What to buy next?

[gumby6371]

It's not 100% yet but if I were to have £2500 to £3000 to spend on an economical family saloon what are the best options?

I do like Pugs obviously and having planet will help when checking potential purchases over but I'm open minded to other marks.

All suggestions gratefully received and the winner gets the chance to buy a slightly dinged 2.2 406

[Doggy]

Another 406, obviously.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PEUGEOT-406-2 ... 4ae683f93b

[gumby6371]

It does look tidy but I was thinking something a bit newer.
Maybe if I pop over for a test drive and offer £750 as its down on power and needs work he'll take it. I could even offer to drag race mine against it to prove it's lacking some grunt

[GingerMagic]

I agree, it looks like a nice motor.

Wave some cash under his nose and see what happens.

[Doggy]

Got to be some hint of a dpf issue, even if it's only the lack of a recent antipollution service.....

You'd be doing him a favour really

I know this is a personal view, but estates don't look outdated as quickly as saloons

[rwb]

Agreed the saloons look a bit dated -- mainly because of the square shape from the side.

Other PSA options are a 407 or a C5. You might even find 2.2 HDi 170 twin turbo at the top of that price range.

[PeterN]

If you want reliability another 2.0. 8 valve Hdi 406. They have got to be the most reliable and cheapest to run cars on the market. Mine has done 234,000 miles and still has the original DMF and clutch and will do 60+ mpg driven carefully. Anything newer will have a DPF with the associated extra maintenance.

The 2.2 is a nice engine but gives nothing like as good fuel consumption and has the DPF of course and the multi valve engines are more difficult to work on and thus more expensive.

The only alternative I can offer is the C5 2.0. Hdi up to 04. They are a nice comfortable car with a superb ride and lots of space. You could get a good facelift version for £2k probably even an exclusive but they have the 16 valve engines. I have run hydropnumatic citroens for 30 years, XM's for over 15 years and for comfort they cant be beaten but they are not as nice to drive as the 406, the handling is much sharper but still with a reasonable ride. My C5 is on 200,000 miles and also still has the original clutch and DMF.

Peter

[Welly]

It's not 100% yet but if I were to have £2500 to £3000 to spend on an economical family saloon what are the best options?

I have bought and sold many cars around that mark over the years and have learnt an lesson: it is probably the worst amount to spend, reason being that you are buying something on the cusp of becoming a potential problem. A £3K car is typically 7 to 9 years old, would still look reasonably modern but has been replaced by newer versions at least once, maybe twice in its life. Previous owners are likely to have recently been warned about a potential expensive failure after having a service or MOT and decided to shift it on.

You'll never find something perfect but you need pin sharp senses and a VERY thorough test drive before committing.

One major consideration is the money; a £3K car today will be worth £1K in 2 years time, it's just the way it goes, and what are you driving today? a £1K car! I would have no problem in sinking £500.00 into a car that I was otherwise happy with if it gave me another 2 years and the 406 is very easy going when it comes to MOT's etc and they don't rust.

Reading Bailes' car hunting capers I wouldn't be surprised if there were some horrendous 'recession maintained' used motors knocking about in fact chatting to the mechanic next door at work he say's almost everyone has cut back on maintenance to the point where he's only fixing things that actually break or fall off.