Buying a 406 tomorrow

[ndawson]

Hello everyone,
I'm new here and about to get myself a 406 tomorrow.

Since I have no knowledge of these cars, can anyone give me an idea of what I should look for.
Its a 97 model, it looks great but I don't want to end up with a piece of rubbish.
Is there any common problems, etc?

Thank you.

[DiscoPol]

Hi there would help a lot if you told us which type... diesel or petrol, engine size, that sort of thing.

and welcome to the club.

[ndawson]

Its a petrol 96, don't know too much to be honest, I thought it was a decent car for £350.

[highlander]

Welcome to the club!

Depends largely on the engine - the 406 has a wide range of engines (petrol 4cyl 8v, petrol 4cyl 16v fuel-injected, petrol turbocharged, petrol HPi, petrol v6, turbodiesels, and HDi), and each has its own quirk. Your beast won't be an HPi or HDi, as they're only on face-lifted (1999 onwards) models.

Common 406 problems? Basically, look for electrical gremlins (things like electric windows not working, temperature sensors giving weird readings, lights on the dashboard).

If the car is rusty anywhere, it's typically because it's had an accident; these cars generally last a long time before rust gets them, unless it's sat out by the seaside all year.

Also check for signs of water ingress through the door seals, rear light cluster, sunroof (if yours has one) and especially for water pooling in the spare wheel well and in the driver/passenger foot wells also.

Unless you pick a total lemon, you're going to find the 406 a very rewarding car to own. They are comfortable, practical, generally reliable, and still pretty enough to turn heads, despite the oldest of them being 15 years old now.

Cheers
Graeme