407 HDi

[Graham S]

Hi all

I was wondering - r.e. buying a 407. (First Pug in a while - not since a 205 many years ago)

Would I be better off with a lower mileage and much more basic petrol car - is an HDi engine with a full history still running ok a 80/90,000 miles - as opposed to a low miles 1.6/8/2.0 petrol.

I don't really care about spec and don't do many miles - mostly short town runs for the kids and all that.

Any ideas about what 407 to get for 3.5 to 4 grand or so would be very welcome...

Best and thanks

Graham

[Citroenmad]

Hi, welcome to the forum

If you do few miles then I would recommend a petrol version. You will be able to pick up a much newer, lower mileage, tidier and better equipped example for the same money a s aolder and higher mileage diesel engined model.

However, if you do go diesel, there are a few things to keep in mind.

All HDi 407s have a diesel particulate filter, which on the whole is a fairly reliable system. It will require topping up of fluid at higher mileages, often around 100K upwards on the later 16vs, however the later ones (I mean not the earlier 2.2 16v engine) seem much less prone to needing maintenance. That said, they wont like constant short runs, as it wont give the filter a chance to regenerate which will lead to it becomming blocked and error messages appearing. A good blast down a motorway should sort it though. So for constant town use, I would think petrol would be the way forward.

If you do some motorway miles then the diesels are very good and are usually very reliable. Get one which has been on shorter than average service intervals. Some cars are recommended to go for 20K and 2 years (or is it a year?) without a service. This is far too long in my mind and indeed the 1.6HDi really doesn't like it, it tends to spit its turbo if services are not regular. The 1.6HDi is very good on fuel and not really underpowered, however it must be serviced regularily, if not turbo problems are prone. Id buy one, but then my cars get serviced every 6-7K with the correct grade Total ECS, low sulphur, oil.

The 2.0HDi 138 is really the one to get, feels much more powerful and is a very effortless drive. It doesn't suffer the same potential turbo worries either.

[Graham S]

Thanks very much - great advice. Really helpful...

I think a probably a 2.0 or 2.2 petrol will be the one I go for - if I can find a panoramic roof! A must I think... I notice you have an XM - what an utterly splendid thing to own. My dad had a CX, which we loved.

Can you get the panoramic roof in the Saloon? It does not seem to be an option.

I found this general guide to 407 - http://www.usedcarexpert.co.uk/cars/peu ... lt-guides/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - seems pretty comprehensive.

Thanks again for your help - Graham

[Citroenmad]

I don't think you can get the panoramic roof in the saloon body. I think it was an SW feature, no doubt the best you will find in a saloon will be a conventional sunroof.

The Honest John website is a place to find car reviews. Im not sure if I would sya its a good place as it seems to list every single problem, even if its only been known to happen to just one car After reading the one for the C5, even I wouldn't buy one, yet I know most of it to be rubbish

The XMs are a great car, we also have 1995 XM estate in the family too. Superb cars and ill be sad to be without an XM when I sell them both soon. The CX is another great car, we didn't have ours for long but it was very different.

[Peter.N.]

I would agree with Chris, if you do a lot of miles secondhand diesels are a great buy, if well maintained can do in excess of 300,000 miles but if you are only doing short journeys where fuel cost is not so important a petrol model would probably be cheaper to maintain.

Peter

[Graham S]

Thanks for all your help...

Really helpful - I think I'll go petrol - interesting what you say about Honest Johns - I must say, the fault guides at UsedCarExpert are pretty useful - as they seem to give you a rough idea of what to actually DO about an issue, should you find one... It's a bit less daunting.

I think this car - or one very like it...

http://www.usedcarexpert.co.uk/buy/peug ... d-6487418/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - what say you?

Always had a soft spot for maroon or burgundy cars.

Dad's CX was white - oddly, it was incredibly reliable. Absolutely rock solid. Got written off in the end by a speeding Van. He's probably still have it!

Best and thanks

Graham

[Peter.N.]

Hi Graham

If you want to get an accurate guide to their worth look on ebay and see how much the model you want is selling for, the final auction price is what someone is prepared to pay. If you buy from a dealer it will cost more but you have some redress if something goes wrong.

Peter

[Citroenmad]

That is the best colour for a 407 in my opinion, you don't see it too often either. Looks like a tidy example, low miles and a good spec. Price seems about right, though £2200 would be probably closer to what its worth. If its a good one I never mind paying a bit more.