideal 3 dr dark blue (or diablo red), 45 - 50k miles 96/97 P/R, proper original nice condition alloys etc, I may struggle to walk away! But then if it is all of those things, it may well be worth the cash!
Thanks.
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I had one. Absolutely loved it. rattled like an 18month old baby with a rattle.
98/S plate. 135bhp. so much quicker than people thought. pre 98 (april) they were 123bhp. There is quite a difference when driving each one.
Watch out for Radiator rot (not all pug dealers ued correct water) and exhaust/ cat rot. again, 306's quite suseptible to this.
Body panels not very strong (the creaking of the roof flexing when i went thru a car wash gave that away).
Try and get a lock for the spare wheel as its exposed under the car (£35 from Pug dealer).
Can be relatively expensive compared to similar sized cars to repair bits and pieces but handling wise its fantastic - really controllable driftable back end out stuff with hardly any understeer.
Recalls included a fuel hose clip thingy that wasnt done on mine, but was once the smell of shell entered the cabin. make sure its been done.
good luck with it - great handling, performance - poor build, cheap plastics.
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Spot on pheonicks, great handling and drivers car, shame about the build and reliability (oh and the dealers!)
Enjoy driving it, (just ignore the faults).
Paul
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Doh, posted too soon....You should be able to pick one up about the 2-2.5k mark. If well serviced and with history don't worry unduly or hang yourself up on a set mileage. Sometimes higher and well looked after can be better than lower, and run cold too often.
Paul
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I posted a few weeks ago about pug 306 xsi's and was advised not to spend too much on an old one. So, I have been hanging on for the facelift model at a good price (under £4k). People say that engines etc will go on to well into 100k miles these days, but how about the rest of the equipment? Should I be wary of a 70k miler with air con, e/w, e/m, r/c/l, etc etc? Or do you reckon I should chill out and go for it?
£3,600 1998R, 306xsi, 70k miles, s/h, black, 3 door.
I could wait until a 60k miler comes up for £4k, but when will that be? Will it make any difference anyway, etc etc.?
Any thoughts? Ta.
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I think both are ok, but i would take the lower mileage for the extra £400. I think they have a major service/possible cambelt change at around 60k miles so make sure they're done if you buy a 70k miler, or bargain it off the price of a 60k miler if it hasnt been done. It can be a sizeable cost for those 2 so many people might sell before that point.
Electrics can play up so just test them.
Most with Aircon will need regassing at that age as most people dont do it (£100)
Check the condition of the radiator as a lot of pug dealers may have not used the correct fluids and they can corrode. Also check the cats as they are open to rotting/being knackered!
If you can afford a little more go for a post april 98 (late R or S reg from August on) as they have the 135bhp engine and its well worth it :-)
Overall, prepare to put up with the rattles, the roof creaking in a car wash, trim scratching easily, and you have a car that will put a smile on your face every time you drive. good luck.
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ta for info. Unfortunately the 60k miler is only hyperthetical! So, either 70k or not for the time being. Don't all the facelift models have the 135bhp engine? I will have to watch out for that. It is the 16v engine as opposed to the old 123bhp 8v, I believe.
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No problems. The restyle up to April 98 (i think) is 123bhp and 8v. The 135bhp is 16v and you really feel the 2nd 8valves at about 3500rpm. loads of torque funnily enough and pulls so well on the motorway. The pre april 98 mostly have sunroofs rather than ac so it is well worth waiting for a post april 98 car.
distinguish between the 2 by the pre 98 123bhp car having red XSI badging on the side or rear. the post 98 135bhp car had silver XSI badging only on the sides.
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Thanks for info. Excellent. I'll watch out for it. I definitely want the 135bhp if I am getting the facelift model, otherwise it will be a bit of a poor relation.
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I'll probably just confuse things more but here goes.
Ive just bought a 1997 pug 306 xsi 2.0 and this is the newer shape and is a 16 valve. If your wondering how I know its a 16 valve it says so on the cam cover.so it must be 135bhp?
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What you ought to consider is the Citroen Xsara Coupe in 1.8 VTR or 2.0 VTS form.
Mechanically it is identical to the 306 - so you get the same great handling. But it's a newer car, so the interior is more modern and it has a higher level of standard equipment. But the best is yet to come.
They don't quite look as sporty as the 306 - so they cost CONSIDERABLY less to buy. There are two worth having - the 1.8 16v which does 0-60 in 9.2 seconds, has climate etc and is equivilent to the 306 XSi. You can get a good 1998 for under £2k, for £3k you should get a W or X reg one. Then there is the big one - the 2.0 VTS. This is better than a 306 XSi, its actually equivilent to the 306 GTi-6 but without the 6 speed box.
So, that means 170bhp. And still cheap as - £3.5k is easily enough for an X reg one. Much nicer than an old P plate 306.
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Didn't notice most of these posts were from 2003! No wonder figures of £3.5k for a P reg are being mentioned. Wonder why it's suddenly returned.
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