Faults:

MAP Sensor failed.

Spark plugs failing.

Dimmer on dash board not functioning.

Reverse difficult to get into.

NSF Gator split.

NSF CV joint failing.

Alarm stopped functioning.

General Comments:

The MAP sensor failed 2 months after I bought the car. It went into the dealer garage and they looked at it 3 times relieving me of £35 a time. I bought a new MAP sensor and it reduced the pinking, but it still pinks. Found out recently that the wrong spark plugs are in it (check these first if you get performance issues)

The dimmer on the dash has stopped working. Don't know why, but it just has!

Reverse is sometimes hard to get into, but if you put the car in 5th gear and then down into reverse it makes life a lot easier.

NSF gator split and dealer quoted lots to replace it. Shop around as I got it done for half what I got quoted at the dealers.

NSF CV joint failing as it squeals when I go round corners. It has stopped right now, but have been quoted near £200 to get it fixed as you need a complete drive shaft.

Alarm stopped working for some reason. Put the car into a dealers to get it checked and they said they couldn't trace the problem. The central locking still works, but it will be more economical to put a new alarm in the car than get the current broken one fixed.

Overall, a very nice car to drive. I put an Air Induction Kit (performance filter) in the car and it picks up well over 3,000 revs. the 1,600cc engine is probably the more economical of all the XT variety, but try and look for the 100bhp models. I got the 90bhp and tuned it to 100bhp (the only difference is the ECU as I was told by the dealer). When buying a new 306, check power steering for noises and uneven wear on the tyres. Also check for rattling of the camshaft and for pinking. Leave the car ticking over for 5 minutes before taking it for a road test to warm it up. Then when out try putting your foot down a bit in a higher gear to see if it pinks.

I was lucky to get a 95 model with low mileage, but it was still rattly.

One last thing, make sure you know the components to buy. Ring around other garages before putting it into any garage to get fixed.

This car has been really good and is really worth trying out despite the problems. Starts every time and goes well at 105mph with 5 people in it.

Faults:

The thermostat of the radiator had to be replaced.

Rear central lock broken.

Tensioner, tensioner spring and tensioner belt changed at 35000 kilometres.

Because the model is a bit low in height, I cracked the oil sump. I only had to weld it, since it was not badly cracked.

Seats have started to wear badly.

General Comments:

It is a very good looking sports car although it is a bit heavy.

It has a very good torque and it has a very nice ride (for a diesel).

It's acceleration is quite good 0-60mph in about 12 sec.

When the turbo kicks in, the car's performance gets similar to a petrol engine.

It is a very spatial car.

It has a noisy dashboard although if you switch on the stereo you won't notice them at all.

Faults:

Head gasket blew at 96,000 miles, thermostat useless after 91,000 miles. Thermostat likes to work only after the gasket is gone, just to let you know the engine is running at 95 degrees and that there is no water in the cooling system, at this time the fans come on (with no effect).

I bought the car with 91,000 miles and everything worked fine. First to go was the overhead internal light on day 1. The exhaust grommet broke, leaving the end can in the middle of the road, have been unable to tighten the exhaust clamp enough to keep it intact, had to wrap the joint in tin.

General Comments:

I love the car, fast, stylish and cheap to run. Maybe I'm just unlucky, but it hasn't gave me anything but trouble yet. It's a 306 sedan and has the same body and wheelbase as the hatchback (except for the boot obviously). The electrics have also given me problems. The wiring in one of the fog lights needed some attention.