Old timers

[FarmerPug]

I stumbled on this by accident when looking for a 305 for sale, its a good read, the peugeot seems to get good praise throughout:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/triggersca ... /lightbox/

[waue1978]

Years ago my mother used to drive a 305 diesel van for work & she thought it was fantastic. I hated it though as there was something about the plastics in the interior that made me feel car sick whereas I was fine in the old Mk1 Astra van that she had to use sometimes.

[sirwiggum]

I remember me dads first 305. Seemed a bit quirky compared to the Cortinas, Sierras and Cavaliers that preceded it. Then he traded up to a BX, it mustn't have been French enough!

His cars do get a lot of abuse in his job (used as workhorses for heavy industrial steam equipment)!

Only time I was sick with a car interior was a Hyundai Stellar. Whatever the car dealer used to clean the inside near made me pass out!

[FarmerPug]

hyundai interiors of old were devistatingly sickening, such shiney and greasy plastics, they still havent caught up completley and i wouldnt touch one because they are a hyundai might be a reliable car but its a hyundai.
My grampa had a 305 back in 1990 it was an 88, he had it for 5 years, then my uncle had it for 5 years then it was sold to a builder. It was a great old workhorse never gave any trouble, apart from the headgasket at 140k after that it went like new. There was a nice sound of the old xud diesel in it, something about the clatter.

[sirwiggum]

Couple of ZXs and memories of BXs and a mk1 Xantia with the XUD, with and without turbos. Proper diesel, can run on chip fat and not bogged down with sensors!

How was the 305 for rust? None seem to have survived, apart from the occasional van out the sticks.

[FarmerPug]

Back when my grampa and uncle drove the car it was completely rust free but it was still under 12 years old when sold. I bought myself an 85 van for rallying round the farm, and the rust got at it fairly bad, the wings had holes in it, the cills were rotten, but it was restorable ive seen worse this one i had was used by a plasterer and had a tree fall on it. I bought a spares one for £50 and it had very little rust, really was immaculate but just had no clutch but it did have a 5spd gearbox unlike the other ones 4 speed box. It was no ball of fire, but it did have a working handbrake and good traction on mucky feilds, i crashed it into a hedge and through a drain on the other side.

Id love to get a diesel estate 305, a proper useable classic car.

[sirwiggum]

I liked the look of the saloon, looked like an understated 3 series.

There was a van in Cookstown back in September time http://belfast.gumtree.com/belfast/52/65443352.html

[FarmerPug]

yip its like the old van i had, too rusty i want a good body, not an old thing full up with filler. I nearly bought a 305 estate, the engine was taken out and put into a fiat sedici (the one thats the same as the 806) but i just didnt have enough experience to change the engine at the time.