Peugeot 406 Coupe v Peugeot 206 GTi v Mondeo v Mazda6

[TheAngryDog]

I think I have narrowed down my DD choice to one of these. All can be had for under £1k, all on paper do over 40mpg (No V6's, no diseasal's and no auto's) except the 2.3 in the Mazda6, though I'd likely go for the 2.0.

I do around 1200-1500 miles a month, mainly motorway with a little bit of town driving.

They're all similar size except the 206, and the only reason I've included it is because it could give me a little cheap fun.

Any thoughts? I know people have said Accord's and the like, but they on paper do not seem to meet what I need from a DD.

Cheers.

[TheAngryDog]

shake n bake said:

I had the 2.0 406 coupe a few years ago, it was a nice car to drive, not agile and used to fry the brakes under a bit of a spirited drive but not bad.
I must say if your doing 1500 miles a month your bonkers buying a 2.0 petrol.

Why? I am currently doing it in a 5.0 V8, so a 2.0 4 cyl should save me some money. I dont want diseasal.

nipsips said:

206 would grate on you on the motorway. 406's are nice to look at but probably not as technically advanced as the Mazda or the Ford. My money would go on the Mondeo but then I'm biased as I own one. Try and find a 2.0 Ghia X for cruise, climate, leather, trip computer, and ideally one with the rear subframe bushes done, and a recent clutch.

That was the only thing I thought with the 206, small car with less cosseting might annoy me. I would certainly want a Ghia X if going down the Mondeo route, I like my toys!

Rovinghawk said:

I've used a mondeo as a motorway hack & would recommend one. Very comfortable & easy to work on.

Bland, though.

Cheers! Bland doesnt bother me, I've got an M5 for my sts and giggles.

MagneticMeerkat said:

I'd stay away from the Mazda. They're pretty much the same as the Mondeo, but with a fatal issue. The rustproofing didn't work. A Mondeo of that age may have a bit, but Mazda 6s tend to actually rot away. Which is not a good thing.

Of the others I haven't driven a 206 GTi, but I'd guess for £1,000 you won't be getting the best one. I've driven other variants but you're probs doing too many miles to make a small car fun.

Which leaves Mondeo vs 406. 406 is much better looking, but you've mentioned a desire for the weakest engine. Mondeo 2.0 litre is meh but fast enough if needs be. It's a sort of slightly disappointing engine: there's lots of noise and expectation but no underlying good characteristics. Akin to Peter Andre's plastic pectorals: looks good but doesn't really work. Or in the car's case it sounds good; you know like a racy four cylinder should. But there's little associated speed. The V6 is like that but more so. Granted it's a little faster but not loads. It sounds epic though.

I appreciate this doesn't help very much but I'd pick the Mondeo for image. If you care about that kind of thing (I do) the 406 coupe is very much in the woods. It's got the whiff of 'loser coupe' about it. You know.... The man who drives a cheap old two door because he doesn't have sufficient friends/family to justify having a big car. In his head it's a bra-snapping, pheromone belching sex machine. In reality it's a clapped out banger trying too hard. Generally seen parked outside the entrance of the only nightclub in town playing Earth, Wind and Fire; possibly even whilst the owner lounges on it to show off his fraying leather jacket.

This happens to all coupes. One day it will be cool again; witness Capri, Manta, Fox Mustang, Camaro, Jaguar XJS et al.

Edited by MagneticMeerkat on Sunday 14th September 20:57

Mondeo it is then

[TheAngryDog]

Thanks all. Yeah Mk3 Mondeo, I had a Mk2 (wasnt held together with gaffer tape! ) but a Mk3 for all the miles I'll be doing seems a much better proposition.

Mk3 Ghia X it is then!

[TheAngryDog]

Mr SFJ said:

Have you considered something italin?

Alfa Romeo
Fiat etc..?

My Grande Punto T-Jet gets about 40-45 on a run, sits at just under 3k revs at 70 and has a decent amount of kit. Cruise, BT, Parking Sensors, pano roof etc..

They start from 3, but can go up to 5 for a late series 2.

Yes I looked at some Alfa's, but I want something I can rely on to start every day. None of the Fiat's appeal to me. I dont have a £3k budget, let alone £5k!

Fastdruid said:

I presumed it was because he's after something reliable...

I do. Not sure if the 406 Coupe falls into the unreliable bracket? I think the Mondeo Ghia X is winning..

[TheAngryDog]

Fastdruid said:

Devil2575 said:

I'd be amazed if it could ever get anywhere near the extra Urban.
My wife had a Mk1 Focus 1.8 and even with a very light right foot it would only manage 38 mpg and I owned a Mk Focus 2.0 and was terrible on juice. 32-34 on a run, same engine and box as in the Mk2 Mondeo
My mates dad has a Mk2 Mondeo 2.0 Auto and it got low 20s round the doors. Drank like Oliver Reed on a bender.

I always figure on 85-90% of the Extra Urban is easily achievable in the real world. Beyond that requires driving at closer to the tested speed (ie 60mph rather than 70) and accelerating slowly, especially on turbo cars.

So my current car does 36mpg on a run normally (claimed 41.5), I've had 40mpg out of it but it needed driving at 60 like a saint and a single dose of full throttle would ruin the entire run.

Trouble is with saying that it's "the same" engine/gearbox is that the claimed mpg varies wildly between cars with "the same" engine/gearbox.

I'm not the only one to get 40mpg out of them btw but it's all down to your driving style. When on a run I don't bother speeding, IMO it's not worth it so I stick it on cruise control at 70-75 indicated (65-70 real). I'm sure you won't get anywhere close if you're doing 80-90 everywhere.

Don't disagree with the auto.

These days on the motorway you cant do more than 70-75 indicated, unless you're travelling in the early hours, its just too busy. For all the hustling and bustling of people doing 80-90, I often find that when traffic builds up, I catch them up when I am doing 70-75.

[TheAngryDog]

Depthhoar said:

Get the 406 coupe: it's utterly gorgeous. Life's too short to be driving totally anonymous cars.

Look at it this way, when you're an old fart you'll look back and think about how wonderful it was to own that elegant Pininfarina-designed car. Ask yourself, would the Ford or the Mazda invoke the same response?

The 406 a 'loser coupe'? There'll be many, many more losers driving Mondeos and Mazdas.

Of course the 406 will be less reliable/less economical than some other choices but not massively so.

Thing is, I need my car to be reliable, as I have to get into work as there is never anyone to cover me. And it has to do 40mpg average otherwise it makes coming to work pointless, i might as well go on the dole

[TheAngryDog]

406highlander said:

TheAngryDog said:

Not sure if the 406 Coupe falls into the unreliable bracket? I think the Mondeo Ghia X is winning..

I used my 2.2 petrol SE model as a daily driver for two years (Nov 2010 to Dec 2012), clear urban/suburban roads to work most mornings, nose-to-tail traffic most nights. It was 10 years old at the time. Never let me down during that whole time. I still have the car, but due to a job change, I walk to/from work now.

I use that car to go on holidays (it's been from Aberdeen to Carlisle, Aberdeen to Glasgow, Aberdeen to Edinburgh), and to see my parents (a 220 mile trip, each way!) - a decent-sized boot helps you out on that front, and if you so wish, you can fit roof rails and a roof box for them, or stick on a towbar and use them to tow a trailer, or both!

I've been an AA member since 2007, and the one time I had to use that membership was with the Mk. 1 Clio I had in 2008.

They don't rust (galvanized shell) unless they've been in a crash. The petrol engines are very reliable (the 2.2 HDi diesel option is reliable but costs more to fix if it does break, owing to having a turbo and a high-pressure fuel pump and injectors). The "infamous" French electrics are also not as prevalent on the 406 range as they are with other Peugeot models. The one thing that's wrong with mine is the seat heaters have stopped working - but my car is 12.5 years old now; you need to expect this kind of thing. The digital climate control works flawlessly, the JBL amplifier and CD autochanger work like a charm, the electric windows raise and lower as intended. Even the damn keyfob still locks and unlocks the car as it should do (more than can be said about the fob on my step-sons' 2002 Ford Focus).

The 406 was generally a well-designed, reliable, comfortable car. Check all the 406 saloon/estate taxis that still run about, having done 300k - 500k miles. The Coupe has the same engine options (except the 1.6 and 1.8 petrol, and 2.0 8v turbo, which were not offered on the Coupe) as the saloon/estate. Same engines, same gearboxes, same running gear. And the saloons/estates were mass-manufactured; the Coupes were assembled on their own dedicated production lines by Pininfarina in Italy, with only 109k of them ever built. The quality control on the Coupes was rather higher, and they feel better-built. Mine rattles a bit *now*, but I know the shocks/springs are a bit tired.

Get a Coupe that's been well looked-after, and you'll have a lovely car to cruise about in, and unless you're really unlucky or you don't service it when needed, it won't let you down.

My advice would be to check the 406 Coupe Club forums, particularly the "For Sale" section. Members cars are generally looked after rather better than some of the misused and abused examples you might find on other sites, and the forums have plenty of advice for prospective buyers.

Thanks for the write up! I'll check that forum out.

Would you say that the 2.2 is the one to go for? I need something with a compliant ride as Sheffield is not treating my suspension nicely! Does the Coupe come with Xenon head lights?

The heated seats on my 15 year old BMW still work

[TheAngryDog]

Well, just to give some closure to this thread.

I've decided against all of these cars.

As I plan on doing this job for no more than 10 more months, I've factored in all the costs etc, and I've decided that I might as well just stick with my E39 M5 as the daily drive. It is so good at everything that it isn't really a weekend car, and it would be a shame not to use it.

So there, my DD is my M5..