Faults:

Broke crankshaft.

Ran out of fuel (faulty fuel gauge).

General Comments:

The Contemporary SE has the MG ZT interior with full leather seats and dark wood effect dash. Everyone is amazed at how luxurious and comfortable it is inside. Certainly a lot of car for the money.

I was unlucky to have the crank shear (not unknown on the BMW engine), but replaced the engine with a low mileage used one from a Freelander, and have had no problems since.

The auto box is smooth and the handling competent, if a little soft, but that gives the smooth ride and comfort.

There are a few things to watch for, not least to keep the drain clear in the plenum, which houses the cabin filter and also the engine management computer.

The electric fan can fail due to a dodgy resistor, but can be easily replaced by an upgraded resistor.

I have done a few mods to mine to improve performance, and have fitted a nice sound system, and can't see myself changing it for a long time.

Faults:

Noisy diesel pump and howling noise from the turbo area on overrun.

Vibrating exhaust pipe when pulling hard in gears.

Lots of radio interference.

Clutch makes howling noise when doing hill starts or reversing up a slope.

General Comments:

Very spacious and roomy car, exceptional comfort and ride, although the clutch pedal is heavy and too near to the bulk head.

Fuel consumption is not exceptional for a diesel and the engine is noisy when cold.

Slow to warm up in cold weather, over 10 miles before the heating takes effect.

Some of the build quality leaves a bit to be desired and I have gone through the car and corrected cables hanging or not fixed etc.

Worst was jubilee clip rubbing through on a heater hose!

Faults:

The interior lights don't work when opening the doors on the vehicle, only when you press the button.

Alarm is too responsive (when small dust particles move), causing it to go off everywhere,

General Comments:

This was the car we were given as a hire car when our Peugeot was written off. Please remember the 405 was worth about £500 and they gave us a brand new hire car (with only 4 miles on the clock).

It also came with leather heated and electrical seats. A CD Player, ABS, 4 x electric windows, A/C - digital climate control (left and right side of the car), alarm, 16" alloy wheels, parking sensors, front fogs lights and much more.

This is the middle of the range car and in my view very well equipped. The remote key fob works from about 100m, which could be seen as good or bad, and you can also open the boot with the key! Whilst the indicators illuminate for about 10 seconds lighting up the pavement for everyone.

It has also had new styling with its bold grille and bulgy headlights. These are xenon spotlights and look very modern.

The only downsides to this car is the engine, do not go for the 1.8 as it is underpowered, go for the 2.0 or 2.5 V6.

Also the walnut dash may not be to everyone's taste, but is very well done with the little extras, e.g. 4 cup holders, lights in the vanity mirrors and also the slow opening glove box!