Being a 17 Year Old In A 406...

[plod]

Also I find that plod and other things tend to leave you alone.

I never touched him!!!




Honest Guv

[teamster1975]

my first car, a Fiesta 1.6D didnt

Same engine as my old Uno!
I remember being pulled over by the rozzers on the A3 for having a tail light out, they told me I was doing 96mph! I was tempted to ask for that in writing so I could frame it!

[plod]

First car I had was a beetle but when took it for a mot the heater channels were rotten and so were the sills, so got rid.

First car to drive was a mini, and then had a succesion of them.
The one I did like was the 1300cc mini van with twin 1.5" SU's, LCB, RC40, cosmic 6x10's and it was sprayed in spray putty.
Bit of a sleeper, but the co-op who I insured it with said it was a commercial van, so only cost me £200 to insure despite the engine

[TooT]

they told me I was doing 96mph!

I think that was about its limit on the flat, down hill i think i manged to tease it to 105, scary.

[jasper5]

You are very lucky to have a 406 as a 17 year old.
My first car at 17 was a Triumph Herald which lasted only a few weeks until I hit a hidden dip in the road and broke the chassis at the front where the suspension mounted.After that I bought a Commer Cob van for £15 off one of the guys I worked with at the garage.( my wage was only £5 a week)
I have a car waiting for my 17 year old son (A Micra) which I paid £400 for off a customer, who had been told by a garage that it needed £500 quid spending on it to replace the MAF and throttle body (MAF is built into the throttle body on the Micra, Y reg).
Turned out it only needed a fuel filter

[Johnny]

well if it re-assures you bailes i'm only 22 and in a 406 estate. I also get the stick from mates about driving a "grandad's car" etc etc but out of the various cars I've owned, this to date is my most favourite. its a diesel, its slow, it has its various problems, it doesn't have an overly powerful "pussy-magnet" factor...... but for some reason I love it and am sticking it through its MOT tomorrow. **fingers crossed**

[teamster1975]

it doesn't have an overly powerful "pussy-magnet" factor......

But when you do get the pussy in the car the seats go right back!

[DaiRees]

And with the back seats down you have a large, perfectly flat area.... about the size of a bed!

[Johnny]

And with the back seats down you have a large, perfectly flat area.... about the size of a bed!

i helped my mate move flat a few weeks ago and his matress did fit perfectly in the car with the seats flatpakced. as I'm going to a few concerts this summer i have ordered a single matress, so while my mates sleep in the tent, guess where i'll be snuggled up in.........

[steve_earwig]

Have you ever slept in a car? It's 'orrible, 'specially if it's cold and you have to shut the windows. Better off in a tent mate.

My first car-

I customised it myself

[Johnny]

only slept in a car once and that was in a ka....that was uncomfortable. but the way is see it is that if i'm that pished and there's a comfy matress in the back of the car, i'll conk straight out, happy days

[Blue406]

Fookin hell steve!

WTF happened to that and did you survive?

[steve_earwig]

Teenage angst. And a motorway sign...

...did you survive?

No, I'm a ghost. Woo.

[STALLED]

I bought my 406 at the age of 17...

I remember rocking up to school in it and people being gobsmacked - especially that I paid the same amount as a poxy similar age Corolla, there was simply no comparison.

I originally went out with the intention of buying a 306 2.0 16v - but everyone I looked at was farrrked or had been in a prang of sorts. Almost bought a Citroen Xantia, but I'm glad I walked away from that one!

So far my car has been called:

"Classical Music Car, driven by old senile men" - A Corolla driving mate.

"Your car is arrogant and sleazy" - Girl I was dating....

"Nice Commodore man..." - This happened twice, twice by different mates on different instances. Both involving copious amounts of alcohol when I was designated driver.

But in the 4 years I have owned it, it has given me a great deal of satisfaction. They are a underrated used by in terms of build quality, ride and handing - seriously, for the age of the vehicle, there is little out there which compares. Maybe a Saab 9-5 may come close, but they are complex and exxy to fix.

The car is now on 172,000km and will be returning to full time duties when I go back to university next semester. Should be pushing the 200k mark sooner rather than later. Car burns no oil, drips no coolant and drives bloody well. The only thing to go majorly wrong with it in the 60,000km of ownership was the death of the gearbox - Car was due for a new clutch anyways, so the cost of such was just copped on the chin. Sh*t happens I suppose...

I would love to keep the 406, but the practicalities of keeping two cars in inner city Sydney are not worth it. Toying with the idea of a Clio 182 Cup, which to me ticks all the boxes. But at the end of the day, I still can't bring myself to sell the 406!

[sirwiggum]

Nothing wrong with Xantias. They're basically 406s.

The suspension is not as scary as people make out. The spheres are as easy to change as an oil filter and are £20 a corner. Try doing that to springs! Bleeding the brakes is easy too, get an assistant to put foot on brake pedal and they pump themselves!

Fantastic comfort too!

I had one before the Alfa, and the only thing that put me off getting another is that most are now <2001 and getting on a bit, HDis are bought up by taxi companies / tradesmen, and I wasn't enamoured with the weird-headlight mk1 C5 from 2001 onwards.

One fine day I will be able to afford a C6

My first car was a 94 1.2 Clio when I was 19. Had it about a year when I stalled at a busy roundabout and the BMW behind me tried to drive through me.

2nd car was a 93 Orion 1.8 and was an absolute lemon. I did, however, get stopped by the police in Dundee for spirited-ly flinging it through a roundabout late at night. They thought I was a joyrider!