The night he got it we went out for a little drive and I remember him putting his foot down and being gobsmacked by the noise of the Jag scourced 3 litre V6 lump. It was the sort of noise I only thought big super cars made. I then saw on the back of someones car a sticker for a Ford Mondeo's owners club where I thought I'd have a join and then found an ST owners club. 
After a few months of causing havoc on forums my Dad decided he wanted the facelift ST220 with a few extra featuers, better sound proofing etc etc etc and we ended up with this...
Now this was the car that really got me into it, I learned so much about cars with this car and it's what really sparked my interests off.
In December 2007 it was time to wave bye bye and in al fairness I think a shed a tear as it went and got replaced with the T5...
The T5 is fast as FOOOOOKKKKK but it dosent feel it. I drive it now and again and my jaw always drops when I look at the speedo! But it's so dull, my 406 is more fun to drive. The T5 just does it, far far better than the 406 but the 406 feels like a sense of occasion when you give it the beans, the T5 is dull. Thats the thing I found with the ST220; it was an exclusive model that made it a sense of occasion to me in, it had a poise to it, an awesome noise and I loved it. I see R-Design V50's everywhere, it's only the fact it's a T5 that makes it individual and thats not enough. Not that my 406 is individual but it's got a bit of charecter, the T5 dosent it just does what it does and thats it, it's like going to a brothel and reading the paper; just not right.
So that brings us on to about a year ago, I had £2k in the bank saved up for insurance and I had some money from my GCSE's waiting to come to buy a car
I spend hours and hours searching for the right car, when I found it, it was gone 
Cars on my short lists were Peugeot 306 Estates, Focus Estates, even Vauxhall Omega's. I never considered a 406 due to the higher insurance prices compared to the 306's. My Uncle has a 406 Raiper and my Grandad has a 306 Meridian SE and they seemed like the same car, just different sizes. But I really did love my Uncles 406. After going to see a 306 5dr hatch fully specced and finding out it was smoking blue and burning oil, I started pulling my hair out and getting annoyed. I think I needed to realise that these cars aren't going to be mint, I just needed something mechanically sound that will get me from A to B. Unfortunatley mine goes from A then breaks down in Nottingham .My Boss went to go pick up a 205 Van in Newcastle and wanted a car with a towbar to tow the 205 back with. So he went and bought a 406 Estate and me and him went to get the 205. The trailer he bought was second hand and apparently the owners used it regularly to tow a galaxy? We soon found this out to be a lie
So on our way to Newcastle we didn't hear a peep from the trailer, it worked no problem. When we got the car on it one of the wheel bearings started grinding a treat! We pumped it with Copper Grease and hoped for the best. Then 200m down the road the wheels that apparently towed a galaxy were starting to fail. Both tyres come off the rim in one area as we come round a corner and deflated. After calling the AA out they sorted the tyres and released the trailer so the center section of the trailer could rotate so it was less strain on the wheels...
Thinking lightning couldnt strike twice it did and we lost a tyre again...
Now the tyres both said they could hold 250kgs and the car weight around 500kgs completley stripped. So why the failed was abit confusing but there we go.
After abandoning the 205 in a lockup somewhere we made out way back home and the 406 did the 600miles there and back effortlessly.
A few months later my boss was going to sell the 406 and I made a cheeky offer for it and he said no problem
So now the 406 was mine.This 406 was named Bernard and for 2 weeks did my Mum proud after her car threw it's timing belt and power steering pump.
Fast forward about 6 months and I had a pink licence and an insurance certificate for said 406
Now starting in a big car really did dip my confidence as I could never park it like any normal car, it was HUGE but if anything this has turned out to be a massive benefit. I can now park any car, any shape any size into any space with my eyes shut!
Now I don't drive slow if I'm honest but I don't drive dangerously either. I like to stick my foot down when It's nice and clear as do most other people and it's so nice doing so having a 1.9TD, stick your foot down and it does go a little bit. Unlike all my mates 10 - 1.4's which don't get anywhere any time fast.
The 406 is an excellent handling car so even when my mates are being knobs in there Fiestas and what not I open up a pipe, have a puff and just keep up with them, which is another little gem of the 406... OMG ITS SOOO COMFY! Today I've done nealy 300miles in a 2009 207 1.4HDi, not only is it pretty slow but the engine sounds like it's asthmatic, the suspensions rock hard and it dosent handle any better! Also the front end had a bloody annoying knock at low speeds and it pulled to the left a little bit!
Now I'm not the most normal of 17 year olds either, I mean I spent about 15 hours a week on a forum with middle aged men who talk about places called Wankum and how there puppys sleep in there freezers but it's all good. Now quite often a get asked by the f*ck to a drive what I drive... It's cause I is a pimp
Well I'm not but the fact I got 2 surfboards, 2 mountin bikes, a missus and a dog to cart about 
Not only that, if I want a small slow car to thrash about I have a 207 to drive, if I want something nippy and good fun I got a 1.6 Focus I can drive and if I want to get somewhere fast I got a T5 volvo I can drive. I drive what I can cause I like it. I like having a big weighty car to sling about, plus I feel much safer!Now I don't know what any other 17 years olds think but I think a 406 is the perfrect car for a 17 year old...
It's supprisingly cheap to insure, they are bloody good on fuel, they handle pretty damm well, there big, there comfy and there pretty quick compared to what you would get with the same money on a corsa or a fiesta.
I do like my 406 and I do get some stick for it, but it's got lots of charecter and I do love it to bits despite it's problems. At the end of the day when all my mates cars won't start, mine will start, on 2 glowplugs, running veg oil, smoking away no matter whats broke! And I couldn't as any more from it.
Hope you all enjoyed the long and boring read, I didn't have anything else better to do on this bloody boiling day. Now time for a BBQ
my first car, a Fiesta 1.6D didnt