1989 Peugeot 309 GTi review from France
"Not bad, but it can be only a step in a life"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The spring of the throttle valve went off, and the RPM reached the limiter until the engine was turned off and the thing was fixed. Funny downtown!
Two exhaust manifold bolts broken. During the fix, I had a competition manifold installed.
Heavy oil consumption, due to this engine head design defect. Problem found on a lot of 309 and 405 cars. Not a big problem, just add 5 Liters of oil between 2 services.
Clutch and then gear box command rods changed following difficulties to go in first gear sometimes. Solved after that parts replacement, without knowing why.
General comments?
Good car for the money. Really better equipped than a 205 GTI with only 50 Kg more and the insurance fees are lower (family car!)
The previous owner (an architect) had the back lights tinted with a tinted Peugeot specific plate between them and the lower part of the doors/sides painted exactly the same color as the bumper plastic! It was nothing, but it really made the car beautiful.
Under steering on wet surfaces.
Expensive tyres (185/55/15).
Typical, not pleasant Peugeot gear box.
130 HP is definitely not enough.
Recommended Reviews:
  | The best 309 bar the GTi! |
| One of the best handling cars for the money! |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| First year of ownership | 1993 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 1994 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.9 L gas Manual |
| Performance marks | 6/10 |
| Reliability marks | 7/10 |
| Comfort marks | 7/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 4/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 123000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 143000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Volkswagen Golf |
| Date of Entry | 30th August, 2001 |