My Rallye Resolution (Peugeot 306)
Discussion
I thought I'd start this thread to keep me honest and hopefully motivate me to get my 306 Rallye back on the road in a timely fashion (aiming for spring but the jobs-list is currently unknown). I think it’s one of only 100 UK cars originally supplied in Noir Onyx and slightly oddly this one has A/C.
How many left says there are 89 on the road and 200 SORNed of all colour variants today which I think means 289 survive of the original 501 in 1999.
This is the first car I bought with the first pay check from first real job in 2003. I bought it from a dodgy second-hand car dealership in Doncaster with a high starting mileage because that was the only way I could afford one at 22.
The car was with me until 2015 when we had to part ways. The cambelt snapped before it was due for changing (“They all do that sir”) and detonated the engine internals and I was imminently due my first child. So, I sold the 306 as an unfixed project but always regretted it. It's such a playful car, all down to the biddable chassis rather than outright power, I always got out smiling.
Long story short, on a wet night in the pub with an old friend in April 2022 I finally convinced myself I needed the 306 back. So I sent a speculative email to the chap I sold it to 7 years previous and then... nothing.
Until December 2022 when I got a lovely reply from Kev offering to sell the car back to me at a very reasonable price. Kev, who is as amazing as humans come (built his own house, has a Clio track project and a Mini pickup amongst other cool stuff) had started repairing the Rallye but work had stalled due to other commitments. The good news is Kev has had the engine fully rebuilt professionally, the less good news is that it has now sat for nearly seven years; so it will immediately need a new cambelt etc.
My OH has, quite correctly, pointed out that I'm in no real position to have a long-term project. I have a high maintenance job, limited space, two kids etc. But thankfully my OH does love the 306, so we're going for it, but I need to crack on. In any case this is just a place holder post to mark the 1/1/23 and I will collect the car on Friday. From there we can see how far the jobs-list goes beyond what I already know about.
I’ll end by sharing a photo from the day I was reunited with my 306 in Kev’s barn. I’ll add more new and historic photos to the thread as we go.
How many left says there are 89 on the road and 200 SORNed of all colour variants today which I think means 289 survive of the original 501 in 1999.
This is the first car I bought with the first pay check from first real job in 2003. I bought it from a dodgy second-hand car dealership in Doncaster with a high starting mileage because that was the only way I could afford one at 22.
The car was with me until 2015 when we had to part ways. The cambelt snapped before it was due for changing (“They all do that sir”) and detonated the engine internals and I was imminently due my first child. So, I sold the 306 as an unfixed project but always regretted it. It's such a playful car, all down to the biddable chassis rather than outright power, I always got out smiling.
Long story short, on a wet night in the pub with an old friend in April 2022 I finally convinced myself I needed the 306 back. So I sent a speculative email to the chap I sold it to 7 years previous and then... nothing.
Until December 2022 when I got a lovely reply from Kev offering to sell the car back to me at a very reasonable price. Kev, who is as amazing as humans come (built his own house, has a Clio track project and a Mini pickup amongst other cool stuff) had started repairing the Rallye but work had stalled due to other commitments. The good news is Kev has had the engine fully rebuilt professionally, the less good news is that it has now sat for nearly seven years; so it will immediately need a new cambelt etc.
My OH has, quite correctly, pointed out that I'm in no real position to have a long-term project. I have a high maintenance job, limited space, two kids etc. But thankfully my OH does love the 306, so we're going for it, but I need to crack on. In any case this is just a place holder post to mark the 1/1/23 and I will collect the car on Friday. From there we can see how far the jobs-list goes beyond what I already know about.
I’ll end by sharing a photo from the day I was reunited with my 306 in Kev’s barn. I’ll add more new and historic photos to the thread as we go.
role in the reacquisition. Hero!
I'm also one of those guys who missed the boat and really regrets it. I had a 309 GTi back when I was a lad and a couple of wealthier mates had 306's and I loved them. The 306's. I went through the whole Max Power / slam them on 18's stuff but always wanted an original, unmolested GTI-6 or Rallye.
I'd still love one as a second (third) car to just enjoy down your average, crappy Scottish back road as they're probably the perfect blend of pace, handling and excitement but without having to be doing jail bait speeds in the process.
Good luck with it!
I'm also one of those guys who missed the boat and really regrets it. I had a 309 GTi back when I was a lad and a couple of wealthier mates had 306's and I loved them. The 306's. I went through the whole Max Power / slam them on 18's stuff but always wanted an original, unmolested GTI-6 or Rallye.
I'd still love one as a second (third) car to just enjoy down your average, crappy Scottish back road as they're probably the perfect blend of pace, handling and excitement but without having to be doing jail bait speeds in the process.
Good luck with it!
greenarrow said:
Glad to see another Rallye being saved. I should've bought one 6-7 years ago when they were two grand but that ship has sailed now. I maintain these are the best hot hatches I've ever driven. So involving!!
Look forward to seeing how this goes.
+1 me too, looks promisingLook forward to seeing how this goes.
I nearly bought a white 306 Rallye for £1700 once. Really wish I had!! I’ve always loved 306s - my younger brother had a dTurbo, and my ex-wife had a nice low mileage 1.8 petrol engined 306 many years ago. Both brilliant handling cars, I really do feel like I missed out not buying that white one, but it was 2009 and I thought I’d just be buying a crap old-tech hatch that was one or two MOTs from the scrappers!!
I ended up buying an MX-5 10AE instead, which was good, but after a couple of years I’d spent so much money getting rid of chassis rust and having almost the entire thing resprayed (only for it to start rusting in other places!) I had to sell it in the end!
Good luck getting this back on the road, they’re lovely cars, and IIRC black was the rarest colour wasn’t it?
I ended up buying an MX-5 10AE instead, which was good, but after a couple of years I’d spent so much money getting rid of chassis rust and having almost the entire thing resprayed (only for it to start rusting in other places!) I had to sell it in the end!
Good luck getting this back on the road, they’re lovely cars, and IIRC black was the rarest colour wasn’t it?
Thanks for all the encouragement chaps. The excitement is really setting in now. Off to the bank for cash in the morning and the trailer is sorted by another old friend, so Friday should be a splendid day.
To remind me of what all the effort will be for, here are some pictures of the Rallye in happier times with some other members of the fleet.
Firstly with the precat Griff on collection day. darkyoung can tell some stories about that trip but we'll save those for another day.
And secondly with the Elan - rare to find a car that makes the 306 look big!
My Rallye has never had the three stripe sticker on the bonnet but I think I will reinstate it this time. Any thoughts?
To remind me of what all the effort will be for, here are some pictures of the Rallye in happier times with some other members of the fleet.
Firstly with the precat Griff on collection day. darkyoung can tell some stories about that trip but we'll save those for another day.
And secondly with the Elan - rare to find a car that makes the 306 look big!
My Rallye has never had the three stripe sticker on the bonnet but I think I will reinstate it this time. Any thoughts?
Collection day has finally arrived and the weather is weirdly both mild and dry - who'd have thought it possible in a Yorkshire January. All has gone smoothly so far with loading.
But the bonnet is just perched on the car at present so keeping that in place has caused a few stops. This is the view from darkyoung1000's trusty Volvo ( more on which here).
But the bonnet is just perched on the car at present so keeping that in place has caused a few stops. This is the view from darkyoung1000's trusty Volvo ( more on which here).
My first interactions with the car haven’t gone well…
Whilst trying to reverse the car down my driveway, I thought I’d adjust the mirror and was rewarded with a ping…
Then I thought I’d wash off the seven years of accumulated barn-find chic. I tried to move the aerial and ping again…
Great to be back behind the wheel though(even if we were static).
Let battle commence!
Whilst trying to reverse the car down my driveway, I thought I’d adjust the mirror and was rewarded with a ping…
Then I thought I’d wash off the seven years of accumulated barn-find chic. I tried to move the aerial and ping again…
Great to be back behind the wheel though(even if we were static).
Let battle commence!
Well this isn’t much of an update but the car at least has a new aerial and as a result is watertight once more.
The new/old cam belt is off (it was new on the engine and never ran but has sat on the car like that for seven years so I decided to swap it out). I have the new cam belt but I’m struggling to find the correct Hz for the tightness. Peugeot recommends using a Gates STT-1 sonic tension meter to tighten the cam belt correctly on the XU10J4RS engine but I can’t find the Hz value anywhere.
Any help on this would be much appreciated. Might also post this as a question in the engines forum.
The new/old cam belt is off (it was new on the engine and never ran but has sat on the car like that for seven years so I decided to swap it out). I have the new cam belt but I’m struggling to find the correct Hz for the tightness. Peugeot recommends using a Gates STT-1 sonic tension meter to tighten the cam belt correctly on the XU10J4RS engine but I can’t find the Hz value anywhere.
Any help on this would be much appreciated. Might also post this as a question in the engines forum.
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