I think my Peugeot 406 Coupe, converted to LPG, meets the requirements of your correspondent BL.

BL had £5000 for a car needed for a 400-mile weekly commute. I had to make this choice about four years ago. My choice was a 2.0-litre 2001 Peugeot 406 Coupe, purchased for £3500 with 70,000 miles on the clock and converted to LPG for a further £1500.

Comfortable? Certainly. I rate PSA cars as the most comfortable I've ever driven. Spacious? Yes, within reason. The 80-litre LPG tank sits under the parcel shelf, but what's left of the boot is about the same as that on our 2001 Vauxhall Astra. 6-foot adults can sit comfortably in the back. Cheap to run? I've averaged nearly 34mpg over the last 12 months, and the cheapest garage near to my daily route sells LPG for 69.9p a litre. With a bit of petrol thrown in, this works out at about 10p/mile, equivalent to a real-world 50mpg for a diesel.

Your correspondent's final requirement was reliability. My Pug had a 180,000-mile service last week, and hasn't suffered any major failures or embarrassing breakdowns. I think that my driving style must be mechanically sympathetic, but have I got lucky with this car or are all 406 Coupe's this reliable?

Asked on 2 April 2012 by VD, Rickmansworth

Answered by Honest John
That's very interesting. And certainly the most stylish answer to the question. Still a stunning looking car, thanks to Pininfarina.
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