Still on the hunt for a suitable 'mid-life crisis' car. I've finally admitted defeat that a Brera is never going to fit the family. I discounted the Saab and carried on looking for a suitable coupe. By accident, I came across the 407 coupe on Autotrader. 06 reg 2.2 SEs are selling for around £15500 on there. I have to say they look quite nice, but I've never actually seen one in the flesh.
I'm tempted to have a look, but have to admit that I have an inbuilt prejudice against french cars. In the true tradition of this site, I'm looking for informed opinions to help an ageing ditherer make a decision.
Edited by Pugugly on 29/02/2008 at 17:37
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When you've seen one in the flesh you'll change your mind - I hope.
How could they do it to a car that was one of the all-time good lookers?
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hi MLC, coincidentally I was too. After dabbling with thoughts of Subaru Forester XT & other fun type vehicles, the 407 coupe came onto the
radar. HJ has tested on this site of course & I find his particular sensibilities & predilections tend to mirror my own , so his fairly
enthusiastic review was the first box ticked. Reading other journo/user reviews the response looked equally encouraging. Then
I read deal-breaker review. It mentions 'stiff suspension' , 'every bump felt' , 'check your tooth fillings' etc. etc.
Uuuuh, how disappointing. Why on earth do manufacturers insist on making their top end versions replete with blingy-bottom-numbing
low profile tyres/alloys? Even, incredibly in the new C6. It's not big & it's not clever, imo.
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I wouldnt worry about big wheels on the C6, That has Citroen hydropneumatic suspension to smooth out the bumps.
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Not according to my research . The medium/high speed ride is praised to the stars, but response of the electronics & low profile tyres to urban type cracks, ridges & potholes has been highlighted as being less than perfect. Nice springy sidewalls (with at least 55% width/height ratio) are the first & best line of defence in my experience & preference.
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Im sure PSA Peugeot / Citroen are really worried about the loss of one sale.
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>>Im sure PSA Peugeot / Citroen are really worried about the loss of one sale.
- Well 1 sale might represent a signifigant % judging by estimates from informed sources & Citroen's own projections.
I'm sure you'll take up the 'slack' for me though.....?
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DIdn't take long to go 'off thread'.
This is a 407 coupe thread...if you want a Citreon thread, start your own :)
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As someone who has owned ( & still owns a 206 ) 4 x Peugeot cars myself, driven many & now been shafted by Peugeot & its lack of customer care I would never buy a PSA Peugeot / Citroen product ever again.
Also having had a look round & sit in a 407 when the dealer was still speaking to me ( it was only the saloon ) it was cheap, tacky & nasty, PSA have seriously lost there way & deserve to lose customers.
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MLC
Forget what Lee(I have a chip on my shoulder about Peugeot)power has to say and try one in the flesh at a dealer. Make your own mind up and the thing to remember is that the car is for you and not just to please the Back Room pundits. 407 Coupe's have interiors that are better than the saloons and the SW and are built on a separate production line to ensure a high quality finish.
Only comment I have to make regarding the 2.2 petrol derivative is that they tend to be a bit thirsty. The V6 HDi is the one to have if you can find one within your budget.
HTH
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All I will say to that is as long as its still under the 3 year Peugeot warranty it will be fine ;-)
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My neighbours have one they are very nice looking cars, better looking than the previous model which was a stunner, but I overheard them talking about how awful the build quality was. However its luck of the draw though really but I admit I would never buy a French car
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I'm going for a quick look tomorrow. One snag is my local Peugeot dealer hasn't got a very good reputation for customer service. The spec of the 'SE' looks very good. It will have to 'wow' me though because I'm very pleased with my Vectra, never let me down (and its paid for).
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Just done a quick search and Autobytel have new 2.2 SEs for £15800, saving nearly £6000. That's pretty tempting!!
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midlifecrisis - have you looked at a Hyundai Coupe? My parents midlife-crisis car and they love it, plus it doesnt have the reliability reputation the comes with french cars. The dealers are also far better, perhaps because Hyundais dont have the boomerang characteristics of Peugeots.
Can get a V6 for £16.5k or a 2.0 for £15.8k brand new with 5 year warranty ( and servicing at the moment I think ).
Personally, ive known two people with 407 Coupes and both regret the purchases, esp after I pointed out some cars they hadnt thought of!
On the Alfa front I was reading the the GT is much bigger spacewise than the Brera.
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Hyundai is too small. I'm considering a GT,but you get equally as many 'doom' stories about the Alfa as you do about a Peugeot. Why do your friends regret the 407. Have they had many problems?
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I think their issues were to do electrics from memory ( they have an Audi and Jaguar now ) but more so, how they were dealt with by the dealers as I remember many exasperated tales of woe in regard to this.
In what way is the Hyundai too small? Im presuming you mean rear seat space as the boot is actually bigger than the Peugeots. If you want a serious 4-seater coupe, have you considered the BMW 3-series? Alot of people seem to like them, image aside.
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Having been an admirer of the 406 coupe, I went along to showroom to have good look at the 407 coupe when it came out. I must admit that I was disappointed with the overall looks close up and felt that the interior was n't worthy of a car costing between 20k and 30k. The 406 was special, the 407 is n't. Shame!
_______
IanS
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This is the point though. A BMW with all the extras would be in excess of £30'000. A new 407 coupe SE can be had for under £16000. I need to be able to get two kids in the back and associated baggage.
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drivethedeal.com has it for £15,100 if you're interested. At £22k I'd say no way, clearly, but at £15k - not much more than top-end Focus money and barely any more than a saloon, it starts to make some kind of sense.
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It's getting darn tempting at 15 grand!
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Im 5'5 and I can sit in the back of the Hyundai ok although Im about as tall as you could get in there so if you have tall kids then fair enough.
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3 ideas:
-late Pug 406 coupe, clasic shape obviously, 2.2HDi, low mileage, maybe with a bit of warranty
-Alfa GT, 1.9JTD
-previous model BMW 320D Coupe, 150bhp, good engine/chassis
Bazzabear may be looking to sell his aging Fiat Coupe 20V turbo, but that could turn a midlifecrisis into a drama. Or something.
Cheers,
Barchettaman
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406 coupe-too old
Alfa GT- Possible
Old shape 320 coupe- for £15000 I'd get a 4 year old car if I was lucky
Fiat- you should be on the stage!
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Went to the showroom today. First impressions as I walked in were not too good when I found the nice shiney example had a completely flat battery and I couldn't even open the boot. Got grabbed by a very nice sales lady, (who subsequently admitted she was a trainee and been working there for six months) . She knew very little about the car and said she'd never been driven in it. Everybody has to start somewhere though.
I actually liked the car...it's VERY big. Looks better in light colours than dark IMO. Very quiet and refined when driven, nicely weighted steering and a nice gearbox. I liked all the toys (as long as they keep working!) I mentioned the internet price and with no effort I was offered a 2.2 SE for £15400. Which is a discount of around £7500. Not bad for a first visit and an "I'm not buying today" comment. Something to think about me thinks!
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An immediate discount of that size should provide a hint.
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How about this? tinyurl.com/yepybw
or this tinyurl.com/y5ewze
Predictable from me I know, but compared to a Peugeot?
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I did consider a Legacy a while back, but it's not quite 'midlifecrisis' enough for me.
I must add that the Peugeot Saleslady was very good. She said 'you don't look old enough for a midlife crisis'. What a sweetie...I nearly paid her list price there and then!!
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I am sorry, but if a 407 plugs the midlife hole, its less of a crisis more of a slight inconvenience.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Unfortunately, it's a Midlifecrisis on a budget!
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'I did consider a Legacy a while back, but it's not quite 'midlifecrisis' enough for me.'
Try driving a Spec B and then say it's not! And there's always an Impreza STi.
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Having decided on the coupe, I organised the private sale of my Vectra and went into the dealership today to talk deals. The offer of £15400 suddenly jumped by a £1000 and I had to order the £1500 sat nav as well. (Described as a 'compulsory option', figure that out!) Another nail in the reputation of car dealers.
I walked out in disgust. Now waiting for a reply from 'Drive the Deal' to check specs and other details. I'll see what they have to say!
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so it suddenly had a price sticker of £17,900? not suprised you told them to poke it!
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Got to admit though, they have some real nerve to pull a stunt like that. Atleast there are plenty of dealers you can shop around with!
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Best price from other dealers I've been in was £16200. Drive the deal don't actually have any cars that are advertised. They've got five, all with sat nav, which obviously you have to pay for. That brings their price to £16700. I was happy to buy at £15400, there's better things available when you start getting into £17000 territory.
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Well done for walking out - although it probably wasn´t the hardest decision you´ve ever had to make.
Ford Cougar? Lovely underrated car, that. Think I´m in a minority of one though.
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Can't afford the diesel and if I had 20 grand I'd be buying something else. I'm feel a bit seen off that Drive the Deal are making offers they can't fulfill. Why offer something at £15195 when you actually have to pay £1500 more.
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MLC, intrigued to see what your next move will be. Have you considered the 307 cc?
Not to everyone's taste but they have a certain something ................
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My next move will probably be to take a breather, stop the wife nagging about 'getting rid of a paid for, reliable car' and wait and see. The CC does not interest me at all. I've had a good search around, but there aren't many cars in the 15-16 grand price bracket that 'grab me'.
I'm seeing one final dealer tomorrow. Failing that, my leave finishes on friday, so I'll probably be too busy to care!!
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The 308 is due out very soon so there will be good deals on the 307 CC going ( if your insane enough to even consider 307 ownership )
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how about a focus ST?
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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More upmarket versions of 407 - GT & Coupe geting new SatNav as Std
It is 3-D effect and runs of a 30Gb Hard disk
Hence the clearance of some "old models" but obviously Peugeot could not just throw in the SatNav for free - they raise the hackles of punters who may look elsewhere
For lesser models it is £995 upgrade
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Where did you find the info that the coupe is getting sat nav as standard. It would be an interesting piece of ammo when I face the dealer
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