Newer Diesels...

[Toms306]

DPF.

The older 1.6 110 has a DPF, the newer 1.6 92 also has one, but much later generation.

Is that it!? I had no idea they reduced economy that much lol. Can't just get rid of them now either.

You need small Japanese petrol if you really want trust in a car.

Colt or Similar. The 1.1 colt does amazing mpg, sounds ace and is fun to drive. +jap reliability. Same with civic 1.4vtec....micra 1.0/1.3...list is good for choice.

That being said we did 50k miles in my ph1 xud turd on stg1 tune and veg. Only thing that it let me down on was starter relay....after being driven through a lake by the mrs...and clutch, due to me spilling a lot of veg over the bell housing.
So without those two issues...it was faultless tbh
Plus comfy and practical. Rust free too. And fun. And cheap to insure and buy service bits for (£27 all in for full service bits)

Why do people get SO caught up in this cheaper tax bracket thing and compromise on car choice....spread over the year its nothing. Its like people who buy a car to pull a caravan for just one holiday a year. Mad.

We've been over this already, I tried a small jap petrol, unfortunately they ALL come with a shit ride and solid seats that my stomach can't cope with. Move up to a slightly larger one (Yaris size) and they're so slow I'm gonna end up head on overtaking a tractor on a B road, though I do now understand why I'm often the arsehole that overtakes 2 small cars plus a tractor.

Don't get me wrong, 306's have their place, and I'm glad I owned the 1.4 4 years ago...but they're not useful for me now. Quite a few reasons really, apart from the stupid tax and not enough mpg for me. I don't find them comfortable, and they're actually killing my left knee, not sure if its the crap driving position or the heavy clutch (despite being new and 'light' for one of these) but I never had the same problem in the Vectra, town driving is unbearable some days if I'm honest. They're not cheap to insure, in fact EVERY newer car I've looked at so far has been cheaper to insure than a mapped HDi lol. Service parts are the same for most cars, it's larger, engine specific parts that tend to cost more. 'Fun' is subjective, I don't really understand it, and I don't find 306s 'fun', I'd rather have something with tonnes of grip that I can throw into a corner at 60 and not feel like it's gonna let go all the time - I know most of you will find that boring though. Then theres things like AC, I can't stand heat, and it makes dealing with panic a lot more difficult than being in a cool calm environment (note I say calm, all windows open roaring away is not calming). There are a lot of reasons, but a lot of it is specific to myself rather than the car, I am not 'slagging off' the 306s at all.

As for the MPG and tax for a compromise, every car will have compromises unless you have an endless pit of money lol, why do you chose to run a diesel on veg rather than a big petrol V8? Cost I'm guessing...so a compromise. I've also had to seriously think about my situation. I don't want this thread to end up about my situation which is why I have avoided this so far, but I've had to face up to the fact I won't be working anytime soon, as I'm really struggling just at home atm. I have got some money saved, both to buy a newer car, and to move out (well that was the plan) and I've gotta look for something that I KNOW I can afford to run, even if I'm still not working in 2 or 3 years time (I'll have killed myself by then if that's still the case though haha) That's why £30 or less tax, and 60+ mpg are important factors in my choice, though they won't be so much for other people. I know most will say spend the savings on fuel and tax (despite the other issues I've got with 306s atm) but that's just wasted, and will run out. At least eco cars do hold value well and will still sell for a decent amount when I'm in a better position. The 107 really would've been ideal, if only I didn't get carsick so easily, so that's the reason I've been completely 'knocked' with what to chose now.

This. This is why a XUD 306 would be ideal. You know them well and the XUD is as basic as it gets. Only reason why they fail so often on here is because people chuck silly boost through them or veg oil

True dat, they will have problems, but won't leave you stranded unless you wreck the battery.

The *ONLY* time I've managed to be stranded in my 8 years of driving is by the volvo... But just had to wait and it fixed itself lol, my 306 actually never ONCE let me down!!

Amen to this
I've had countless issues with my 306, but non of them really warrant being called an issue as im used to conrods spitting out the side. little niggly shit can just be fixed there and then, as ruan said, there is so little to go wrong with them thats beyond the control/understanding of the average man. I've had gearboxes come off off, belts snap, radiator hoses split, injectors f*cked, glowies f*cked, no water even!, frozen water (causing the cambelt to slip over the water pump), ran out of fuel and used engine oil, ran dangerously low on oil and used veg in the fuel tank, brake lines splitting and plugging the connection with a plug fitting, blown turbos, completely f*cked rings, powersteering pump falling off, no clutch,

they are ridiculously hard wearing depending on your tolerance to what you think a failure is. In my eyes a failure is when it wont physically move anymore.

I have NO tolerance to failure lol. IF I can still drive it home, that's a bonus, but the repercussions from any failure just are not worth it. And with an old 306 that's probably been used as a workhorse by 12 different owners, it's inevitable tbh.