Best 406 HDI Estate.

[Malc]

I've put this in the ES&D section as this is the only one I have posted on and had replies.
Is there actually a vintage year for a Pug 406 HDI estate or saloon where the car was truly electrical and mechanically trouble free.
The reason I ask is I'm looking for a low kilometrage lhd here and they are becoming as common as hobby horse dung as the years go on.
It would be nice to have the views of anyone to tell me what mainly to avoid in the way of year of manufacture and any other pitfalls
eg MUX looks like a heap of tomtit but others may say differently.
Appreciate each and all's viewpoint.

[steve_earwig]

I don't think it matters where stuff is posted as most of us just check for new posts. Putting them in sections just makes it neater. If you're not getting replies it probably means nobody knows

I suspect the D8s were better built than the D9s, less to go wrong (particularly MUX and all the extra emissions nonsense), cheaper engine parts on the diesels, less of this floppy indicator silliness so common on the full-mux cars, less silly air bags... I guess a late D8, I'd go for a diesel as they're less likely to be messed up by short journeys than an HDi, perhaps a 1.9 as they're much more fiddle with-able than a 2.1, they can run on anything and were made right up until the end in 1999.

[Welly]

Depends what you want to spend, a low-mileage D8 2.1td would be spot on for me....BUT the suspension would be shagged, you'd really need to re-bush, re-spring and damper the whole thing (at great expense) but I believe overall from the experiences on here that the earlier D8's were in fact 'better' at the end of the day.

Whatever you buy now even the very 'newest' one you can find will be 10 years old so you'll need to wade in with your eyes wide open and be prepared to spend some extra ££££ to get it mechanically right (engine mounts, air conditioning, brake back-plates, exhaust system, clutch....).

[Doggy]

Asuming the OP's question, "Best 406 HDI Estate", is what he's interested in the choice seems to be between 90/110/136 bhp semi or full-mux cars.

I don't believe the perceived problems with full-mux cars are a concern - I've had to replace one COM2000 in 5.5 years, but in the same period, my bro's 3 older Pugs have all had a replacement indicator stalk or wiper stalk. Semi-mux cruise control doesn't have a speed memory/resume function, in short I think the benefits of a newer, better equipped car more than compensate for any additional complication.

[Malc]

Sincere thanks for your replies gentlemen.
You're not going to believe this even though I've had new cars in my time this is my first with power steering!
I love the styling and comfort of the Pug it just exudes "concours d'elegance" as opposed to something from Ping-Pong land
which looks just like that irrespective of how hard they try.
B-r

[jonsowman]

We all have different opinions of which is best, they all have their advantages and disadvantages but the 406 series as a whole was excellent in terms of reliability and comfort. So see what you can find, buy on condition and service history, and don't worry too much about mileage!

[steve_earwig]

"Best 406 HDI Estate"

I feel silly now

Psst you missed out a 1999 D8 HDi

[gumby6371]

If I were to buy an estate for actually lugging stuff about I'd go D8 1.9td because;
runs on veg
bags of low end torque (more than the HDI in my experience but others may disagree)
I see far more on the road and in the breakers than the D9 in this area for grabbing spares

[rwb]

Diesel or petrol, I don't think there's a bad engine. It's all down to what you want it for.

There are some bad trim levels though. Serial killer cloth anyone?

[GingerMagic]

Hi Malc - it seems the general consensus is that the more basic the engine, the more reliable it is.
I would opt for a 2003 SE 90 if you can find one - decent spec, reliable and frugal engine with less to go wrong, and fully-mux is easier to remedy / diagnose than semi-mux as better information online.
Look to pay £1800 for a decent one though.

[Malc]

Hi GingerMagic... £1800 sounds great but I live in France and believe me they come a lot dearer than that. The cheapest way to buy a lhd car is actually in the UK!
Will keep all your valubale info in mind when I buy and thanks again for responding. Regards to all..

[Doggy]

As you probably know, French car specs are different to ours - leather interiors are very rare for example.

You get an occasional lhd 406 on Ebay, they tend to be a bit dearer than rhd, but probably still comparatively cheap.

[Malc]

Thanks Doggy and yes have noticed French specs are a tad different as are prices!
Maybe why in recent times LHD "Arthur Daleys" have sprung up in the UK.

[steve_earwig]

I think a lot of them were being shipped out to Poland etc. I was watching them for quite a few years, dealers like the Heathrow LHD Centre and LHD ads in Autotrader etc., 10 years or more ago they were cheaper than RHD cars, then they were just as expensive and in some cases even more than RHD cars. I've not bothered looking since then, it seemed a bit pointless.

As far as I know I still can't import cars to Croatia older than 7 years, which rather precludes anything I'd be interested in. I could just drive them here but not legally for more than a rolling 6 months in 12 and they have to be fully legal in their country of origin (road tax etc.). I'm not sure if France does it the same way....

[Malc]

No problem here in France Steve some expats I know don't even re-register which is illegal but nobody seems to bother!
Best site I've found for lhd cars... http://www.mobile.de/?lang=en