I want a 407

[Captain Jack]

On the day I thought it was cracking but after trying to live with my Uncles for a week, I'm glad I didn't buy one myself!

Really? Why? I thought it was a lovely car to sit it... Although, I've never sat in a 407, let alone driven one, so no idea what that feels like.

[Bailes1992]

On the day I thought it was cracking but after trying to live with my Uncles for a week, I'm glad I didn't buy one myself!

Really? Why? I thought it was a lovely car to sit it... Although, I've never sat in a 407, let alone driven one, so no idea what that feels like.

Where to start?

The interior? It looked good but was totally impracticall, you couldn't read the stupid needles on the instrument cluster, it all felt like it would pull apart and was made out of lego and paper. The door cars were the worst, they felt like they were made out of sandpaper!

The ride? His was a springy model and not hydroelastic. The springy model was supposed to be firmer and more sporty. More sporty than what I wonder? A fridge?
It bounced around and rolled about constantly! Every bump would be over exadurated(Spelling?) and would thump like mad!

Handling? It was a sprung model with double wishbone front suspension, it must be good right? WRONG!
Under no circumstances did the steering feel conected to the front wheels, you had to prepare for a corner 5 miles before you got to it.
You could count in seconds the time between turning the steering wheel and the car reacting. It felt broken!
If you did take the corner at a moderatley quick speed then the car felt like it was going to slide out and understeer!

Reliability? 4 years and 24,000miles and my Uncle got rid because it was falling apart and breaking down all the time!

The pedals felt very soft and had no feel at all, the clutch pedal had HUGE travel and you couldnt feel or work out where you had the pedal positioned too.
The brakes were too sharp, either on or off. And the gearbox felt like stiring soup.

It's a shame because I love the looks of the C5. Think it looks like a 5 series. But I'm very glad I bought my Mondeo! Feels like it's in another class!

[Captain Jack]

Wow, Sam! Your review coupled with my mum's ever failing C4 has put me off Citroens for life...... Maybe even French cars in general. I am surprised the 407 is allegedly better than the C5, considering they are essentially the same car...

[Bailes1992]

Citroen took a cracking 407 chassis (I've driven a few. A saloon, 2 estates and a coupe when I was looking for my Mondeo) and somehow ruined it?
The 407 is comfortable yet the handling is superb! The mondeo does corner a little better but the ride is firm.

Citroen must have got the 407 chassis and made it so soft that its like driving a ferry!

[Captain Jack]

Ah, so the 407 is still a decent buy then? Why did you choose the Mondigo over the 407? Fords are slightly more expensive but my friend's 2004 Mondeo TDCI 115bph feel very solid compared to my bucket of bolts on wheels.

[Bailes1992]

Ah, so the 407 is still a decent buy then? Why did you choose the Mondigo over the 407? Fords are slightly more expensive but my friend's 2004 Mondeo TDCI 115bph feel very solid compared to my bucket of bolts on wheels.

The Mondeo in my opinion feels and looks a much classier car in and out!

Mondeo...



407...



Thought the 407 looked a bit more bargain basement than the Mondeo. Even the to spec didn't look special.
My Titanium has a brushed alluminium cnetre console, sony radio, Convers+ screen in the dials etc etc.

And to top it off the Mondeo is statistically the most reliabile car per mile compared to it's competitors!

[Captain Jack]

I agree that the Mondeo does look classier... and better built. What was really putting me off from previous Mondeos is the Casio look speedo... that is just horrible. But since they've done away with that, it's not too bad, especially if you have a computer monitor in place of it!

[jasper5]

My 407 is a cracking motor, I would heartily recommend it

[trem1]

My 407 is a cracking motor, I would heartily recommend it

seconded......in fact i'm on my second 407

[Captain Jack]

I am gonna take a look at this on Wednesday, simply because it's 2 mins walk from my work office.

[trem1]

same colour as mine Being a 2004 check for mfd screen fade,can start anytime after about 5 minutes but with a warranty that can be checked sorted later, also the balljoints give issue a lock-to-lock turn of the wheel gives a clunk when they fail also signs of rust around the ball-joint is a dead giveaway. That one has the 4-spoke wheel as opposed to the more usual 3-spoke also the black dials ( i dont like them but that s only my opinion). I dont know much about the 2.2 engine so cant comment on that but if you can get the vin whilst looking at it, servicebox might give some clues on it.
Also they look like centreless wheels so you may have difficulty getting tyres cheap

[Captain Jack]

I think the 2.2 petrol engines are pretty solid and no DMF issues to worry about.

I heard about weak ball joints on those, so will have a look-see. Why does the MDF fade? Bulbs or...?

Good point about centreless wheels. I guess not many garages have the right machine to balance those.

[waue1978]

I thought all 407s had a 3 spoke wheel too. Check for any airbag warnings as to me that looks like a 406 wheel has been fitted. MFD looks the same as the sat-nav MFDs they used in the 406, so I'd say it's prone to disappearing lines on the screen which won't be a cheap fix.

Other than that it looks decent. You'd struggle to get a mid range diesel with that mileage for that money let alone a top sepc example like that one. If the maths work out for you over the time you reckon you'll own it, it could be a real bargain.

[jonsowman]

Some early 407s did have the 4 spoke wheel - it's not necessarily a retrofit

[trem1]

the 4 spoke wheel is available on certain models only i know the sv has it as well as the exec.
the mfd is a problem with the earlier model 407's if you take the screen out (which you cant when your looking at it i know) and it has a white plastic surround it will fade eventually but the later one has black plastic surround and no fading issues, they can be bought brand new and coded to your car for around £100 if you know where from There is no known fix for these screens
the balljoints i wouldnt worry about as they are £15 a pair from ebay and can easily be done at home with just a trolley jack and a couple of tools (i can do one in about 20 minutes now) and i see them as a service item now.
Only the likes of sh*tfit have the adapter for these wheels so bear that in mind( how often you replace tyres gives an idea of how big a problem this might be to you)

heres an sv with the 4 spoke
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2005-PEUGEOT- ... 2c6d49e33c