D8 Petrol Or Deisel ?

[gumby6371]

Just wanted to guage opinion on reliability of D8's and is it fuel type dependant ?, my 1.9td, touch wood, just keeps going. It's not quick by any means but she'll sit on the motorway all day long quite happily. Had her about 6 months now and have done cam belt, alternator belt, general service and an engine mount in that time (a few tarting up jobs as well but nothing the good lady would call neccesary ) All in all for a car registered before any of my kids were born with 160K on the clock I'm very impressed.
Are the old petrols more of the same ? I've recently seen a couple of ridiculously low mileage D8 petrols going at reasonable prices but not having owned a petrol are there any issues with ownership ?

Do I talk her into us NEEDING a mint condition 1.8 rapier with around 40K on the clock or am I likely to look foolish when it goes bang ?

[Captain Jack]

Petrols are relatively reliable on a D8 - mjb's tubby had 180k without doing an oil change... ever, and Bluey on here had his 2.0 doing nearly 200k. Had to scrap it due to suspension trouble.

The 1.8 petrol is going to be quite slow (probably slower than your 1.9TD) so beware of that. Why not get a 2.1TD? They are plenty powerful and quite reliable...

[teamster1975]

I've owned the 1.8 and currently 2 litre turbo D8 petrol's; touch wood never a hiccup with the engine, just the usual suspension items!

[highlander]

The 1.8 petrol is going to be quite slow

Confirmed

Actually, to be fair, for a non-turbocharged 1.8 petrol engine, it doesn't do too bad a job of shifting the relatively heavy car about.

It is also pretty reliable. Mechanically I've had nothing go wrong with mine; just the usual electrical niggles that French cars like to have, whenever they like.

If you're going for a petrol engine and it's just got to be a D8, you could try and find an SRi, which had a 2l turbo-charged 8v petrol engine and was good for 147 HP. Hideous interior though, and I seem to recall MJB saying that the tubby can be thirsty, like, more than a V6.

Speaking of which, the V6 will give you 191 HP, but again, it may burn more fuel that you'd like to.

If you're going for a D8 diesel, then the 2.1 TD seems to be the one to go for - 108 HP, but these can be remapped and can (I believe) be made to run on vegetable oil without much hassle. I don't have any personal experience of a diesel 406 other than having been in one that was a taxi, and it was a D9 anyway.

[gumby6371]

To be honest the only reason I say D8 is I gather they are a simpler car than the D9 and therefore less to go wrong which hopefully equates to better reliability.

The smaller engine choice is purely an insurance/economy thing, my car tends to be a runabout as the good lady has a Fiat 6 seater ugly bug that we tend to use for loading kids and luggage in if we go further a field (actually a very good cars despite the looks but you do get a num bum after an hour or so but very revvy for a deisel).

I really fancy a coupe but having a kiddy seat in the back is a ball ache in a 2 door so will have to wait until my youngest is a bit bigger and can get in the car herself.

[Captain Jack]

If you want simple, get a 2.1TD. MPG will be better than on 1.8 petrol and you'll have a bigger smile on your face whilst accelerating.

[Welly]

It's a close call and all depends on your mileage.

If you managed to get a 40K mile 1.8 petrol it'd be a nicer drive than a 100K+ diesel (and be in better condition) the petrol engine very rarely gives any trouble.

One thing to note is the D8 petrol and 1.9 diesel have a cable operated clutch which can have a nasty heavy action to it (cable replacement due) but the 2.1d, V6 and possibly the tubby have Hydraulic which are nice and light.

The old school diesels are fine but will require fixing up as the mileage gets high. Things like clutches, belt pulleys etc all become worn and the radiators are a weak point.

If you're going to be doing a lot of miles then a Diesel will be better but you'd need to buy one that's had as much TLC as possible so it'll be easier on you later. The 2.1d is a great engine for sure and if you can find a nice private example with not-so-silly mileage and with lots of receipts and old MOT's this would be great.

[kevtherev]

One thing to note is the D8 petrol and 1.9 diesel have a cable operated clutch which can have a nasty heavy action to it (cable replacement due) but the 2.1d, V6 and possibly the tubby have Hydraulic which are nice and light.
i concur. it took some getting used to it but eventually it just becomes the norm
mine has just over 65k on the clock and touchwood in the 6months ive had it i'm very pleased with the car
no it aint the quickest in the world but with so much traffic nowadays its only a matter of minutes before you are stuck behind the next wagon doing 40 in a 60 limit incidently iirc parkers said the 1.8 puts out 116 horses(i may be wrong)
i get around 35 to the gallon on my commutes nearer 40 on a run
as for the diesels i know a few people who have had them ,very reliable my dad runs the 1.9 lump in his 1993 xantia never had any probs engine wise

I've owned the 1.8 and currently 2 litre turbo D8 petrol's; touch wood never a hiccup with the engine, just the usual suspension items!

yep just replaced a link arm on mine now it actually feels like the rear end is attached lol

[eoin27]

I reckon if you do buy a petrol, you will regret it. You'll miss the low range torque from a Diesel and the fuel economy will baffle you. My HDi's were giving me 55MPG and now Im getting 33MPG from the coupe. I find myself getting pains in my hands from squeezing the fuel nozzle trigger too often. I think if you're happy with your engine but want a newer, more specced out 406 then go for a 2.1TD D8. Or even an early HDi D9 with a decent service history. They're not as unreliable as people joke about on this forum and they are in fairness a big step up in technology from the old XUD diesel engines of yesteryear.

[STALLED]

2.0 XU10 - Executive. Probably the best spec = Robust engine, all the toys!

Personally, I wouldn't go for a 2.1TD with the pump trouble they experience (parts are $$$ here in Aussieland)...

[steve_earwig]

The pump on the 2.1 is usually quite reliable If there's any problems even a1.9 Bosch pump can be fitted and then you can run it on veg oil. Or local equivalent...

[gumby6371]

Thanks for all the advice guys, need to think now about whether something newer and shinier is worth the grief I'll get off the good lady.

Over the last few weeks I've had to avoid 3 'visually impaired' drivers attempting to write off my 406, maybe it's time to let them clobber me and claim off their insurance !