Peugeot 305 gld estates??? Much needed advice please

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2011dandd
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Peugeot 305 gld estates??? Much needed advice please

Post by 2011dandd »

Hello I am a brand spanker to the forum, that much of a brand spanker that this is my first post of anykind. That said I have been reading lots about the 305 discussions from the forum as they have come up in google searches. Anyway I'm Dan and I wondered if those in the know would be kind enough to answer a few questions or point me in the right direction please?

The brief:
I need, a safe ultra reliable and economical car for the family and for the commute to work,it's 140mile round trip and I have two under 18months so I have to be able to securely fit baby/todler car seats. Oh and the other thing it has to be retro or different because I like old things and the way cars were put togeather years ago.

I have been driving Volvos I had a lovely 240 estate, though a very comfortable reliable solid very safe vehicle it was simply far to expensive to do the miles I had to do think I was getting 22mpg bad even by Volvo standards, the other thing was tha the seat belts were just not long enough for child seats, take it from me it was a nightmare, somehow I managed to get the belts round but this was obviously not ideal.

Sorry for the waffle I'll get to the point.
So Google took me to reviews of the Peugeot 305 and particularly the diesel estate. I have not read anything negative about them yet.

How good are these engines?
How safe is the vehicle on the whole ?
Are they viable everyday drivers?
What's the fuel economy like on a 1.8
Does anyone have experience of using car seats for the children with them??

Hope someone can help, look forward to finding out a bit more and hopefully going down the French route if I get the answeres I'm really hoping for.

Thanks in advance.

Dan
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Re: Peugeot 305 gld estates??? Much needed advice please

Post by JohnD »

I must admit I haven't seen a Peugeot 305 estate on the roads for many years. My friend used to have one - but that was thirty years ago. I believe production stopped in 1990. It was a reliable workhorse, powered by the XUD 9 engine. It was easy to maintain and similar to the Citroen BX although without the complications of the hydraulic suspension.
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Re: Peugeot 305 gld estates??? Much needed advice please

Post by Gibbo2286 »

For your daily needs I'd put all the classic car nonsense out of consideration, that stuff is for playing with at the week ends.

The saying "They don't build them like that anymore." is very true, thank goodness, look for something late and low mileage it will be safer, more economical and likely more comfortable than any old banger. :shock:
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Re: Peugeot 305 gld estates??? Much needed advice please

Post by xantia_v6 »

I have nothing against old cars, but I would suggest that for economy and comfort on your commute you should broaden your search to include Xantia and 406s with the hdi 110 engine. C5s also if they are not too new for you.
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Re: Peugeot 305 gld estates??? Much needed advice please

Post by 2011dandd »

The fact that they are easily self maintainable therefore keeping cost down and are apparently good for 300 000 miles plus if properly looked after therefore again keeping cost down is much more apealing to me then comfort for myself on the commute. My young family pretty much dictates the spare cash I have to get a family car.

Weekends??? What are they again?

I suppose I am really after advice from those that are currently 305 owners or those that have clocked up 300 000 miles on the engine. And to basicly give me there honest review without being biased.

Cheers for the replys thus far
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Re: RE: Re: Peugeot 305 gld estates??? Much needed advice please

Post by BenC5HDi »

Gibbo2286 wrote:For your daily needs I'd put all the classic car nonsense out of consideration, that stuff is for playing with at the week ends.

The saying "They don't build them like that anymore." is very true, thank goodness, look for something late and low mileage it will be safer, more economical and likely more comfortable than any old banger. :shock:
Yes, having used various "classics" as daily drivers in the past, it's a bloody nightmare compared to using a modern car and usually more expensive - worse economy for a start. They're not as safe by a long way, parts can be a nightmare to get.. it's just hassle. Have one as a hobby, sure but get something sane for a daily driver.

If you want to stay French, I'd recommend a Berlingo. You'd pick up a decent 2.0HDi Multispace for not much more than a grand, and they're ace for kids. If you get a post 2003 one, they have 4* Euro NCAP safety rating, and can fit all manner of child seats in. Easy to fix, parts cheap. Engines economical and reliable.

406/C5 HDi /307 SW etc all good options that won't be expensive.



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Re: Peugeot 305 gld estates??? Much needed advice please

Post by bxzx16v »

I'm with Ben on this , get a berlingo. The 305 if you can find will be a welding fest and keeping it on the road as a daily driver nothing but headache .

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Re: Peugeot 305 gld estates??? Much needed advice please

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

The 2.0l 8v HDi engine is considered to be quite reliable PROVIDED it is properly looked after (taxi drivers seem to prefer them, which should speak volumes). Unless you have a very good service history, I would suggest avoiding the 1.6l HDi. There is an issue that can allow a fine filter to become blocked, which starves the turbo of oil (with obvious results).
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Re: Peugeot 305 gld estates??? Much needed advice please

Post by daviemck2006 »

I agree with the above also. That's why I have a 107 for daily duties and a xantia activa for fun. If I were to rely on the xantia day to day it would eat up all my money, so the way it is just now when it breaks (it is broken just now) it can have time to get fixed properly, with decent parts, no bodge jobs just to keep it going here.

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Re: RE: Re: Peugeot 305 gld estates??? Much needed advice please

Post by daviemck2006 »

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Re: Peugeot 305 gld estates??? Much needed advice please

Post by spider »

My only thought really is if you did want um *older* would be to give thought to a decent 405 estate. Simple to look after with the XUD unit in it. Probably safer I guess than a 305. I've not mentioned 406 as you did want older...

There should not be much of a parts issue with a 405 either. Later models (L plate onwards) unless having base model tend to have A/C too (GLX typically has AC or Sunroof) GTX has both in 90% of cases. All newer shapes (apart from base) have PAS, most have central locking (not a luxury on a 4/5 door car)

Would I have one ? Yes please, or another (good) 205 without question.
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Re: Peugeot 305 gld estates??? Much needed advice please

Post by BenC5HDi »

My only thought is that it's a complete fallacy thinking that running a 20+ year old car as a daily driver will be anything like as safe, as easy , as economical (and will likely have more expensive road tax!) than running a 2001-2006 or 7 PSA HDi "shed". It simply won't be, not a hope. I know people with 04 plate C5 Estates that are in pretty good order that cost less than £500. Invest in a Lexia, and you'll hardly need to go near a garage ever.

Old cars *aren't* easier to maintain. I laugh at these people who complain about having to plug computers and Lexia in to fault find!

What's better? A couple of hours getting filthy and frustrated diagnosing an old car with an intermittent fault, or 10 mins sat inside a modern car with it plugged into Lexia which tells you exactly where the fault is?

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Re: Peugeot 305 gld estates??? Much needed advice please

Post by 2011dandd »

Wow I was really expecting a bit more enthusiasm to keep the older stuff going.
I was getting 22mpg from a Volvo and have read that the 305 will do between 40-50mpg so obviously a vast improvement on economy.

If garaged and treated a classic will not rust into nothing surely, the fact that it's old mechanics allows me to do the work, I like doing the maintanance side of the older cars. But your replies have been great definately a lot to think on about.
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Re: Peugeot 305 gld estates??? Much needed advice please

Post by BenC5HDi »

No one is saying don't keep the old stuff going - many of us do ourselves.

What we are saying, is that for a daily driver, buy something modern and less likely to break down. Especially with kids to cart about. You'll learn the hard way when your other half tears you a new arsehole because your old classic broke down in a seriously inconvenient place, in the rain and cold , with two hungry, tired kids on board. You don't need to ask me how I know this....

Other things to consider - perhaps you need it for work? Do *really* want the prospect of it having a fault you *must* fix the evening before you go to work? In winter?... and you can't find the part...

Most of us love old cars here and own or have owned them as daily drivers or toys. Please, buy one as a hobby and a summer fun car, and keep it in great nick as long as you can! For a daily driver, buy a Citroen/Peugeot HDi 2.0 8v with no DPF or any of that complex stuff, and treat it as a disposable item - they really are cheap enough to just go and buy another if something serious happens to them! With a Lexia and this forum, you'll spend hardly anything on garage labour. As an example, I've spent about £1000 on maintenance on my 04 plate Berlingo Multispace HDi - that includes tyres, brake discs and pads, and two strut/spring/top mount replacements, and a timing belt job in 5 years and 70,000 moles I've had it. Almost free motoring, and it's averaged 46mpg over that time.

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Re: Peugeot 305 gld estates??? Much needed advice please

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

70,000 moles! that is a seriously ****** up lawn you must have there! :rofl2:

Seriously though, there are definitely enthusiasts here who will have a 'summer special' which will get used, and have them raving about how much fun they are. However, they will also have a daily car that they are not worried about driving in poor weather conditions (and the other issues that arise, such as when the gritting lorries have been out). They can get the bits for the dailies easily, and (if need be) even get a garage to have a look at them (while the 'summer specials' can have 'fun' sourcing the parts, and a garage will won't even take a look at it!).

Look at it this way. A major medical emergency has just happened, and YOU have to get the casualty to hospital NOW (waiting for an ambulance is NOT an option, there is not enough time). Which vehicle are you going to take?

By the way, that ambulance scenario really happened to my family about 40 years ago. My 8 year old brother developed an illness that was causing him major problems, but on the three occasions the ambulance got him to hospital his system was so far out of kilter it was not possible to diagnose what caused that episode. Keeping him in hospital for a week did not help, as there were no episodes during that time (turned out it was a problem with the water supply, but why my Mum and I were not affected is not something we ever could understand). Mum got permission to keep me off school, and then one day we saw the early stages of another episode. We got Alex into the car (a 4 year old VW Passat estate, with a bag packed and already in the car), phoned ahead to the hospital, and headed off at high speed, Mum driving (obviously), but I was map reading. We got from Beckley (Sussex) to Hastings in a very silly time, and the hospital were ready (almost taking blood samples before we got him out of the car). As this episode was still in the early stages they were able to diagnose the condition and treat it (but his kidneys were damaged), and then track the cause down. Afterwards Mum said that I had been about half a mile ahead when map reading, which is why we made such good time.
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