406 Coupe - Buy YES or NO

[Peter.N.]

If you can get the car you want at the right price surely its worth travelling, I have bought some of my cars 200 miles or more away, I went to Edinburgh once to see a supposedly immaculate XM estate - turned out to be a shed.

I can find no reference to the rear suspension specifically for the coupe in my Hains book, neither does it list another manual for it so I would assume its got springs like the saloon.

I wouldn't worry about one that done over 150k, if its still going OK by then it will probably continue to do so. My estate was on about 188k when I bought it and I have done a further 20k in it without incident.

Don't know the difference with the SE, I think the basic one is pretty high spec, I know that the electric seats in mine are more comfortable than the manual ones because they have more adjustment particularly the tilt settings which makes a tremendous difference for me.

Peter

 

[Markthelark]

Cheers for that pete ,

Will let you know when/if we get one, but confident it wont be too long.
The 406 2.1 estate I had as a stop gap between vans , had it for about 6 months , loaded it once with 30 bags of ballast for a job , great car , comfy and nice drive, could easily drive 500 miles and get out feeling just the same as when you started the journey. The only thing I had to change was the thermostat , you really needed to be left handed and blind as it was at the bottom of the hose under the engine and you couldn't see the 3 bolts , all done by touch , but still only took about 15mins to do.

My best friend bought a 405 estate 1.9td new in about 95 , he now has a new passat 20tdi estate , but still uses the 405 to take his dog out , just keeps passing the mot's ! He also gets better mpg too !

 

[Peter.N.]

The 405 was an excellent car and still is, there are quite a few of them still about down here mostly still in good condition.

The 2.1 engine is I reckon the best IDI diesel ever made, they are almost indestructable - except for head gasket failure around 150k but once done you can ecpect another 150k from them. The best application was in the XM with the Bosch mechanical pump, they were very flexible and would pull smoothly from tickover, I rarely drove mine above 2000 rpm which is what gave them their superb economy.

I have changed a couple of those thermostats, the second one is easier

Peter

 

[Markthelark]

Done a 1.9d head gasket a couple of years ago , straight forward and only £19.99 , the belt and pump had only been on for 1000miles , so left them on.Engine had done 130k , now done 175k with no prob's , starts first time and get 60 plus easy on a run !

BTW Pete , don't you ever sleep ? I'am up waiting for wife , she's a cop and will be home about 1 I hope. I also post later sometimes due to med's I'am taking keep me awake , real bummer , either in pain or tiered !

Placed 2 ads now , preloved and pistonheads.

 

[Burnerman]

Wishing you luck on whatever purchase you make, Mark!
I'm surprised the 6 cyl Beemer doesn't float your boat though - I was amazed at the performance and economy I got from one on a trip to France......diesel to La Rochelle, over 50 mpg genuine On the way back, Beemer M3 (400 bhp ) 13 mpg
John

 

[Peter.N.]

I'm not usually up in the middle of the night but I am retired so pop up and check the mail several times a day - when I am here

I am no stranger to head gaskets, my first one was on our works Austin A40 van in the mid '50s and there has been a steady stream ever since. The last CX diesel estate I had needed a gasket about every 15,000 miles due to a porous block, something which I only found out about after I bought it, I did well in excess of 150,000 miles in it so that's a fair few head gaskets, it was such a brilliant car that I considered it worth doing, it was also very easy to change as the engine was right at the front and leaning forwards, by the time I had done a few mods I could get it off in about 20 minutes - a bt different to the modern ones

Peter

 

[mysteryman]

My first Peugeot diesel, the only one I bought new, was written off in an accident at 206,000 miles. Never had the head or sump off; changed the glow plugs and fuel filter once and the oil and filter when I remembered, and the timing belt about three times. It was going like a good 'un to the end. This 1905cc engine was PSA's second generation diesel, the HDi is now in its second generation, making four in total. These engines are far better than Ford or Vauxhall in my experience.

150,000 miles is just nicely run-in. At that mileage, I would prefer to see an engine that had not had any work done on it other than normal servicing.

I loved my CX DTR TURBO 2 estate as well, a superb car. Anyone got a Familiale they want a good home for, now I've got seven Grandchildren?

 

[Peter.N.]

The CX really was a revolutionary car, the XM was a poor substitute except that it had a much better heater, it was very much of a compromise in mechanical design though.

I ran XM 2.1 td estates for about 16 years, we still have one but my son drives that, I didn't like the C5 much when it came out but I must say I am favourably impressed now I own one. I always changed my oil at 5,000 miles, not with expensive oil but the cheapest that meets the spec, I'm sure if that was done on modern cars you wouldn't have all these problems with failing turbo's.

We also had a BX TZD turbo estate, that was a fast car, my wife loved it, we passed it on to our son but that also was written off when someone crashed into it when it was parked

Peter

 

[Markthelark]

Wishing you luck on whatever purchase you make, Mark!
I'm surprised the 6 cyl Beemer doesn't float your boat though - I was amazed at the performance and economy I got from one on a trip to France......diesel to La Rochelle, over 50 mpg genuine On the way back, Beemer M3 (400 bhp ) 13 mpg
John

Funny enough , I sat i a 525 yesterday , not so clostro as the 3 series , also have read alot on the 3.0 v 2.0 , and yes they can be just as economical if driven right ! The choice is really down to the wife , so just need her to make her mind up , then find a good one , whatever it is !

 

[Peter.N.]

Mine also was a CX25 TD Safari but the non intercooled version it was still pretty nippy for its time - and size The turbo 2 must have been the fastest diesel on the road back then with a 0-60 time of around 10 seconds and a top speed of 120 mph, 120 bhp at 3600 rpm

The problem with the heater was airflow, the car was so aerodynamic that very little air went to the intake, I heard that someone made an air scoop that fitted on the bonnet but could never find one until one day there was a CX in a french film and it had one. I am a very cold mortal, anything below 25C is cold to me, the CX was OK on a long journey but took so long to warm the car up.

I used to carry some weight in mine but the XMs were nearly as good although not so long, I came back from up north with a 2.1 td+box and a Ford 1.8 diesel in the back a few years ago, I had to hire a van with a tail lift to move my Rayburn though.

I did frequent trips to the midlands and north and came back with it full of TVs - not these modern featherlight things but poper sets with tubes in them

Peter

 

[Markthelark]

Just let you know , I have joined the Coupe owners club forum , makes sense really . Thanks for all your replies , enjoyed exchanging views with you all . BTW , I will be posting under Markthelark.

Mark