Peugeot 406 - any good?
Discussion
At some point soon I think I'm gonna make the move to 2 cars. \my \mazda is great, but its a noisy rattly little fecker, and using it to commute spoils it.
I will basically be looking for a 'normal' car. I want it to be cheap, comfy, quiet. I loved my old 306 Gti-6 - Without a daft exhaust it was a very comfy car.
Are 406's any good? Just seem to have that little teeny bit more style than a Mondeo, and I cant bear Germans car, and the whole mistaken 'quality' of them (ahem, volkswagen).
406's look to be very cheap, well specced etc. Who has one? What do they handle like? Estates look nice too, would be very useful.
What are the specs/engines to go for? I'm not really a diesel fan, and wont be considering one unless its genuinely a better prospect. I really dont go for the whole diesel fan boy bull crap, although to be fair the 406 (and 306) were some of the first truly popular diesels. 30mpg is perfectly good enough, I assume the petrols will do that at 75 leptons...
Finally - the facelift (1999 ish) - does it make a big difference?
I will basically be looking for a 'normal' car. I want it to be cheap, comfy, quiet. I loved my old 306 Gti-6 - Without a daft exhaust it was a very comfy car.
Are 406's any good? Just seem to have that little teeny bit more style than a Mondeo, and I cant bear Germans car, and the whole mistaken 'quality' of them (ahem, volkswagen).
406's look to be very cheap, well specced etc. Who has one? What do they handle like? Estates look nice too, would be very useful.
What are the specs/engines to go for? I'm not really a diesel fan, and wont be considering one unless its genuinely a better prospect. I really dont go for the whole diesel fan boy bull crap, although to be fair the 406 (and 306) were some of the first truly popular diesels. 30mpg is perfectly good enough, I assume the petrols will do that at 75 leptons...
Finally - the facelift (1999 ish) - does it make a big difference?
I've had two - both with a ginormous 90 bhp. One was a very early 1996 1.9TD and the other was a facelifted 1999 2.0 HDi.
Handling was much better on the HDi but the TD was more reliable, although probably that was mainly because it had been maintained much better throughout its life (it was older and lower mileage). The post-facelift cars drive much more like a 306 or a Ford; the earlier car just wafted.
I've also driven a 1.8 petrol and found it peaky and gutless (had to drive it in third when a diesel would have been happy in top). I suspect that a 2.0 petrol would be okay, as would a 110 bhp 2.0 or 136 bhp 2.2 diesel. The 2.2 has a DPF though, which is expensive. Avoid the HPI direct injection petrol - it is apparently spectacularly unreliable even by French stnadards.
Oh and as for the 3.0 V6 - 25mpg on a good day and a £600 cambelt change would scare me away.
Handling was much better on the HDi but the TD was more reliable, although probably that was mainly because it had been maintained much better throughout its life (it was older and lower mileage). The post-facelift cars drive much more like a 306 or a Ford; the earlier car just wafted.
I've also driven a 1.8 petrol and found it peaky and gutless (had to drive it in third when a diesel would have been happy in top). I suspect that a 2.0 petrol would be okay, as would a 110 bhp 2.0 or 136 bhp 2.2 diesel. The 2.2 has a DPF though, which is expensive. Avoid the HPI direct injection petrol - it is apparently spectacularly unreliable even by French stnadards.
Oh and as for the 3.0 V6 - 25mpg on a good day and a £600 cambelt change would scare me away.
I had a 406 Coupe (3l V6 model) which was very good, reliable for the time I had it, specific coupe parts were very expensive though, brakes and glass spring to mind.
I also had a Turbo Diesel "rapier" which I think was a special edition end of production model. 90 whole horse power and climate control is as far as the "special" went though.
Very economic 45mpg at 80-90mph. I have it for 18 months and 20,000 miles and spent a grand total of nothing on it other than an oil change.
I even ran it on vegetable oil for about 12,000 of those miles without a hiccup.
I also had a Turbo Diesel "rapier" which I think was a special edition end of production model. 90 whole horse power and climate control is as far as the "special" went though.
Very economic 45mpg at 80-90mph. I have it for 18 months and 20,000 miles and spent a grand total of nothing on it other than an oil change.
I even ran it on vegetable oil for about 12,000 of those miles without a hiccup.
Recognise the name from the 6 forum. 
My dad has a 2001 406 HDi (110). He likes it and prefers it to the Mondeo he had before. other than wear and tear items like brakes, tyres and suspension it's only had one problem in 4 years and about 45,000 miles. I started running really rough and wouldn't start sometimes. This was around the time there was a lot of dodgy fuel being sold at some petrol stations. A new fuel pump sorted that.
It's now on ~185,000 miles and still goes fairly well for a diesel.
My dad has a 2001 406 HDi (110). He likes it and prefers it to the Mondeo he had before. other than wear and tear items like brakes, tyres and suspension it's only had one problem in 4 years and about 45,000 miles. I started running really rough and wouldn't start sometimes. This was around the time there was a lot of dodgy fuel being sold at some petrol stations. A new fuel pump sorted that.
It's now on ~185,000 miles and still goes fairly well for a diesel.
I had a '97 2.0T SRi for 8 months. For a repmobile it handled fine, far nicer than the vectra 2.0 I borrowed, and the seats are the most comfortable I believe I have ever experienced. For £800. Fuel consumption was terrible, but I put that down to the dated engine design. It didn't last long in the 406 range, the turbodiesels and N/A petrols provide far better economy. However, it never broke down.
I used to have a 2.0. It was reasonably quick for the amount of power and the handling was surprisingly good too, much better than similar age mondeos/lagunas/vectras etc.
From what I remember about the facelift (it was a facelift one I had) the only difference you'll really notice is the tail lights split in 2 with a body coloured strip.
From what I remember about the facelift (it was a facelift one I had) the only difference you'll really notice is the tail lights split in 2 with a body coloured strip.
Edited by mitch78 on Saturday 2nd May 01:48
I got 600 - 650 miles and 46 mpg from my HDi, struggled to get 42 mpg from the TD although that had breathing problems. Tank is apparently 70l but I always drove brim to light on as there was no fuel computer.
Worst on the TD was 36mpg from a tank but the HDi was very consistent.
Not sure about range or running costs on the petrols sorry.
Worst on the TD was 36mpg from a tank but the HDi was very consistent.
Not sure about range or running costs on the petrols sorry.
fathomfive said:
davido140 said:
I had a 406 Coupe (3l V6 model) which was very good, reliable for the time I had it, specific coupe parts were very expensive though, brakes and glass spring to mind.
And bumpers. And panels. And cambelt changes....
All the "standard" 406 parts were as cheap as the next 406, all the parts specific to the coupe cost an utter bomb!
davido140 said:
fathomfive said:
davido140 said:
I had a 406 Coupe (3l V6 model) which was very good, reliable for the time I had it, specific coupe parts were very expensive though, brakes and glass spring to mind.
And bumpers. And panels. And cambelt changes....All the "standard" 406 parts were as cheap as the next 406, all the parts specific to the coupe cost an utter bomb!
bigfatnick said:
si, speak to my dad about 406's he's regretted getting rid of his ever since, he loved it. despite it having "french" electrics!
Also, once i tweaked the fuel pump on my 306, i got 65mpg!
Me too. Moving from the 406 to the Golf (the black one) was a real step backwards in terms of driving fun.Also, once i tweaked the fuel pump on my 306, i got 65mpg!
My dad had 3 of them.
The first 2 (P and V reg) were fantasticly reliable and sound.
the third (cant remember the reg but it was newer than the V reg one, maybe a 51 plate) was an absolute nightmare!
apparantly the company he worked for had cancelled the contract with Peugeot as they had lots of bad reports about them at that time. make of that what you will.
The first 2 (P and V reg) were fantasticly reliable and sound.
the third (cant remember the reg but it was newer than the V reg one, maybe a 51 plate) was an absolute nightmare!
apparantly the company he worked for had cancelled the contract with Peugeot as they had lots of bad reports about them at that time. make of that what you will.
snotrag said:
At some point soon I think I'm gonna make the move to 2 cars. \my \mazda is great, but its a noisy rattly little fecker, and using it to commute spoils it.
I will basically be looking for a 'normal' car. I want it to be cheap, comfy, quiet. I loved my old 306 Gti-6 - Without a daft exhaust it was a very comfy car.
Are 406's any good? Just seem to have that little teeny bit more style than a Mondeo, and I cant bear Germans car, and the whole mistaken 'quality' of them (ahem, volkswagen).
406's look to be very cheap, well specced etc. Who has one? What do they handle like? Estates look nice too, would be very useful.
What are the specs/engines to go for? I'm not really a diesel fan, and wont be considering one unless its genuinely a better prospect. I really dont go for the whole diesel fan boy bull crap, although to be fair the 406 (and 306) were some of the first truly popular diesels. 30mpg is perfectly good enough, I assume the petrols will do that at 75 leptons...
Finally - the facelift (1999 ish) - does it make a big difference?
see my post above, but if you are going for one - go for the Coupe, very nice looking car.I will basically be looking for a 'normal' car. I want it to be cheap, comfy, quiet. I loved my old 306 Gti-6 - Without a daft exhaust it was a very comfy car.
Are 406's any good? Just seem to have that little teeny bit more style than a Mondeo, and I cant bear Germans car, and the whole mistaken 'quality' of them (ahem, volkswagen).
406's look to be very cheap, well specced etc. Who has one? What do they handle like? Estates look nice too, would be very useful.
What are the specs/engines to go for? I'm not really a diesel fan, and wont be considering one unless its genuinely a better prospect. I really dont go for the whole diesel fan boy bull crap, although to be fair the 406 (and 306) were some of the first truly popular diesels. 30mpg is perfectly good enough, I assume the petrols will do that at 75 leptons...
Finally - the facelift (1999 ish) - does it make a big difference?
I've had a couple of them as work cars.
They are fine, the engines are sound particularly the diesel variety.
Good cars, rubbish electrics. For instance my current snotter has some oddities that annoy me more than anything else. For instance the computer sometimes puts the lights on during the day, they can be cancelled but it is annoying.
Avoid the coupe's as has been said the parts can cost silly amounts for them.
They are fine, the engines are sound particularly the diesel variety.
Good cars, rubbish electrics. For instance my current snotter has some oddities that annoy me more than anything else. For instance the computer sometimes puts the lights on during the day, they can be cancelled but it is annoying.
Avoid the coupe's as has been said the parts can cost silly amounts for them.
I've been very pleased with my 406 V6 estate - a bit of an unsung hero and great Q car. I've run it for the last 7 years and generally it's been very reliable, with nothing much going wrong over the last 5 years and 80,000 miles (now over 100k).
Mine is the later 210bhp V6 which is more powerful and economical than the earlier V6. It's a fabulously smooth engine and we get around 30 mpg in mixed motoring, although we live in rural Hampshire so I guess this helps. Will easily do 33-35 mpg on a motorway run at around 80 or so.
Ride and handling are the 406's trump cards as the car was designed at a time when Peugeot were very good in this area. The balance is very neutral ( for a fwd) with only modest understeer (possibly helped by the heavier rear and towbar of the estate), the rear tyres lasting only a little longer than the fronts. Damping is very good indeed and cross country I don't think the car would be much slower than the 306gti6 which I also owned for 5 years. Not as much fun as the gti6 of course.
Negatives? Not many - the gearchange is long and not very positive. Pedals not set up well for heel & toe (can be adapted easily enough though) and throttle response a bit lazy.
Other than that it's a very good car - smooth and refined making light weight of long journeys, loads of room for kids and labrador and surprisingly good on the twisty bits. V6s are dirt cheap now as everyone assumes that they will be gas guzzlers. The diesel Hdi is probably the more sensible choice but the V6 has to be the right 406 for the PHer. Hope this helps.
Mine is the later 210bhp V6 which is more powerful and economical than the earlier V6. It's a fabulously smooth engine and we get around 30 mpg in mixed motoring, although we live in rural Hampshire so I guess this helps. Will easily do 33-35 mpg on a motorway run at around 80 or so.
Ride and handling are the 406's trump cards as the car was designed at a time when Peugeot were very good in this area. The balance is very neutral ( for a fwd) with only modest understeer (possibly helped by the heavier rear and towbar of the estate), the rear tyres lasting only a little longer than the fronts. Damping is very good indeed and cross country I don't think the car would be much slower than the 306gti6 which I also owned for 5 years. Not as much fun as the gti6 of course.
Negatives? Not many - the gearchange is long and not very positive. Pedals not set up well for heel & toe (can be adapted easily enough though) and throttle response a bit lazy.
Other than that it's a very good car - smooth and refined making light weight of long journeys, loads of room for kids and labrador and surprisingly good on the twisty bits. V6s are dirt cheap now as everyone assumes that they will be gas guzzlers. The diesel Hdi is probably the more sensible choice but the V6 has to be the right 406 for the PHer. Hope this helps.
I've had 3 as company cars - did 120K in a 1998 2L turbo petrol model. I'm easy on cars and it was mainly motorway crusing, and the car was good at that - effortless really.
However (despite the type of use the car got) I had a lot of trouble with warped brake disks, the turbo went at around 100K miles, the a/c condensor went, and the brakes/suspension needed a lot of work at 100K. The wheels didn't have centre holes and getting them balanced was always a palava - garages would say they could do it, then couldn't find the adapter.
Car still looked good and everything worked (heated elec memory leather seats were fab) when I changed it.
Also had a couple of estates for shortish periods. One significant pain with them was that in mucky weather on motorways, the side windows became impossible to see through after about 100miles. Poor design - I have a C Class estate now and it doesn't do that at all.
If you want a similar car that handles well then Mondeo is in a different league to 406.
However (despite the type of use the car got) I had a lot of trouble with warped brake disks, the turbo went at around 100K miles, the a/c condensor went, and the brakes/suspension needed a lot of work at 100K. The wheels didn't have centre holes and getting them balanced was always a palava - garages would say they could do it, then couldn't find the adapter.
Car still looked good and everything worked (heated elec memory leather seats were fab) when I changed it.
Also had a couple of estates for shortish periods. One significant pain with them was that in mucky weather on motorways, the side windows became impossible to see through after about 100miles. Poor design - I have a C Class estate now and it doesn't do that at all.
If you want a similar car that handles well then Mondeo is in a different league to 406.
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