Hi, all.
I am new here. Seeking your opinion on what the key items are which I should look at to determine the condition of a 2nd hand 406. Some pointers on what to avoid to prevent being hit by painfully high repair/ maintenance costs after buying the 406 would really help me in my hunt for the ideal 406. Any particular year range I should preferably avoid? What parts should be changed immediately after buying a 2nd had 406 (say from yr 2000) .By the way, I am living in Malaysia!
Cheers,
Virahoca
Buying a 2nd hand 406 DLX 2.0
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TheSongRemainsTheSame
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Brilliant idea to have that poll here, btw;)
Imho a 406 is surprisingly reliable. I've had mine about a year and a half (2nd hand 2000 @ 60 000miles) and while I've had to have the fuel pump changed none of the typical parts have required change yet. And I'm not driving nicely, more like the worst you can.
The A4 is a granny car. I havent driven the saloon all that much but mu mother-in-law owns a 2000 reg 1.9 TDI and the handling is horrible compared to a 406. The car in itself is nice and all and the engine is superb, but it requires some work (lowering, possibly stags) to get good handling.
Just my $0.2
Imho a 406 is surprisingly reliable. I've had mine about a year and a half (2nd hand 2000 @ 60 000miles) and while I've had to have the fuel pump changed none of the typical parts have required change yet. And I'm not driving nicely, more like the worst you can.
The A4 is a granny car. I havent driven the saloon all that much but mu mother-in-law owns a 2000 reg 1.9 TDI and the handling is horrible compared to a 406. The car in itself is nice and all and the engine is superb, but it requires some work (lowering, possibly stags) to get good handling.
Just my $0.2
Land of the Free?
I bought my 1997 2.0 Exec Turbo last year for ?1000 with 120k on the clock. It's now done 140k with a good 20% of that being cained and nothing's really gone wrong that couldn't have been avoided by me being less stupid (I -ALWAYS- check the bonnet's firmly locked down now!).
I've always found Audi seats are rediculously hard and the ride comfort is nothing compared to the 406. That's what made the same decision for me when I bought mine (was considering an A4 1.8T too) but I've never regretted going for the pug
I've always found Audi seats are rediculously hard and the ride comfort is nothing compared to the 406. That's what made the same decision for me when I bought mine (was considering an A4 1.8T too) but I've never regretted going for the pug
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Welly
- The moderator formally known as Welton
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Hello virahoca and welcome!
I was looking at EXACTLY the same choice 6 months ago!
Have a look at a site called honest john on the internet (UK) and also Carsurvey.org and you can research most of the common faults on these cars as they get older, these sites can give you some usefull things to look out for when buying a car.
I was put off Audi's by the faults they seem to suffer with and also they are over priced.
I have been amazed by my HDi 406 exec, other than simple fluid changes there really isn't that much to worry about.... but do have a good look at the condition of the Coolant Radiator and the Air Con Condenser at the front because they can corrode after about 6 years (although your weather and will probably stop this happening), overall though make sure EVERYTHING works like all the electrics, the mileage display, the air con, go through the whole lot, Some say Peugeot electrics are not so good but I have not had any problems yet.
As the others have said, the Peugeot has a very nice balance between ride and handling and is well respected for this where other manufacturers have not managed to achieve the same quality.
Otherwise you only really need to concern yourself with colours and the general condition of the car (they can dent easily down the sides in car parks).
I was looking at EXACTLY the same choice 6 months ago!
Have a look at a site called honest john on the internet (UK) and also Carsurvey.org and you can research most of the common faults on these cars as they get older, these sites can give you some usefull things to look out for when buying a car.
I was put off Audi's by the faults they seem to suffer with and also they are over priced.
I have been amazed by my HDi 406 exec, other than simple fluid changes there really isn't that much to worry about.... but do have a good look at the condition of the Coolant Radiator and the Air Con Condenser at the front because they can corrode after about 6 years (although your weather and will probably stop this happening), overall though make sure EVERYTHING works like all the electrics, the mileage display, the air con, go through the whole lot, Some say Peugeot electrics are not so good but I have not had any problems yet.
As the others have said, the Peugeot has a very nice balance between ride and handling and is well respected for this where other manufacturers have not managed to achieve the same quality.
Otherwise you only really need to concern yourself with colours and the general condition of the car (they can dent easily down the sides in car parks).
Cars in my care:
2021 Kia Spottage 1.6 Pez Turbo Dual Clutch Gearbox Trickery
2013 Renner Twingo - donkey work
2021 Kia Spottage 1.6 Pez Turbo Dual Clutch Gearbox Trickery
2013 Renner Twingo - donkey work
406 for def. The lesser engined A4 burners are not very quick, and are lower geared than the 406 burners. They're not in the same league as an HDi or even a well maintained XUD for economy either. The cam belt intervals on the A4 can be as low as 40k miles for certain versions, and they are a squidgy, uninspired drive.
The high output PD engines are quick, but are coarse and don't do much better than a sparker for economy if the performance is used. They are also proving unreliable (VW group have dropped PD technology, citing problems meeting future emissions regs, but hyper expensive warranty bills are more likely the real reason). All A4s are stupidly overpriced for no good reason. The whole build quality thing is a myth, a chimaera - look on JD power and audi as a manufacturer have on occasions scored lower than Rover (in the last year for which it was listed the Rover 75 outranked every single audi model).
no, for sensible thrills, decent reliability and dependable economy and tidy 406 is hard to beat.
The high output PD engines are quick, but are coarse and don't do much better than a sparker for economy if the performance is used. They are also proving unreliable (VW group have dropped PD technology, citing problems meeting future emissions regs, but hyper expensive warranty bills are more likely the real reason). All A4s are stupidly overpriced for no good reason. The whole build quality thing is a myth, a chimaera - look on JD power and audi as a manufacturer have on occasions scored lower than Rover (in the last year for which it was listed the Rover 75 outranked every single audi model).
no, for sensible thrills, decent reliability and dependable economy and tidy 406 is hard to beat.
yes but dont be delusional the 75 is an EXCELLENT car,far better than even the godly 406............. very well built very reliable and the best car that rover have ever manufactured, I would be suprised if it did not show the 406 a clean pair of heels around the twisties too, its given a barge image but my god does it grip.turbolag wrote:(in the last year for which it was listed the Rover 75 outranked every single audi model).
i know people who own a 2003 bmw 520 and a derv 75 same vintage, they prefer the 75 by miles and i agree, but then the 520 is a bit spartan
1996 306cab with a few mods
1997 Mercedes C230 Kompressor sport
1997 Mercedes C230 Kompressor sport
Actually I've had the misfortune to spend a day behind the wheel of a 75 and found it repulsive. The suspension felt too hard for a car of this type, the engine felt weak (albeit sufficient to haul the 75 around) but the worst sin was that I just felt so disconnected from the road - I got virtually no feedback through the controls. The seat heaters were good though!yes but dont be delusional the 75 is an EXCELLENT car,far better than even the godly 406.............
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Welly
- The moderator formally known as Welton
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I reckon JD Power surveys (and others) are unrealistic.
When you look at the small shopping trolley Skoda's or Jap's that always come first in the survey it is because they are bought by OAP's (like Rovers are).
The people that buy (and report back on them) are like this:
Larger Saloons like the 406 do get reported for having more 'issues' because they get used about 50 times more often than the Fabia's and so will obviuosly encounter more faults over time.
I bet if you surveyed Company drivers doing monster mileages then the 406 would have been one of the Top scorers.
When you look at the small shopping trolley Skoda's or Jap's that always come first in the survey it is because they are bought by OAP's (like Rovers are).
The people that buy (and report back on them) are like this:
- They don't go very far so they are bound to find it extremely reliable.
They don't mind filling out survey forms, so they will do.
The car was cheaply priced so they are bound to find it excellent value.
They will have a simple service every year which won't be any trouble.
Larger Saloons like the 406 do get reported for having more 'issues' because they get used about 50 times more often than the Fabia's and so will obviuosly encounter more faults over time.
I bet if you surveyed Company drivers doing monster mileages then the 406 would have been one of the Top scorers.
Cars in my care:
2021 Kia Spottage 1.6 Pez Turbo Dual Clutch Gearbox Trickery
2013 Renner Twingo - donkey work
2021 Kia Spottage 1.6 Pez Turbo Dual Clutch Gearbox Trickery
2013 Renner Twingo - donkey work
The 75 was an excellent machine, the wheezils especially so, but it did cost rather more than the 406, and the early 2.0 V6 I had wasn't a faultless machine, expecially with it's mysterious vague steering at speed, but, yup, it was a worthy motor - shame that MGR had such a lousy rep, when in actual fact their models regularly outranked their direct competitors, and even some of the hun brands, in the big surveys.Malachy wrote:yes but dont be delusional the 75 is an EXCELLENT car,far better than even the godly 406
I remember some online slagging match with a nob on the Parkers forum, where he was merrily slagging away the 45 - I pointed out that his Merc C class had actually been ranked some 35 places lower in the then most recent JD power survey, and he became stupidly abusive and I ended up getting banned from the site. Go figure?
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paulb2004uk
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