Pug Diesel for £750 or less

[Cruyff]

Ideally less.

I want something that will do me 50mpg and cost about £500-£750 realistically lasting for a year or maybe two. What is the way to go, 106? 306? The tattier the better really as I want something that I can leave in any car park in the world and not give a **** worry about it.

Any suggestions or ideas welcome, cheers.

[Old Merc]

Go for a 306 non turbo,great cars.I've got a 20yr old XLD as a workshop "truck",been thrashed,abused and refuses to die.They are bullit proof and never go wrong.

[clunkbox]

I've had two ZX Turbo Diesels in the past. Non-HDI turbo 306 is the same engine and chassis I recall. Plenty of power, and the handle nice. Only two things I'd watch out for:

-Make sure the cooling system is up to scratch - the heads will warp at the slightest sign of overheating. But otherwise a stout engine able to do big miles.

-Check the rear beam is ok - there is a commonish wear problem at high miles where they give up the ghost, characterized by sag / excess camber at the rear. They aren't easily serviceable to my knowledge so a scrap yard or refurb one is the answer. It isn't a bad DIY to do - I swapped the whole axle brakes and all.

I don't see why 50mpg wouldn't be acheivable, but aim for 40s if you drive it hard.

Parent's have a Xsara non-turbo diesel, same non-turbo XUD lump as the 306. It may not be putting out all the horses it should be because damn it's slow. 80mph is max cruising speed without having to really push it, and overtaking outside of very long straights is a no-no. Seems bombproof though - and if performance isn't an issue then it's fine.

A ratty 406 might be worth a look if you are doing lot of miles. Nice comfy cars, cheap ones tend to have a lot of suspension rattles though.

Edited by clunkbox on Monday 7th July 15:24

[Old Merc]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/used/cars/peuge...

Take your pick Cruyff ? all within 25 miles of Preston.

[Cruyff]

Thanks for the info gents. I have been looking on there Old Merc, and ebay too. I was more just checking to see how the 106s shaped up against the 306s, or if anyone else had other suggestions.

Any supporters for a Clio diesel?

Edited by Cruyff on Monday 7th July 20:51

[Old Merc]

can't comment on Clio's ?? The only good thing about 106 diesels is they can do well over 60mpg but compared to a 306 they are like a go kart with a roof and can not pull the skin off a rice pudding.

[robminiman]

the 106 is rather basic and abit slow but the handling is quite good, there cheap, easy to work on, simple and 60+mpg.

my old one had a leaky injector pump and still did 60mpg even tipping in the odd bit of petrol that had been drained out of scrappers at work

[HereBeMonsters]

Cruyff said:

Thanks for the info gents. I have been looking on there Old Merc, and ebay too. I was more just checking to see how the 106s shaped up against the 306s, or if anyone else had other suggestions.

Any supporters for a Clio diesel?

5-6 years ago, I would have said yes, but they're getting very old now, and common rail diesels can be a nightmare to maintain at this age.

If you can find a good one, I liked them. Had a couple as hire cars. Not as fun as my 306 D Turbo, but seemed alright. Very light steering, I recall.

[m8rky]

There is an ultra rare 03 Xsara 1.4 HDI on ebay slightly over a grand but only £30 road fund. Long term man maths puts it on budget.
If you dont know a Xsara is all 306 underneath,