General Thinking of buying this. Should I?

[NathanM26]

Hi all,

I'm thinking of changing my 407 saloon and I spotted this usedcarsni.com/99631175?grtkey=1356854712_e566556df66f76fda7850df7562d5380 not too far from me, for £2450 (05 with 43k miles). Sorry I can't post the URL but if you paste it and put in the W's you can look at it.

It's a 1.9 but I'm not sure if it's a 120 or 150? The seller listed C02 as 160 and I believe the 120 has this figure (with the 150 being listed as 161?). The DVLA website reg check won't bring up any information about the plate.

Anyway, I would be happy with the 120 8v. I'll phone the seller tomorrow and get some more information. During that call I will ask about the service history, particularly the timing belt / water pump and alternator.

My question really is; should I?

I'm not new to a car with problems. The 407 has had many and I have probably spent around £1500 in 2 years (clutch and DMFW to name a few). It's an 06 but now on 98k miles and I would love to change to a bigger car. Book value on mine is 2200 trade but 2800 private. I might borrow some £ from my savings account, buy the Croma for as little as possible, and then sell the 407 privately.

I guess I'm wanting someone to say, 'they aren't that bad - go for it' rather than 'its too late for me, but you can still save yourself!'.

Would you buy one again?

N

 

[bobbyblue]

Hi Nathan,

It looks like a tidy vehicle, the price is about right for a dealer (a bit pricey if it was private) I reckon although I don't know about Northern Ireland prices maybe even a bit on the cheap side. I have owned my 1.9 8v 120 BHP Dynamic for four years now and I love this car, it is not as punchy as the 150BHP but is plenty good enough for everyday use. I had a few problems when I first bought it which are all the common ones, EGR valve sticking, alternator failure, water pump failure, rear wiper motor failure, all suspension springs broke and rear upper suspension arm rose bushes worn. They all got fixed relatively cheaply and this car is no less reliable now than many other cars I have owned including Fords etc.
The timing belt change is due at 70k miles and should be changed along with the tensioners and idlers as well as the water pump. Be sure to check everthing electrical works including the A/C system.
You will find this car very economical and comfortable on long journeys with plenty of space plus it's a a bit of a rarity. I would buy one again.

 

[BrianMcL]

Not sure I'd buy one again but my big issue was probably in large part down to the main dealer and their, being very kind, overall lack of knowledge about the car rather than something inherently wrong with it. (I'm still not quite over the nearly £1k quote to fix a track rod arm which actually ended up costing £30 for the bit.)

Yes they are rare but they're mainly GM so parts aren't a problem, esp if you know a competent mechanic or don't mind getting your hands dirty.

Make sure you check that everything works, including door handles, rear wiper, external boot release switch and wing mirrors demisters (and check they haven't delaminated). Factor in the cost of a new EGR valve and modification gasket (about £80 - £90 in parts and 45 minutes to fit it yourself, just in case) and maybe £100 for a new alternator. My 8v JTD seems to need a new one every 25k miles (I'm now closing in on 75k from new).

If you go for a test drive and it feels a bit stuttery / kangaroo petrol-like between 1800 and 2200 revs it's probably the EGR (but it might be the mass air flow sensor or dpf - maf is a cheap, easy fix, dpf isn't) so make sure you drive it along a flat, level road at about 30 in 3rd / 4th gear and see if it's as smooth as it as at 20 and 40 as 1800 to 2200 revs is where the egr works it's questionable magic. Allow £250 for the timing belt, water pump, etc, change if it wasn't done very recently.

Let us know how it feels when you take it for a test drive.

They are very comfy to drive long distances, the boot's huge, plenty room for 5 in the cabin, enough torque and reasonably economical for such a big, heavy car.

It's probably very cheeky indeed but if you can get ahold of a laptop and VAG KKL cable you can install multiecuscan which will give you some good pointers about how the car's been treated, how many times the oil's been changed, when it was last done, when it needs done again,whether it's been over revved and so on which is all very useful in determining whether it's been looked after.