Peugeot 309 (1985 - 1993)

Last updated 31 July 2013

Buying Guide

Good

• Not as bad as it looks.
• Stretched 205 floorpan gives good combination of ride and handling, plus decent-sized square-shaped boot.
• Old 'suitcase' pre-TU engines (they need to be unpacked before you can work on them) good for 170,000 miles.
• Later TU and larger XU engines also long lasting if oil and belts changed regularly.
• Diesels were the best of their day.
• The 130bhp 309GTi 1.9 outhandled the Golf GTi Mk II and many thought it a better (though flimsier) car.
• High back seats of 3-door GTi give back seat passengers a good view.
• Clever levers next to handbrake open rear windows.
• Rare and desirable LHD only 309 GTi 16v once favoured by French professional racing drivers and a good trackday car.

Bad

• Its looks.
• Was supposed to be a successor to the awful American Chrysler Horizon.
• To see what good looks could do for basically the same car, read Peugeot 306.
• Getting to be a very old car now.

Watch

• TU and XU cambelts and cambelt end-seals need changing every 35,000-40,000 miles whatever the handbook tells you, especially now these cars are getting older.
• Mk I (high boot sill) rear hatchbacks are leak-prone and this may have led to rusting of boot floor.
• GTis tend to start smoking at around 60,000 miles, but all they usually need are new valve stem seals.