1999 PEUGEOT 406 V6 COUPÉ

Used car addict Keith looks back at his best – and worst – classic buys. This week, a Peugeot 406 bought from a friend, which lives on to fight another day here on CCW

WHAT I PAID £800 IN 2018

PRICE NOW £12003000

and performance in V6 form to keep me interested…

WAS IT A JOY – OR A NIGHTMARE – TO LIVE WITH?

It was actually good fun to live with, albeit on the frustrating side. The first issue was its shoddy rubber; Paul had given me fair warning that the four Chinese ditchfinder tyres would need to go. Driving it back from his place in Nottingham in the teeming rain sure brought that home to me, as my new 146mph car felt unsafe at anything over 50mph. Secondly, the five-speed automatic gearbox felt lazy and unresponsive in a way that surprised me. I once had a Citroën Xantia V6 with the same running gear as this and that felt like a rocket ship in comparison. Thirdly there was paint lacquer peel in several places, which meant that it was never going to be a show-winner. The first problem was easily solved with a new set of tyres but the second proved more elusive – a quick service and a reset of the gearbox ECU certainly improved matters but it never quite felt as sporty as my old Xantia. Other than that, and a lack of working air-con, I was happy to sell it to CCW’S managing editor James Sadlier after I’d had my fun with it.

WHAT’S YOUR ABIDING MEMORY OF IT?

Ah, this one attracted that old chestnut – the ‘Ah, nice, but it’s not a so-andso’ comments from marque ‘experts’ that so many of my cars have attracted. Here are a few examples: ‘Nice Audi 80… shame it’s not a five-cylinder’. Or, ‘Nice Rover SD1… shame it isn’t a Vitesse’. Or, ‘lovely Citroën C6, but no TGV seats’. In the case of the 406 it was: ‘Lovely car but I bet you wish it was a manual.’ There’s something in that, but the more I drove the car, the less I missed PSA’S notchy five-speed manual, concluding that the auto ‘box really suited this car’s impressive refinement and wonderful cruising ability. Because in the end I concluded that this was a car for sophisticates who want to make an impression at their destination 800 miles away feeling unflustered – and who really wants to stir their own gears in that sort of situation?

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR BUYING ONE?

These are getting super-rare now and finding a cherished one is getting difficult. The V6 is held aloft as the one to have and there are still nice ones out there. The main issues to watch out for are hidden corrosion – sills and brake lines are a top grot spot but also pay attention to the floorpan and boot floor. The 406’s build quality was good compared with 1980s Peugeots but interior trim is fragile, breakages are common and parts aren’t easy to find. The frustratingly niggly electrical systems are a bit easier to fix, though. Overall this is a solid choice and that V6 engine is a shire horse of a power unit as long as you feed it regular (if sadly rather costly) belts.

ENGINE 2946CC/V6/DOHC POWER 210bhp@6000rpm TORQUE 210lb ft@3750rpm MAXIMUM SPEED 146mph 0-60MPH 7.9sec FUEL CONSUMPTION 20-28mpg TRANSMISSION FWD, five-speed automatic