2002 406HDi tempted to buy

[quemlar]

Hello All,

I'm in Ireland.
I currently drive a Renault Megane Scenic, 2002 mode,l 75K miles.
My friend is leaving the country and will sell his 2002 406HDi to me for €2,000, its diesel. It has all the extras apart from cruise control and heated leather seats.
It has done 155K miles, he has taken great care of it, all original Peugeot parts and he used the best oil available, it was always serviced at the main dealer and on time, never crashed. He wouldn't be selling it and in fact wanted to bring it with him but he can't for various reasons.

I'm tempted to take the car but there are a few drawbacks:

1.Motor tax and insurance is more expensive. (But seems to fair better on MPG I would do about 12K a year, and a few long jouneys a few times a year)
2.Work needs to be done on the rear axle, bushes and rollbar need replaced he says. Its not urgent but if not done rear tyres will wear quickly so he has been using second hard tyres. I'm not mechanically minded so I'm researching these terms and trying to figure out how much that work would cost and if I could do it myself. I repair computers for a living so I have the common sense!
3.The timing belt would need to be replaced next year.

I'm trying to weigh up the pros and cons before I decide to buy it. I drove it yesterday and it is faster and smoother than my Scenic and also MPG is better and does seem to be a far superior car. The Scenic is 1.4 petrol and underpowered, it looses power on hills and has always annoyed me. Long term which car has a better chance of giving a few more years service, the Megane or 406 and is 2K a good price for this car and milage.

Any comments greatly welcome from 406 owners. I need to make up my mind by Wednesday.

Q.

[FarmerPug]

well both can give their own wee problems, but i think the 406 is a more reliable car.

[Catflem]

An opinion on value is probably best left to members living in Ireland, as geography and the local availability of vehicles can make a hell of a difference to a cars value.

[FarmerPug]

there is plenty of 406s here in northern ireland, they are still quite popular.
Parts new are easy to get from euro parts, used my local scrapyards neither of the 2 have any 406 at the moment but when they do their parts are cheap.

[sirwiggum]

In the North, the 90bhp HDi tax is quite cheap for such a big car.

Insurance group is quite low too as it is a low powered car that isn't typically boy racered.

The rear axle gives concern, this was a 405 thing but some 2002 406s had rust issues around the rear and the doors.

[FarmerPug]

the hdi 110 is £125 a year for tax thats as cheap as a big car gets.
110 is really the minimum the 406 should have.

[rwb]

The 90 is quite capable, but you have to drive it how it wants to be driven (gently), and enjoy the economy. If you get your foot down then it will drink.

The 110 has longer gearing in 5th, so better for the motorway.

[quemlar]

Thanks for all the comments, I took the plunge and bought it last night. So far it's a lovely drive, much better than the scenic not an ache in my body after driving it home from West Cork last night. Next hurlde will be getting the rear anti rollbar problem fixed. The guy I bought it from says I should only go to the main dealer, but he is very particular about things, do folks here go to the main dealer or a local mechanic.

Thanks again.

Q

[FarmerPug]

if you go to a main dealer you will understand why we call them stealers. They charge extortionist prices. Eg if you want the dealer to do a computer diagnosis its £70 for the first hour, or £50 for the sealing sheets behind the door cards.
A competent mechanic can do any job on a peugeot, and in most cases better than the dealer will, with less chance of you leaving with a big scratch that they will say was before it arrived.

[quemlar]

Appreciate all the comments, does anyone use an iPhone with their 2002 406, what system do they use to dock it, the cigarette lighter isn't in the best area for the commercial docks I've seen.I'll also be using my iPhone as a GPS, the TomTom cradle is way over priced though. My Renault Megane was sold today, was very hard to sell so I'm glad its gone. Let my TomTom go with it though in order not to take to much of a loss.

[FarmerPug]

an ipod dock in theory should sit in the ashtray, i plan to put one there.