Decisions, Decisions: 406 Saloon or Coupe/ S40/ Alfa 156 JTD

[kiwifraser]

I'm looking for some PH insight into these cars, before I purchase one. Does anyone have owners experience to help me make a decision please? I have had a long term thread/ debate running which I bought the last 2 cars based on, but I specifically want to find out about these 3 models.

Key things are comfort, economy, and reliability for bag o' sand money. I plan to run it for high motorway miles to work for the next 6 months.

If it also handled ok, then it would be a weekend hoon car too - Only a PH'er could recommend whether a shed was suitable for early morning blasting in the countryside.

The cars...
Peugeot 406 Saloon or 406 Coupe - 2.0HDi 90, 2.0 HDi 110, 2.2 HDi, 2.0 Petrol, Rapier, LX, GLX, Exec???
Volvo S40/ V40 Petrol or 1.9D diesel if I can find one
Alfa 156 JTD

What sort of mileage do these tend to fall to pieces?


The most tempting finds are:
406 Petrol Coupe £1000 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000-X-PEUGEOT-406-2-0SE...

406 Diesel 110hp Saloon £900 http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

Alfa 156 JTD £1000 http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3090734.htm


At risk of starting a full on 'What Car' thread, I'm still open to other suggestions within the Shed Money budget

[MNBrennan]

We used to have a 406 HDi estate, was a very reliable car and pulled very well.

I've heard that the 2.4jtd engines aren't very economical, although I don't have first hand experience. You might be better off with the 1.9

[Vulgar LS2]

I had the 406 coupe in V6 form and it was very reliable in the 4 years that we had it, but I can't comment on the diesel.

[ROB 100]

I too are for the 406 Coupe, & would go for the 3-ltr v6 over the 2-ltr
the 406 Coupe in the link is not an SE as it dont have leather seats,



Edit to add,
The 406 Coupe diesel has the sty FAP filter, i dont think the diesel saloons did,

Edited by ROB 100 on Saturday 27th August 12:14

[vit4]

From what I know the 406 HDI can go on for silly mileages, one owned by a friend's dad is currently nearing 300,000 and still mechanically spot on

[mike9009]

MNBrennan said:

We used to have a 406 HDi estate, was a very reliable car and pulled very well.

I've heard that the 2.4jtd engines aren't very economical, although I don't have first hand experience. You might be better off with the 1.9

I have had a 2.4jtd for two years and get 44mpg. Suspension is the weak point, but otherwise been great.

Dont know the other models mentioned but thoroughly recommend a 156 2.4 jtd. The sound from that engine is also great, for a diesel.

The heavy engine does make the handling a little wallowly, but recently i have been used to new minis which have an overly hard ride.

Mike

[kiwifraser]

mike9009 said:

I have had a 2.4jtd for two years and get 44mpg. Suspension is the weak point, but otherwise been great.

Dont know the other models mentioned but thoroughly recommend a 156 2.4 jtd. The sound from that engine is also great, for a diesel.

The heavy engine does make the handling a little wallowly, but recently i have been used to new minis which have an overly hard ride.

Mike

Thanks Mike. 44mpg is fine for me I really like the look of these, but from what I hear the 406 is the better handling car. I'm keeping my eye on the usual sales sites for decent options on both though...

[Rollcage]

I had a 406 110 HDi 10 years ago - it was great. Handled and rode really well for a non sporting car. I had mine chipped, and it drove like a petrol turbo after that - big torque band, and revved through much better. Decent build quality, and nothing went wrong on it.

I drove mine pretty hard all of the time, and never, ever got less than 36 to the gallon out of it. I once drove from Torquay to Hull and back on a tank, at a pretty decent rate of knots. The HDis are vastly superior to the earlier non common rail diesel 406s.

It's a tough decision to call between the two, and it would of course depend on what you want out of the car, and what sort of ownership experience you are prepared to accept.

I've never had a 156JTD and so cannot comment on them, but from what I have read (I have thought about one a good few times) they are not likely to be as economical as a 406 if driven in the same manner, though of course the 156 has a more powerful engine. I'd be surprised if a 406 doesn't handle equally as well as a 156 - if you ignore the percieved image I'd say it would be just as good a steer.


I should say I also had a V40 TD estate not long ago, and I wouldn't put it in the same ballpark as a 406 for handling or performance, by a long, long way.

[kiwifraser]

Cheers Rollcage. That's the sort of feedback that really helps. I'm totally swayed towards the 406 saloon now. The coupe looks lovely, but as its a shed looks aren't exactly important! (especially as its almost double the cost of the saloon for a diesel )

[DHE]

kiwifraser said:

The most tempting finds are:
406 Petrol Coupe £1000 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000-X-PEUGEOT-406-2-0SE...

That isn't an SE,its an S, SE had leather as standard. Check out www.peugeot406coupe.com for any info on the Coupe. Having owned two 2.0l petrols, a 2.2l petrol & a 3.0 V6 Coupe I can advise that the 2.0l is a little bit slow, 2.2 a nice compromise and the V6 is quick and can be a little thirsty.

[supersingle]

I've owned both a 406 coupe and estate, v6 and HDI respectively. They were both reliable and cheap to buy and maintain with the v6 getting around 30mpg and the diesel 50+

They handle tidily with the emphasis on comfort over outright sportiness.

An HDI saloon would make ideal shed material.

[beeej]

An Alfa in a thread about reliability?

Cmon

[Chrisw666]

I have a 2.0 Turbo V40 and it is a very good shed. Comfortable to sit in on the motorway, able to return 35-40mpg if you sit at 65-75 on a run, mine is 13 and was on 84,000 miles when I bought it in December and has done 10k since.

Only faults I have had have been bulbs, a clogged washer pump, an intermittent ABS light, and a hose popping off dumping the coolant that took 10 minutes and some new anti freeze to fix.

[mike9009]

beeej said:

An Alfa in a thread about reliability?

Cmon

Sadly in my two year experience of my ten year old Alfa 156, it has not failed me yet. I wish the same could be said about my mx5 which has left me stranded a couple of times in the last two years ( heater hose failure, water pump failure and headlight relay - although that didnt leave me stranded because i disconnected them to ensure battery didnt flatten)

I think from others wisdom, an alfa when serviced correctly can be a reliable steed.

Mike

[kiwifraser]

beeej said:

An Alfa in a thread about reliability?

Cmon

I had to ask...

I have only owned one Alfa sadly an electrical fault in the ignition set it on fire

[Rollcage]

mike9009 said:

Sadly in my two year experience of my ten year old Alfa 156, it has not failed me yet. I wish the same could be said about my mx5 which has left me stranded a couple of times in the last two years ( heater hose failure, water pump failure and headlight relay - although that didnt leave me stranded because i disconnected them to ensure battery didnt flatten)

I think from others wisdom, an alfa when serviced correctly can be a reliable steed.

Mike

I'd agree - my old 166 3.0 V6 was a reliable car. One of the best cars I've ever had, but NOT one of the cheapest to run.

[kiwifraser]

DHE said:

kiwifraser said:

The most tempting finds are:
406 Petrol Coupe £1000 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000-X-PEUGEOT-406-2-0SE...

That isn't an SE,its an S, SE had leather as standard. Check out www.peugeot406coupe.com for any info on the Coupe. Having owned two 2.0l petrols, a 2.2l petrol & a 3.0 V6 Coupe I can advise that the 2.0l is a little bit slow, 2.2 a nice compromise and the V6 is quick and can be a little thirsty.

Thank you. I'll keep an eye out for leather. It seems the HDi Coupe's were only 2002 onwards, and only have the 2.2L so are generally around £2k. For half that I could have the Saloon

[torres del paine]

In short, the 406 is terrific to drive.

Really fluid and balanced, great cars, as is the 306.

[kiwifraser]

Aaaarrghh! I have just been through a carelefully chosen selection of 406 Saloons, Estates, and Coupes with the boss. The verdict: Mrs kiwi ONLY likes the Coupe. On the plus side, she thinks that I should go for the 3.0 V6 if it would be 'fun to drive' as well as I always say how boring the S80 has been off the motorway. At 30mpg vs the 45mpg of the diesel it's going to cost a bit more, but the company pays 20p/mile for the work journeys so it will almost cover it

All these have long MOT's, and a couple are local to me.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2669842.htm

[AndyBrew]

I had a 156 2.4 jtd and rarely saw better than 35mpg I got rid of it after 3 months it was appalling, horrible crashy wallowy handling, gutless engine supposed to be 200hp must of been knackered pit ponies IMO!!

Other than it's visual appeal most definitely the worst car I have owned, mine was a 57 plate.