1997 Peugeot 406 Executive review from UK and Ireland

The car was checked over carefully by me before purchase and also under the Peugeot approved scheme, and had none of the faults below present at time of delivery. This all happened in 13 months:

I'd had the car two weeks and the heated seats packed up. Went back to the supplying (main Peugeot) dealer who fitted new heating pads under warranty.

Instrument panel readouts became erratic a few weeks after that, and finally everything bar the speedometer stopped working. New instrument panel fitted under warranty.

Electric sunroof motor died with the roof half open. Had to use the manual crank system to close it. New motor fitted under warranty (4 figure sum with labour)

External temperature readout started telling blatant lies (95°F on a frosty January morning for example). New sensor fitted under warranty.

Knocking from front suspension. New wishbone bushes fitted under warranty.

Final straw - clutch started juddering. Dealer diagnosed a weeping rear main oil seal which had allowed engine oil to leak from the rear of the crankshaft and contaminate the clutch plates. New seal and clutch kit fitted under (about to expire) warranty.

Lovely, lovely car to drive, but criminally unreliable.

2.1TD engine is lovely and works really well in the 406. Marked difference between this and the smaller 1.9 unit which I also tried. Like all 406's the Executive is refined, smooth and handles and rides beautifully.

The Executive spec is incredible. Full leather electrically operated and heated seats, climate control, perhaps the best standard fit stereo I've experienced and a full complement of electrics. Unfortunately, despite the car being a low mileage approved example from a Peugeot main dealer, most of it went wrong in the year I owned the car.

Never have I been so grateful for a warranty. I became quite friendly with the service staff in the local dealership, and when I collected the car after the clutch repair, they totted up the total cost of the work invoiced to the warranty company: a scarcely believable £4,200! In just over a year!

Sold it before the warranty expired. Lost a fortune. Ho hum, lesson learned. I still remember it as a fantastic car to drive, which in the light of the appalling ownership experience says a lot for the driving experience. Never again though! My brother in law is currently having stacks of problems with his new 307 so things at Peugeot don't seem to have changed much.