Peugeot 306 Rallye - long-term review

I’m meant to be telling you about fixing the paintwork. Afraid not – the first quotes that came back for respraying both bumpers, the front nearside wing and rear offside panel were the thick end of £1,500. And that didn’t include sourcing a new front wing to replace the heavily rippled incumbent. That wasn’t the expensive part – those can be sourced on Ebay for £56 including postage. Not quite sure why I haven’t done that part yet – probably a fear of shoving it in the garage, and then accidently landing a bike, camping stove or hammer on it at denting speed.

Instead this has been chasing-my-tail month. Summer is the time for driving, so that’s what I’ve been doing. Good stuff first: the Michelin Pilot Sport 3s have transformed the Rallye. I took the car out on a lovely summer’s evening and came back bubbling with enthusiasm. It’s not so much the grip as the precise line they hold, I exclaimed to the family, the way they add clarity to the handling, plus calmness to the ride. Turns out that’s not a dinner-time conversation starter.

I went out eagerly the next evening. Didn’t bother with a supper table update this time, even though I think one was due. You see, the tyres out-perform the chassis. I don’t know if this is because the springs and dampers are tired (when they had the car, Pug1Off reckoned it felt pretty good) or just that 20 years of handling advancement has shifted my expectations of how it should feel, but on good tyres that do what they’re meant to do, the rest of the 306 feels properly soft and woolly. It’s not that there’s too much roll, but that the roll isn’t well enough contained. To my mind it should be perkier, should bound with more control, rebound with more eagerness. At the moment it’s so languid it feels lazy, not helped by steering that needs a lot of turning (and yet still has a hopeless turning circle).

So now I’m contemplating doing something I’d always sworn I wouldn’t – modifying the car from its standard spec. I have discovered that Bilstein do a kit for the 306 and I’m liking the sound of that very much indeed. Watch this space.

See what I mean about chasing-my-tail? I thought new tyres would be a cure-all, but actually they’ve opened a further can of worms. And here’s another. I lied last month when I said the newly stripped and polished wheels and fresh rubber had banished the wobble – it was still there, just moved slightly higher up the speed curve. So off it went for tracking and wheel balancing – and £28 later it’s still there. Merely moved again. So that’s not the issue. Which makes me think the wheel bearings are too blame. Arse.

But as I said, summer is the time for driving. Yes, even a car with no aircon. So I’ve used the 306 for airport runs and the daily commute. The clutch is a pain in town (it’s weight and jerkiness is something else I’m convinced isn’t right), but the spongespension gives it a lovely, relaxing M4 gait, and I get over 350 miles from a tank (at an average of 29.3mpg so far, consumption fans), which ain’t that far from what a modern hot hatch does – albeit while deploying twice the horsepower.