1996 Peugeot 405 GLX estate review from UK and Ireland

There has always been intermittent electrical problems.

The catalytic part of the exhaust system started blowing at around 78,000 miles, on closer inspection it had blown a lot earlier and had been repaired with exhaust sealer.

The battery died at around 82,000 miles.

The door hinges grind and squeak, even though they have been oiled/greased on numerous occasions, which in turn has split the body on both sides at the rear doors.

The trim around the tailgate has mostly fallen off.

The whole car rattles at 2,700 rpm until I thrash it, which makes it horrible to drive on a motorway (to avoid the rattle I have to drive under 60mph or over 80mph).

The remote key is unreliable, Carry a spare battery for it.

This car handles very nicely, and is quick if you're prepared to rev it WAY up close to the red line, but at low revs its gutless.

The Heating/air con is tops, it warms up quickly on a cold morning, and the air con is great when your stuck in London traffic on a hot day, the only downside to it is when it rains all the windows steam up like no other car I've ever owned (even after De-greasing the windows with methylayted spirits).

The load space of the estate is pretty good, I can fit a two seater sofa inside and my dogs with space to spare.

The cabin feels quite restrictive, with a heavy clutch and cramped pedals, there isn't much "out of view" storage space for things like sunglasses or Cd's.

It's very good on petrol, but that is offset by the spare part prices and frequency of replacements.