Peugeot 306 XLD 1905

The Peugeot 306 XLD 1905 is cheap to run - London to Glasgow easily on one tank of diesel.

Work horse - Overload with five adults, luggage to the ceiling plus roof top box, and toured most of the UK and Ireland with little fuss, to infinity and beyond!

Road Handling - Safe, wide, stable and grips the road well, especially around those narrow country lanes. Offers a low driving position. Although this might pose a problem for small ladies, as they will barely see over the steering wheel!

Cheap maintenance - Occasional WD40, oil change, oil filter, air filter every 6000 miles, fan belt every 36,000 miles and she'll sound great and serve you well.

Power steering - Early models come without power steering so if you perform plenty of parallel parking either invest in a later model or grow bigger arms!

Electrics - Can be problematic with age i.e. door locking, alarm and immobiliser system (now disabled! Problems when with low charged batteries). Also sunroof models have a manufacturing defect i.e. they leak!

Conclusion - Not the prettiest of cars but extremely reliable and great value for money. Next car will either be another one of these or something with the same heart and stamina i.e. a Land Rover Defender!