Sundance Yellow 306 Cabriolet
Discussion
Even in 2.0 guise, the 306 Cabriolet isn't something you'd describe as 'quick'. With a 1.8 and 112 bhp it's probably a little slow and not very Pistonheads. But I like it for that. It's a car that you take in the scenery with, can waft along with your thoughts. That is of course unless you have a two year old who is gently reminding you on a consistent basis that she 'don't want roof down', then you're maybe not so relaxed and feeling like a bad parent as her hair adopts the windswept look.
I bought this at the end of last summer, having owned possibly the nicest one of these in the world a couple of years ago but sold it because it was impractical with a baby so now being able to use the forward facing seat I thought I'd give it another go. My Mum owned a few of them when I was at school and as a committed Peugeot fanboy I see it as the ideal, inexpensive, lazy Sunday car. Here is a photo of it on the day I collected it with matching hard top.
It's a one previous owner to me car and has just ticked over 35,000 miles with a recent invoice for a cambelt kit. It was originally a grey import, being supplied new as a UK spec car by Pierre Joel in Wavre, Belgium and one day I would like to drive it there, take a photo of it outside and then drive it home again. As exciting as that sounds my wife has so far declined to come on that trip with me.
I bought this at the end of last summer, having owned possibly the nicest one of these in the world a couple of years ago but sold it because it was impractical with a baby so now being able to use the forward facing seat I thought I'd give it another go. My Mum owned a few of them when I was at school and as a committed Peugeot fanboy I see it as the ideal, inexpensive, lazy Sunday car. Here is a photo of it on the day I collected it with matching hard top.
It's a one previous owner to me car and has just ticked over 35,000 miles with a recent invoice for a cambelt kit. It was originally a grey import, being supplied new as a UK spec car by Pierre Joel in Wavre, Belgium and one day I would like to drive it there, take a photo of it outside and then drive it home again. As exciting as that sounds my wife has so far declined to come on that trip with me.
For my birthday a couple of months ago my wife bought us a trip to le Touquet and when booking le Shuttle made is so that the 306 in the come with us. I hadn't really been anywhere in it since last I drove it home last September so I got it out, did a quick lights and levels, taxed it, and ran it around for a week or so in the build up to our trip which we went on last week. I couldn't fault it but you always have a degree of trepidation taking a bit of an unknown quantity abroad with you so I paid the AA for some European breakdown cover too.
As we were pulling through the check in my daughter decided it would be a good idea to bring up her breakfast she had eaten en route, fortunately this was confined to herself and her seat but did make for a bit of a mad clean dash to clean it up before we boarded. We cross the channel fairly regularly but I can't help but always feel excited when we board.
We decided to stay off the motorway and as close to the coast as possible, stopping at Nausicaa in Boulogne on the way down (really worth taking the time to do so if you can, well worth the entrance fee) for the day on Thursday which worked out really well as it was overcast and rained for most of the day.
On Friday the sun shone and we (I) got to enjoy the car with the roof down. It just seems to fit in in its native France. They have a much bigger following over there than here. My favourite ever driving experience was driving my old 205 GTi down to the Peugeot Museum in Sochaux and although this was a much shorter journey the memory will live on much the same. It always seems to be that bit easier and nicer driving on the other side of the water than it does over here. You have more space and time.
I certainly wouldn't recommend people drive 25 year old cars instead of modern cars on a daily basis but I love the simplicity of them, the kind of turn the key and go approach to it, no faffing about with touchscreens and the like. I've owned and driven much faster and more dynamic cars both Peugeot and other marks than the 306 Cabriolet but I think for the journey back, in the sunshine, just passing through with a family of three I couldn't have asked for any more. It just did the job and I think looked the part too. I appreciate that there's an element of nostalgia for me personally with them that helps with this but I think I'll be hanging onto this car for more than one summer and hopefully have a few more little adventures with it in that time too.
Obligatory moules frites;
The car is very much in a state that's ready to be enjoyed but a couple of small bits I want to tidy up along the way. MOT and service are due next month but I don't anticipate anything major there.
As we were pulling through the check in my daughter decided it would be a good idea to bring up her breakfast she had eaten en route, fortunately this was confined to herself and her seat but did make for a bit of a mad clean dash to clean it up before we boarded. We cross the channel fairly regularly but I can't help but always feel excited when we board.
We decided to stay off the motorway and as close to the coast as possible, stopping at Nausicaa in Boulogne on the way down (really worth taking the time to do so if you can, well worth the entrance fee) for the day on Thursday which worked out really well as it was overcast and rained for most of the day.
On Friday the sun shone and we (I) got to enjoy the car with the roof down. It just seems to fit in in its native France. They have a much bigger following over there than here. My favourite ever driving experience was driving my old 205 GTi down to the Peugeot Museum in Sochaux and although this was a much shorter journey the memory will live on much the same. It always seems to be that bit easier and nicer driving on the other side of the water than it does over here. You have more space and time.
I certainly wouldn't recommend people drive 25 year old cars instead of modern cars on a daily basis but I love the simplicity of them, the kind of turn the key and go approach to it, no faffing about with touchscreens and the like. I've owned and driven much faster and more dynamic cars both Peugeot and other marks than the 306 Cabriolet but I think for the journey back, in the sunshine, just passing through with a family of three I couldn't have asked for any more. It just did the job and I think looked the part too. I appreciate that there's an element of nostalgia for me personally with them that helps with this but I think I'll be hanging onto this car for more than one summer and hopefully have a few more little adventures with it in that time too.
Obligatory moules frites;
The car is very much in a state that's ready to be enjoyed but a couple of small bits I want to tidy up along the way. MOT and service are due next month but I don't anticipate anything major there.
tting dog but it looked great and was fun to cruise around in. Yeah, it certainly is a happy looking car, I've always wanted to own a yellow car, I'd always imagined it would be a Speed Yellow 997.1 S though, maybe I'll get to have them side by side one day!
And a sports car it is definitely not! I do have a 987 Boxster S to fulfil this role but I'm not sure two convertibles is strictly necessary so may look to sell this in the near future. I've had Boxsters for the past fourteen years so I'm sure another one will eventually find its way back to me soon enough though.
And a sports car it is definitely not! I do have a 987 Boxster S to fulfil this role but I'm not sure two convertibles is strictly necessary so may look to sell this in the near future. I've had Boxsters for the past fourteen years so I'm sure another one will eventually find its way back to me soon enough though.
Love it, wife had a 5 door 306 HDi which went well, especially after I replaced the standard wheels with ones the same as your car cured the nose heavy handling. She sold it because I was forever having to free off the rear brakes. Should have hung on to it really.
Did look at a rag top a couple of years ago but it was well scratched so needed paint.
Love the hard top on yours, is it steel or fibreglass?
Did look at a rag top a couple of years ago but it was well scratched so needed paint.
Love the hard top on yours, is it steel or fibreglass?
I'm sure it is steel, I would have to go and tap it again to make sure though! It's very heavy and I haven't actually looked at it again since I took it off 18 months ago, the car lives inside so I don't have much use for putting it back on, if it was lighter I would probably have it on and occasionally drive it in the winter.
Ha, sounds about right, I think if they do a flashback episode of Benidorm it would fit in quite well, maybe with "Who Let The Dogs Out" blaring out of the speakers and the bass distorting.
I have a replacement windscreen seal and aerial grommet to replace the existing crumbling ones that will go on in the next couple of weeks and I might look out for a retro looking head unit to give Bluetooth playback.
Ha, sounds about right, I think if they do a flashback episode of Benidorm it would fit in quite well, maybe with "Who Let The Dogs Out" blaring out of the speakers and the bass distorting.
I have a replacement windscreen seal and aerial grommet to replace the existing crumbling ones that will go on in the next couple of weeks and I might look out for a retro looking head unit to give Bluetooth playback.
Very cool. A 306 GTI engine would presumably be a relatively simple upgrade (along with brakes I guess...). I had a 306 Dturbo (red, HG failed twice) then a 205 GTI for many years into which I fitted the 306 gti engine.
Moved on to BMWs and Porsches now but still got a big soft spot for the Frenchies...
Moved on to BMWs and Porsches now but still got a big soft spot for the Frenchies...
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