1994 Peugeot 306 S16 review from Australia and New Zealand

Alternator and starter motor both required rebuilding (quite normal for 11 year old car). New items can cost lots and only few mechanics know how to rebuild those properly.

Air conditioning compressor seized in 2004 and was replaced with a cheap one from a wrecker. It's working great so far. New item from Peugeot is quite expensive.

Lower control bushes (suspension components on the front) needed replacement and because I've had them fitted at a "corner store" mechanic they weren't done properly and needed replacing 10 months later. Make sure you find a good independent specialist or a reliable good value for money Peugeot dealer. The bushes were over $500 to replace (twice).

Tyres wear quickly on the front (especially on the outside) but it's mainly due for negotiating corners at twice the recommended speed. It's something I seem to have a problem with because the car's build for cornering fast. Rotate tyres often and resist the temptation to turn in roundabouts at over 60km/h.

Most important thing with this sort of car is the replacement of the cam belt. It's a 4 year/80000km service interval (whichever comes first). I've had this done only because the 4 years have passed and it's good to be cautions. If the belt fails the engine suffers badly and needs reconditioning. It's a $800 job including water pump replacement.

Oxygen sensor (ECU) replaced a few years ago. It's another common thing with 100K cars, but it's quite cheap to get it replaced.

The car was a very pleasant surprise. I was only looking around for a normal, "plain vanilla" 306 with a manual transmission. I didn't know about S16s at the time of purchase. I later found out there's only been around 80 delivered and sold to Australian customers in 1994-95. The later hot hatch version (GTI6 in Australia) was a lot more well known. Not many people seem to know about the S16s and that's a good thing. It results in some absolute bargains...

The prices on the second hand market in Australia are fantastic. They were $36000 and now you can get them for less than a third of that if in fantastic condition.

Outstanding interior of this sort of car. It mixes luxury with a great handling vehicle very well.

A great way to learn more about those cars is to visit www.aussiefrogs.com (Internet forum for Australian French car enthusiasts). I've gained quite a lot from the other owners of this car from all over Australia. Lots of good tips and servicing recomendations as well.

Excellent handling, good acceleration, and fantastic braking (I have upgraded to Brembo rotors recently and EBC pads).

Fuel consumption is OK in the city - 10-12L/100km and superb on the open highway. 7.5L/100km when crusing at 110km/hour. It'd be nice if it was a little bit better in the city.

No doubt they're great cars. I'd struggle immensely to be able to by something similar or better for the same amount of money.