1991 Peugeot 405 GL 1.6 petrol

Summary:

Cheap to insure, excellent to drive

Faults:

Exhaust needed replacing.

Clutch cable connector snapped and was a pain to fix.

Dodgey ignition coil.

General Comments:

Great car for its price, cheap to buy, no rust, excellent shape and cheap insurance. I'm 19 and it's a quick car. Easily seats 5 and seats 4 in superb comfort.

Plenty of places to improve it and make it look even better.

Very large and solid feeling car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th January, 2001

2nd Feb 2001, 07:36

Comfortable? I have a 94 L reg 1.8 GL - it goes like stink, but comfortable? That's an understatement! It's like riding around in a big fat sofa with a quiet but potent engine. Only thing is that we got it on finance so I have to have comprehensive insurance which is costing £1300.

6th Sep 2002, 16:09

I LOVE THE CAR And I love the stealth stereo cover and it is so comfortable, plus cheap to run.

15th Apr 2004, 09:05

I agree a great car for the price, also it is the only car of that age that has no rust on it at all which is very impressive.

1991 Peugeot 405 GRi 2.0i

Summary:

1.9i is a winner for performance. Great car!

Faults:

Exhausts seem to be eaten easily. The older models of the 405 do have primitive systems.

Clutch assembly clip snapped - £15 (supplied & fitted) to replace, but a pig when it goes.

Only other breakdown occurred when the battery & connectors gave up the ghost. That was down to a lack of maintainance though.

It does have an oil problem. Either it burns or leaks. The old dear has done 130,000 miles, so I can't complain.

Rear suspension doesn't rattle - it booms. Shocks/dampers etc are dead. It'll pass MOT's, but it sounds like a bad day in Bosnia.

Snapped handbrake cable. Again, probably my fault. Easy re-fit.

Complete braking system overhaul. Again, it is to be expected on an old car. Still dented the wallet though.

General Comments:

The car is fantastic. It's been so reliable, even if it does rattle like Fred West's loft insulation.

I've got the 1.9i, and the performance is fantastic (125bhp). It strips most hot hatches. The insurance is dirt cheap too as it's a Grandad wagon.

Only problem is the cred issue. I'm only 21, so a family runner doesn't do wonders in the passion stakes. I would like to have the Mi16, but the running costs are too high.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 8th September, 2000

1st Jul 2001, 17:43

I have a 1.9 Sri (1991) and I'm only 20! I love the pug though and it stands out and looks a lot classier and more original than the usual battered XR2 or Nova. Its big, polished white, with 15" Mi16 alloys and a performance backbox so looks and sounds pretty good. Performance could be better. I've only got a 10 second 0-60 time which is OK-ish but it'll get close to 130mph.DJVITAL2K@BREATHE.COM.

1991 Peugeot 405 MI-16 1.9 16v petrol

Summary:

Lovely looking sporty saloon, but it's no Cosworth!

Faults:

Hesitation/cut-out on acceleration.

Binding brakes.

Knocking suspension.

Serious boot leak.

Starter motor failed.

Electric window jammed open.

Mirror glass tainted.

Water hoses split causing overheating.

Radiator fans failed causing overheating.

Electric sunroof failed.

3 x internal door cards falling off.

Locks intermittent.

Front fog lights failed.

Internal clock light failed.

Electric aerial failed.

Power steering noise.

Altenator belt loose (4 hours to fix!)

Drivers seat rocks over bumps.

Etc. etc. etc.

+ loads of trim rattles and creaks.

General Comments:

The 405 MI-16 looks very nice, especially with the 15 inch 5 spoke alloys fitted to post 1991 cars.

Performance is brisk rather than stunning - 130mph is fairly easily achieved but 0-60 is a bit sluggish.

The 1.9 twin cam 16v engine sounds delicious, but doesn't pull until 4-5000RPM which means it has to be pushed hard.

Overall it is a reasonable car with general build quality (typically Peugeot) being very poor indeed. Saying that for the money what do you expect - it is a quarter the price of a Cosworth, but by no means a quarter of the car!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 7th September, 2000

18th Mar 2001, 13:23

My name's Greg Reid, I own a 1989 mi16 Peugeot and I have had very good performance out of it. My wife loves this little car also. I don't understand why everyone has so much trouble with their's, if you keep the maintenance up to date it will last a long time...