We've had a lot of Peugeots (104, 6 x 205s, 505 estate, 2 x 206s, 306 estate) and had no real problems with them but we've avoided 307s because they are reported to get electrical faults. Having said that my 205GTi had electrical problems but that was to do with a non-standard alarm system that once locked me out of the car with the engine running. Lucky that the sunroof was open.
I've had a mark one Ford Escort that juddered at over 65 mph, a Ford Fiesta which I wrote off when it skidded without warning and a Ford Sierra 1.6 that drank like a fish. Don't like Fords now!