The time has come to sell my slightly damaged low-mileage car.
The car was involved in a low-speed collision with a van (my car was parked at the time) where the other party caused paintwork damage to the drivers'-side wing, wing mirror casing, and both doors - and then left the scene without leaving any insurance details. The car still runs perfectly and is driveable. THIS DAMAGE IS NOT THE REASON FOR SALE - I am buying a newer car, and this accident was simply unfortunately timed and caused by an inconsiderate driver. I would have repaired this myself had I been keeping the car.
This particular 406 is a mechanically reliable, good, solid, dependable car. It's a D9, so it has the newer design on the exterior, but is an early D9, so it does not have any of the more complex multiplexed wiring or the COM2000 steering control unit that cause problems in some newer 406s. The electrics all work, with the sole exception of the passenger-side front electric window has stopped working (possibly something simple to replace).
The interior is in great condition; the rear seats had almost never been sat in when I bought it, and the front seats are in excellent condition as they are. It was originally built to LX trim specifications, so it has manually-adjusted grey cloth seats. Before I decided to buy a 406 Coupe, it was my ambition to retro-fit this car with leather seats from an Executive model.
I have upgraded the interior of the car by:
- replacing the gear-stick gaiter with a genuine leather one
- replacing the black plastic gear knob with a leather and brushed aluminium one from a 406 coupe
- replacing the plastic steering wheel with a leather one from a 406 Executive model
- replacing the cloth-trim door cards with black leather ones from a 406 Executive saloon
- fitting chrome rings around the instruments
- replacing the black plastic door handles with metallic ones from later 406s
- fitting new tailor-made "Luxury"-spec carpets from http://www.carmats4u.com (really really good mats)
I have modified the exterior of the car by:
- fitting genuine Peugeot alloy wheels (15 inch "Apollo" rims from a Peugeot 307 - this keeps the original tyre sizes)
- fitting the genuine Peugeot 406 saloon spoiler
I have improved the performance of the car by:
- replacing the standard OEM exhaust (which has rusted and was blowing) with a stainless-steel Powerflow cat-back exhaust
- installing an ITG (Induction Technology Group) panel air filter element, which improves air flow without losing filtration
Last year I fitted a complete set of four brand new Bridgestone B250 195/65/R15 tyres, which still have plenty of tread on them.
The car has been given proper servicing annually, and has been very well looked after. At her last annual service, the brake discs and pads were all replaced, and the aux belt was replaced. The service history is not complete, unfortunately, as I'm missing some of my garage invoices.
It is taxed until the end of April 2011, and I will put a years' MOT on it this month.
- 54,000 genuine miles on the clock
- 1.8 litre fuel-injected engine (1,749cc - EW7 J4 - 16 valve - 115 HP (86 kW))
- 75 litre fuel tank will give between 500 and 600 miles with careful economical motorway driving, 450 miles if you put the foot down
- I'm the second owner; the car had just 26,000 on the clock when I bought her 2 years ago
- The car runs best on Shell Fuel-Save petrol, giving the best performance and economy
- I have also put a half-bottle of Redex Injector Cleaner through the tank every two months to keep the fuel system clean and the engine running smoothly.
It is located in Aberdeen, Scotland, but I'm happy to take the car a bit closer to the buyer if needs be.
Pictures:
Shows the profile of the car, and the extent of the paintwork and bodywork damage
In happier times, before the accident
Showing the boot, genuine spoiler, and the Powerflow stainless-steel exhaust tip
Close-up on the exhaust
Beautiful car
If someone wants to buy her and then break her for parts, you might find yourself a nice profit in it. The engine and gearbox are in great shape, and she's a very smooth runner. The exhaust is less than a year old. The spoiler is a sought-after item and is becoming difficult to find new. The seats are in good shape.
I've loved owning this car, she's been very good to me and my family, and I'll be very sorry to see her go.
Open to offers.
Kind regards
Graeme
