1994 Peugeot 306 S16 review from UK and Ireland

Faulty rubber seals to passenger door - rain water leaks in. Main Peugeot dealer in Manchester claims this will cost £200 to correct - remove door panels, fit new seals etc.

Ignition coils replaced: £250.

Power steering fluid leaking from pump to rack.

Rust on roof adjacent to sunroof recess.

Fuel leaks.

Faulty Bitron unit - £85 replacement.

Lack of acceleration problem which led to the following saga at both a Peugeot main dealer and Peugeot specialist:

Oxygen sensor fault resulting in ECU re-programming - £65.

Oxygen sensor fault resulting in ECU re-programming (was fobbed off with this "solution" twice) - £25.

Oxygen sensor replacement - £90.

Cat disintegrating - shields rattle, casing corroded.

Exhaust replaced - £130.

Cat disintegrating - shields rattle. Was told that it was the exhaust which needed replacing not the catalyst.

Lack of acceleration problem still not solved.

Maintenance:

Cam belt replaced at 54k miles to be on the safe side - £110.

Tyre replacement - 2 No. Michelin Pilots £80 each.

Brake pads to front discs - £40 for the pair fitted them myself.

Servicing costs - about £100 per service so not too bad there.

I appreciate the fact that the car is 8 years old and that things will corrode/disintegrate and need replacing. But the dealers do not have a clue how to diagnose and cure any faults on this car. Apparently Peugeot had addressed the fault diagnosis problem on the later GTi-6 successor to the S16.

Gripes aside, when the car is running correctly it is an excellent drive.

Handling is amazing and has a race car like feel - roundabouts can be negotiated at 80mph without a squeal, conditions permitting of course.

Above 4000rpm the thing flies. Needs thrashing though to get the best out of it. However the S16 should still be faster for 160bhp in a small hatch.

Drive it normally and you'll get a reasonable 30-34mpg.