1997 Peugeot 306 D Turbo review from UK and Ireland

Wind noise entering into cabin from nearside mirror - now on approx. 8th mirror.

Fog lights full of condensation - both replaced.

Various rattles, in particular nearside windows and drivers door - possibly due to the low quality of the trim.

The wiper blades (front and rear) are unbelievably noisy. The front drivers side blade skipped across the windscreen without clearing the glass making driving unsafe in light rain; this did not occur in heavy rain. Wiper blade replaced yesterday by dealer ... but they fitted one 3" too wide (from a Peugeot 406) which fell off after approx. 10 wipes whilst I was driving at 70mph on a motorway! Blade replaced again by dealer today with correct one. Letter on its way to manager of dealership. Rear blade still a problem.

Drivers seat replaced 2 weeks ago - it had collapsed underneath after only 10,000 miles.

Mud flaps (front and rear) scrape the ground, particularly when carrying passengers.

Brakes screech - fixed by dealer twice but problem returns after approx. 50 miles. Brakes are very uninspiring and not positive feeling.

Faulty bonnet catch on delivery - fixed by dealer.

Dreadful paint finish - car delivered with paint defect and had to have 2 panels resprayed. General finish awful - runs in paint, etc.

Imperfect dashboard - small hole near airvents. Unfortunately did not spot on delivery.

CD autochanger replaced after 2,000 miles as it jammed.

Fuel gauge unreliable - reads fuller than the tank actually is.

Tyres have worn very quickly - expect to have to replace all four after approx. 14,000 miles. I am not a hard driver - in fact IAM trained.

Suspension seems hard when on bumpy roads at low speed but at high speed the car floats about. Ride is very over-rated in reviews etc. My previous car (Mazda 323F) was far superior in ride, and in fact in every way except economy.

Sporty looking seats aren't as comfy as they look.

On a more positive note, it is one of the best looking car in its class, with low insurance, good economy and plenty of street cred.

However, the problems and the positively dreadful, useless and patronising dealer, who's answer to most problems is "well that could happen on any car", mean that there is no way in this world I would buy another! Back to Mazda for me...