Should I rescue a Peugeot 406 Coupe?
You know how it is. One minute you’re cycling along a country lane with your family, the next minute you’re speaking to a lady about a Peugeot 406 Coupe.
That’s what happened an hour ago, when I chanced upon a 406 Coupe looking decidedly sorry for itself.
There are three things to point out: it’s a V6, it’s effectively a one-owner car, and it’s for sale.
In my head, I’ve already bought it. I’ve always wanted to own this Pininfarina masterpiece – ideally with the V6 – and my fleet is need of something glamorous to counter the beigeness of the motorhome.
In fairness to ‘Erika’, I’m writing this from the comfort of the captain’s chair while enjoying a barista-style coffee, and I wouldn’t have found the 406 Coupe without ‘her’. Beige is good, as Gordon Gekko nearly said.
I don’t need the 406 Coupe – nobody really needs a V6 Peugeot, no matter how beautiful it is. Logic would say that buying it would open more cans of worms than a festival of amateur fishermen.
There’s also the significant sum of money spent making the Clio Baccara roadworthy, the fact that the £100 Laguna needs an MOT, the Corrado and AX GT masquerading as garden ornaments, and… but, but… 406 COUPE!
Its last MOT was in September 2016, but aside from warming the engine, saving the tyres from flat spots and general maintenance, it has been untouched for 18 months.
It belonged to the vendor’s father who bought the car new in 1999, having walked into the Peugeot showroom and asking for the best possible 406 Coupe with all the toys. It has wanted for nothing, but all that stopped in September last year when he sadly passed away.
So now it’s for sale, with a cardboard sign on the dashboard hoping to attract the dozen or so people who will pass it everyday. WeBuyAnyOldTat offered £275 for it, on the basis of it being delivered to Exeter, where they’d inevitably remove 50 per cent from the original quote.
I sense that the lady doesn’t really want to part with her late father’s car; she referred to it as “she” and “my beautiful”. She regaled me with stories of how her 83-year-old dad couldn’t stand dawdlers on the A-road and he often used it its fullest potential. Good man.
Sentimentality shouldn’t come into it. My fleet has other mouths to feed and rescuing a 406 Coupe would be akin to leaving a blank cheque behind the bar at a stag do. At the very least it will need a service, an MOT, new brakes and, well, how long have you got?
But Peugeot 406 Coupe, right? And a V6, right? My heart says “Yes”, my head says “Sleep on it until the morning, give yourself a few hours of extra thinking time, then say ‘Yes'”.
So, what do you think, dear reader. Should I add another slice of beautiful French Tat to the fleet, or should I have done a Dionne Warwick and walked on by?
Answers to this not at all rhetorical question on a postcard to the usual address.
23 Comments
How muvh?
I’ll found out when I head back this morning…
Get that bought 👍👍👍
Thanks for the encouragement (I think).
Get it bought!
I’ll see what I can do.
Nicely found sir. If the bodywork (esp. front bumper) is good and most of the electrics are sound you cannot go far wrong. It’s fully galvanised so rust isn’t a problem…the bottom of the B pillar might be the only spot.
Small bits and bobs are cheaply fixed. The cambelt change is your main check on the v6 engine though, and it may well need doing even for peace of mind. You’ll be in probably for £800+ just on that job but youll then have peace of mind for 8 or more years. A ’99 car might also need suspension components renewing depending on mileage – shocks, springs, top mounts, bushes, boots.
99 was a crossover year so while it will have the simpler-to-maintain non-MUX electrics, it might have either of the two V6 plants. They have different characters, but both great – the original one more raw edged, the revised version with vvti more refined.
A one owner car in Devon sounds like it has great potential though so I’m crossing my fingers. My ’99 coupe was in Practical Classics last month and prices are on the up for hard to find clean examples. I hope second viewing goes well… you’ll find a more detailed coupe-specific buyers guide on 406coupeclub.org. Happy to advise further 🙂
Well there are a few things to consider: This seems to be a fully specced out example, when will you next see one for sale? Second, was there any mechanical reason for it to be off the road? The vendor states that it is off the road because her father passed away, but it may (definitely) still be worth a check at all the usual places. Third, is this a recommission or a Resto, a recommission shouldn’t take more than a month, and just needs to be prepped for MOT, an resto, well, is a restoration, and can you afford it?
Bereavement sales often can turn up nice finds, I am trying to find a buyer for my late grandfathers ’02 S-Type 4.2 with 34k on the clock, and there is no reason to suggest that the 406 is any different. It should be great to drive*, but be wary if it has been caned all its life. If worst comes to worst, you could probably sell it and get your money back, and they are not as loved as say, and E-type so you wouldn’t need to get everything spot on, and there is a larger margin for error if you want to make your money back
I hope this Helps
Ben
*I am assuming it is a manual
Sir: The chorus of encouragement from your Twitter feed should be all you need to get this transaction done, with profuse assurances to the seller that “she” is going to a good home where French Tat is cherished, loved, and respected. Of course, we’re all sitting at the sidelines, while you are spending the money and taking on the potential burden of major repairs. But that is one awesomely beautiful machine. With a V6. And Pininfarina body work. It looks *so* desperately lonely and sad. And it’s not beige.
Has he bought it then?
Yep!
Congratulations! once it is up I assume it will be a daily driver, I can imagine such a car would be great for motorway cruising and B-road Blasts
I think a trip through France would be in order, but I might be getting ahead of myself here.
It’s so beautiful and almost impossible to resist…
Tell me about it Gavin, I have two
Two? Tell me more.
Hi Gavin,
I bought my first Diablo red 3.0 V6 se manual in June 2017, she was a project in need of love but drove well & everything worked.
Now I nearly brought a brand new zero millage one back in 2001 so I have a long lust for these cars.
After a few weeks of ownership I had realised that the first coupe needed lot’s of love & cash,
Well after joining the Coupe club & doing my research I found my second Coupe.
A 97 Diablo red 3.0 V6 se manual with sunroof & Amvar & only 54k from new.
Without hesitation I bought her, so now I have two.
Good luck with the resurrection & hope to meet up one day.
Beautiful cars.. had a pair of HDIs a couple of years ago.. drive almost as well as they look.
Glad you saved it…
I think it had to be done, Brian. Let’s hope I don’t change that opinion in a few weeks!
I’ve cherrished my two owner 53 plate HDi for 15 years and today bent the front end beyond economic repare, do you, or any 406 owner followers, need any parts? All bits work except the satnav.
I think you should definitely save it, or at least if it is in usable condition.
Go for it! I’ve had 406 coupes for the past 15 years (one 2l Galileo Green Manual and my current Diablo Red V6 SE manual) and I’ve loved both ! The V6 is a joy… fit it with a lovely exhaust (not too loud, not too soft) and you will unleash that lovely V6 symphony… Love it.
Mine had a few issues at the beginning (not big ones), when it had 43K, but now it’s on 106K and it hasn’t broken down yet. I haven’t had a single issue for the past 10 years or so. OK, I’ve spent a lot of money on it… and she is a keeper… but just looking at her makes my day every time! A future classic that will only raise in value soon… In France, it’s already gained some momentum price wise… the UK is slower when it comes to French cars, but given the low numbers still on our roads (something like 1,600 ish, including 1,000 SORN) price will sooner than later rise…
I see Giles from the 406 coupe club is still around pleased to see. I no longer have mine, but bought a Arianne V6 210 in 2004 for 7K. it had 53K mile on the clock for me that was a bargain for a 2000 built car. It was truly a beautiful car, took it the following year to it’s spritual home the Cote d’Azur, it had to be done. Was my daily drive for the next 10 years.