Stick, upgrade, or complete change

[joethefish]

Hi all,
Long time no post but have been utilising much of your handy info in keeping my T 'reg' 406 Hdi 110 estate running. (188k now and running strong)
Anyway I am going to be getting a little money soon, and having just upgraded the Mrs car we are considering doing the same with mine. Now there is nothing wrong with it aside from being a bit tatty and low spec. We do however hanker after something a little plusher and perhaps dare I say it more luxurious??
The way I see it I have three options and would welcome any thoughts on them. So do I...

a) Keep my car and use the money to improve it.. bit of paintwork, retro fit fuel computer, nicer interior etc. etc. and probably etc.

b) Upgrade to a newer and higher spec'd 406 estate... with lower mileage and be happy.

c) Upgrade to something different.. but what..?! Has to be an estate, has to get good fuel economy.. although a smidge drop on the 406 could be dealt with. Perhaps a 407 or BMW, or even a Jag..

All ideas and thoughts appreciated.. I really am in a pickle of indecision btu know you'll put me right.. just have to make a choice and settle before the money arrives and is spent on niff naff and trivia!

[jonsowman]

a) Certainly the cheapest, fitting a new interior is reasonably easy, I paid around £100 for a black heated electric leather interior. However if you want lots of toys, stuff like cruise, climate control, heated mirrors, etc, then this option isn't worth your time.

b) At this age, trim level doesn't affect prices much. So you could sell yours and get an Exec/SE around the same mileage for roughly the same price. Of course if you can spend a bit more, get a lower mileage version.

Maybe a lower mileage 2.2HDi Exec would suit you? Bit more grunt (especially when remapped - 180bhp) at the expense of slightly lower fuel economy (ours averages 43mpg). It will almost certainly need the FAP removing, and potentially having the EGR blanked off is a good move too.

I can't tell you much about the 407, but I'm sure others can. By most accounts I've seen the build quality isn't quite as good as the 406, and the looks are quite love/hate. The 2.7/3.0 HDi V6 engines are meant to be lovely to drive though

[Ares]

If your car is going good now,keep it,with some tweaks you can lift it up a little.
I was thinking to do on my own car like those black plastic in color of the car,new set of rims,leather interrior etc.
My vote is to stick with it

[joethefish]

Cheers guys..
I like both responses (hence my indecision!) The 2.2 Exec sounds like a wise move.. but equally sticking with what I know and improving would be nice.. I started making a list of things I would do and likely osts to see where I ended up.. but its getting mighty long.. Nicer interior, fuel computer, heated mirrors auto lights elec seats painting dings etc. etc.
mmm perhaps a 2.2 Exec, some FAP bashing and ecu tweakery would be more cost effective..

[Doggy]

perhaps a 2.2 Exec, some FAP bashing and ecu tweakery would be more cost effective..

most grin / £ IMHO

[jonsowman]

A leather electric heated interior has been done many times and isn't too difficult, the main difficultly is getting a live feed through from the battery.

I'm not sure about the trip comp and auto lights on yours, which I guess will be a semi mux D9? I assume it's not a D8.5. Have a search for semi mux cruise control fitting, you might need PP2000 to enable things.

Heated/electric mirrors are absolutely not worth it unless you have the loom already (you'll have to pull the door card off and have a look). Trying to get the wires through the door concertina is absolutely soul destroying. I only did it with two wires for the temperature sensor (in the passenger mirror) in my D8, and I wish I'd never started. I can't even begin to imagine how many wires would be needed for heating and electrics!

For small chips you can get a reasonable result with a chip repair paint, several grades of wet & dry, some T-cut and a good wax. It really depends how fussy you are!

Given the list of upgrades/retrofits you want, I'd be looking to switch to a 2.2HDi Exec if it were me

(On a side note, it is me. Planning to switch to a 2.2HDi Coupe towards the end of next year for the exact same reasons - a bit more grunt and more toys!)

[joethefish]

Lol I think I agree..
Paint wise there are a good few stone chips etc that I could probably touch up fine but three good sized areas (bumper corners) I would need done to a higher standard and being a silver car probably not for me to do!
I think if I did 'stick' I would want as many toys as I could and although I already have plans to get pp2000 (if I stick with a pug) I can see it getting sole destroying.. and if there is anything I don't like about fiddling with cars its sticking little bits of fiddly things into equally litt;e dark holes with many angles.. so perhaps better to start with closer to what I need..
Mmmm may be keeping my eyes open for a low mileage well loved hdi estate.. maybe even a 2.2.

[jonsowman]

Just an example (this is an SE):
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... 014472664/

[Busman]

I tend to go with my gut feeling on this. There is no one formula that is right for everyone. But its tricky, keep the one you know or change? Good arguments each way, but what do you feel?

[Bailes1992]

You know your car. You've obviously owned it for a while and it's been a bloody good workhorse.

Personally I would spend a little money on the suspension. New wheel bearings all round, new shocks, top mounts & bearings, New wishbones on the front, track rod ends, drop links and anti roll bar bushes and get the bushes replaced on the rear. That will cost I suspect around £700. Expensive but that means all the suspension on your car is fresh! Just like it's rolled out the factory! If you wanted to push it a little further then you could also replace the steering rack and track rods.

Fitting a trip computer on a D9 is a doddle and you'd replace the com2000 while you're at it!

A new interior is what? £100? Could even get electric leathers!

Spend a little on the bodywork and if you're happy with the car get it remapped!

Thing is could could easily spend £1000 on the car.

Say then 10,000miles down the road the clutch and DMF fail, then you'll need to spend another £1000 on it!
Then another 2,000miles down the road the HP pump fails, thats another £1000.

It's a hard call at the end of the day.

[Ares]

Its better when clutch goes on your old faithfull car than on some recent buy,than you feel really down.
Ill say you stick with your own,at least you know it good.

[joethefish]

You have hit the nail on the head..
I know the car and do trust it. That said its on 188k it has to be due a clutch soon(ish) and while its been looked after there are potentially some parts on there well past best.
That could of course be the same with a new(er) car, so I could spend my money on sorting out any potential pitfalls as suggested (suspension etc. etc.) save enough for a major part (clutch/pump etc) and perhaps be able to do a little upgrading work while I am at it. I could get a newer car and spend the same ending with more luxuries and lower mileage, and hopefully less wear and tear to put right.
Either option costs me the same give or take in actual monies, keeping my current car and doing the work costs a lot of time, its my daily driver so I cant spend weeks stripping and replacing stuff. (oh and I don't tend to let garages touch my cars either). Replacing it with something better spec'd will likely take less time than trying to source bits and improve mine, although that said I will no doubt end up on the improvement front anyway even if it is only mechanical.
I think i am swaying towards the higher spec'd replacement..
It will be easier and involve less of my time.
It has the potential to be cheaper in the long run (but by no means guaranteed)
I can sell my current car on to someone else to be a workhorse and re-coup some of the money as a contingency fund for new car disasters..?!
Oh and the tax is cheaper on a newer car!

Of course there is still option c) different make of car all together... although I guess I am being a little hopeful expecting any advice on that on a peugeot forum!

[Doggy]

Well, this cost me £1500 a few months back.....
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=19053
and if you can recoup something like half of it for yours, I know what I would do.

[rwb]

People tend to say that if you've got a good one then stick with it.
I'm not convinced that it's feasible to spend a lot on a 406 on that sort of age and mileage
Sorting out niggles is one thing, but I think that you have to either (a) to know where to stop, or (b) commit to keeping it for years. Because if you've spent £1k on bits and pieces and then you need a clutch...

Where do you draw a line under it? At what point does it become scrap?

If you want something nicer then is it really worth getting a 406 when you already have one?
The D9 leather door cards really feel very special, and the execs are exceptionally well equipped and make current cars look cheap. Insist on sat nav because the trip computer is much better and one of the display segments tells you what street you're on -- it's cool

However, £2.5k starts getting you into 407 territory. Although for more modern motors I think it's the best of a bad lot.

[joethefish]

Exactly my issue! The money available (when it comes and assuming swmbo doesn't have other ideas) is likely in the 3k range, decidedly in the 'other options' territory.
I am kind of settled on a change in vehicle as it probably makes the most sense now I have totted up my desires, That said i am not too precious about sticking to a 406, unless its the best option, so 407 is on the table but it is ugly!
New to the table is a 607 spent a while in a jam next to one today, and despite the lack of 'estateness' it looks plenty big enough for my needs and ticks a luxury box quite nicely..
Any thoughts on my best options especially if I consider relinquishing my estate desire?