RE: Peugeot 306 GTI-6 | Cars under the hammer

[Retro.74]

Jon_S_Rally said:

One of the first things

I'm also not sure how the '90s was a "lean" decade for the hot hatch...

Peugeot 306 S16/GTI-6/Rallye
Peugeot 309 GTI
Peugeot 106 GTI/Rallye
Peugeot 205 GTI/Rallye
Ford Escort Cosworth/RS2000/4x4
Ford Fiesta XR2i/RS Turbo/RS1800
VW Golf GTI/VR6
VW Polo G40
Nissan Almera GTI
Nissan Sunny GTI/GTi-R
Lancia Delta Integrale
Citroen AX GTI
Citroen Saxo VTR/VTS
Citroen Xsara VTS
Renault Clio 16V/Williams
Renault 5 GT Turbo
Vauxhall Astra GSI/SRI
Vauxhall Nova GSI/SRI
Vauxhall Corsa GSI/SRI
Rover 200Vi/BRM
Fiat Bravo HGT
Fiat Tipo 16v
Fiat Punto GT
Fiat Uno Turbo
Proton Satria GTI
Seat Ibiza GTI
Alfa Romeo 145 TS
Honda Civic VTI/SiR/Type-R/Jordan
Suzuki Swift GTI
Daihatsu Charade GTTI
Toyota Corolla GTI

I often try to defend the editorial quality on this site but...yeah...not exactly lean

Ahh great list Jon, like others brought back memories. Hardly any with shared engines which is nice Owned or been in a lot of those including the Gti6 which I did rate, but also a fair few others on there just as much.

[daytona111r]

How does this compare to a 205 GTI 1.9 for handling and sheer driving exhilaration?? I suspect it would be much friendlier and less spikey at the limit.

[Alex Z]

Only ever drove the turbo diesel 306 and it was a lovely handling machine. I’d expect this will exceed the estimates.

[TheMilkyBarKid]

daytona111r said:

How does this compare to a 205 GTI 1.9 for handling and sheer driving exhilaration?? I suspect it would be much friendlier and less spikey at the limit.

Owned both back in the day but it was over 20 years ago so do take my recollections with a pinch of salt. On modern tyres I think both would be much less prone to snap lift off oversteer than they were in the 1990’s when I owned mine.

The 306 was definitely better built with a much nicer interior than the 205’s yoghurt pot plastics, and it was better for long hauls on the motorway but even the 306 in my case was hardly a paragon of reliability. The 205 had less weight transfer in quick left-right changes of direction (which is obvious really) and grip wise I remember both could be pushed right up to the limit and slightly beyond and you’d know exactly what the front wheels were doing at all times. The figures say the 306 was quicker but from what I remember it didn’t really feel like there’s was much in it up to about 80mph, though that was possibly down to the difference in refinement.

As for the 306 being far friendlier and less spiky, I wouldn’t be so sure. Put it this way - and this may well be down to luck - I never had any incidents in my 205 but my 306 ended it’s days in a Staffordshire hedge when I ran out of talent on a damp roundabout one fateful night. They definitely still had the ability to bite if you overcooked it but as above I think that tendency would be reduced for both now on modern tyres.

Both still great drivers cars though and I’d love another of either in my garage.

[MY95]

Looks a nice example. Almost unbelievable that these were very cheap just 5-10yrs ago. Unfortunately as nice as this is, the cambelt is due (5yrs), it may well need a rear axle at some point in the near future and likely some sort of corrosion work too as it is over 20yrs old after all. Air con on the majority of these isn’t working so not a biggie - can use a shorter belt and remove which takes some weight off the engine too. Good sign that it’s on the original tyre size as most skimp out for 50 profile tyres as these are considerably cheaper. These really are a beautiful design though and worth keeping on the road as they drive very well too, if a tad slow these days (although that isn’t the point of these).

Edited by MY95 on Monday 25th March 18:28

Edited by MY95 on Monday 25th March 18:30

[Maccmike8]

Cracking car the 306. Much rather have this than the 320si. On paper a great engine but needs rebuild at 100k, hope the buyer has deep wallets.

[soad]

These look great, and I haven’t sat in one.

Probably nearly two decades since I last saw one too, I don’t do car shows.

[turnerc76]

Bought my 99 ph2 3 years ago and refreshed everything mechanical. Pretty much stock and is more than fast enough for me. Wanted one since i had a dturbo BITD. Wonderful chassis. Currently my daily and it's ace.

That one is lovely. Wish mine was that colour. Gorgeous.

[adambcvg]

Beware, they hide rust very, very well. Not necessarily this one, but others certainly do.

Telepathic is how I'd describe the driving experience. Just about fast enough for fun, comfy and a practical thing to use everyday. Yes they need to be looked after but a good one is pretty simple to keep going. Some parts are difficult to find now, but there's a decent Facebook community to help with that. Hopefully original dampers will appear through Peugeot again some day as they are a major part of the magic.

[s m]

daytona111r said:

How does this compare to a 205 GTI 1.9 for handling and sheer driving exhilaration?? I suspect it would be much friendlier and less spikey at the limit.

I owned a 309Gti when I drove the 306 GTI-6s ( Millbrook CCIA day and Weston Park (Peugeot Arrive and Drive day for their sporty range ) on the rally stage estate roads and a road route ). I did get the feeling that 306 was a lot more errrm
…. adjustable .. at the rear than my 309. I didn’t go so far as to spin it on the heavily cambered and bumpy estate roads as did a couple of other people on the day. The 106 GTi felt a bit better tied down on the roads we drove

[AddyT.]

Alex Z said:

Only ever drove the turbo diesel 306 and it was a lovely handling machine. I’d expect this will exceed the estimates.

I remember test driving the TD version of these back in the day as I really wanted one. I was instantly sold but at the time remember the cambelt hadn't and should have been done so my dad (rightly at the time) advised me to give it a pass. Sad times as was a good steer. As for the GTI....someone I know locally has bought one recently after all this time and loves it and speaks volumes IMO. Crap interior but that's not what it's about.

[Jon_S_Rally]

MightyBadger said:

309 SRI too with the 1.6 gti engine and wheels.

True. I also realised I missed the MK4 Escort XR3i/RS Turbo off the list, as they were still available into the '90s, and I missed the later 16v XR3i and even the (perhaps warm rather than hot) Escort GTI.

Regardless, the '90s was anything but lean for hot hatches!

[Simoninspalding]

Hmm. Can anyone else hear an odd noise from the car while Cam is driving it? Initially I thought it was suspension, but it seemed to stop when he was changing gear/ had the clutch in which might be a concern.

[jezb1]

If I was buying a 306 now it'd have to be a Rallye. I had one a good few years ago and it's one of only a few cars I regret selling.

I know there's not masses of difference between the GTI and Rallye, but I think the Rallye is just that little bit more special.

[nismo48]

Jon_S_Rally said:

One of the first things he says in the video is that the 306 is underrated, but is that actually true? It's regarded by many as the best hot hatch of the 1990s, and one of the best ever by some. I'm not sure how that makes it underrated? Undervalued maybe, but certainly not underrated.

I'm also not sure how the '90s was a "lean" decade for the hot hatch...

Peugeot 306 S16/GTI-6/Rallye
Peugeot 309 GTI
Peugeot 106 GTI/Rallye
Peugeot 205 GTI/Rallye
Ford Escort Cosworth/RS2000/4x4
Ford Fiesta XR2i/RS Turbo/RS1800
VW Golf GTI/VR6
VW Polo G40
Nissan Almera GTI
Nissan Sunny GTI/GTi-R
Lancia Delta Integrale
Citroen AX GTI
Citroen Saxo VTR/VTS
Citroen Xsara VTS
Renault Clio 16V/Williams
Renault 5 GT Turbo
Vauxhall Astra GSI/SRI
Vauxhall Nova GSI/SRI
Vauxhall Corsa GSI/SRI
Rover 200Vi/BRM
Fiat Bravo HGT
Fiat Tipo 16v
Fiat Punto GT
Fiat Uno Turbo
Proton Satria GTI
Seat Ibiza GTI
Alfa Romeo 145 TS
Honda Civic VTI/SiR/Type-R/Jordan
Suzuki Swift GTI
Daihatsu Charade GTTI
Toyota Corolla GTI

I often try to defend the editorial quality on this site but...yeah...not exactly lean

Some great drives there..
The 306 Gti-6 is still a relative bargain in todays market and Blaze Yellow looks fantastic

[F1GTRUeno]

Turbobanana said:

I'd be interested to know why Jack feels a 205 GTI isn't suitable for use every day.

Because it's made out of crisp packets and you'll likely die in a crash?

[rallye77]

Great cars, I have had mine, a black 306 Rallye for the last 18 years to date and it is used as a daily. Over the past 3 years I started using it only on weekends.

[Not a Diesel]

The 90's was not that great for hot hatches despite the list. Insurance was making them impossible to insure hence a load of warm hatches.

By the end of the 90's very few of the hatches were faster than an Astra GTE 16v from 1988. They had gotten heavier and were still using 2.0 litre with a tiny bit more power and the same torque. Although handling/build quality/safety all did.

Jap stuff like the Impreza Turbo was also very well priced with similar weight and more power/traction.

I had a 2000 model GTI-6 as my daily replacing a P1 & and E30 M3 before. Was a great car but very very boring to look at. The run-out HDi looked identical.

I test drove a couple and a DC2 Integra ( could not be arsed chasing red line) and a Corrado VR6 ( seemed more understeery than 306. Never drive your hero's) & decided on the 306GTi-6 was best all rounder.

Never had any issues other than trying to get wheels balance properly. Surprisingly difficult it seemed.

[shalmaneser]

I owned a 306 TurboD as my second car. Was spectacularly unreliable (head gasket went three times; I sold it after number 3. However I did all the work to fix it myself, learnt a lot about sorting out cars doing that job!

Also fitted a disc rear beam for some reason that I can't remember, apparently out of an S16 or something. The stiffer rear ARB really tightened up already sweet the handling and taught me the meaning of lift off oversteer!

The chronic unreliability didn't put me off and my next car was a 1.6 205 GTI, so the Turbo D was a good introduction to sporty Peugeot handling! I test drove a 306gti while looking for the 205 and it was the first quick car I ever drove, the engine was such a peach!

Ended up fitting a xsara vts engine and gearbox (same as the 306 gti6 motor but 5 speed...into my 205 GTI, which turned it into quite a weapon - 115bhp to 170bhp (probably more as it no longer needed a cat in the G reg 205...) sounded completely incredible with a cone filter, the induction bark was quite something. Really an awesome motor.

[Turbobanana]

F1GTRUeno said:

Turbobanana said:

I'd be interested to know why Jack feels a 205 GTI isn't suitable for use every day.

Because it's made out of crisp packets and you'll likely die in a crash?

Ha, didn't think it would be long before someone trotted out that old nonsense.

How did we all survive?