Faults:
Shocks, CV joints, springs, mostly suspension wear and tear, but I did do a lot of miles in it. Ditto for brakes and exhaust. I kept it serviced on time and never had any engine or gearbox trouble. Electrical's were a nightmare however; alternator and battery, erratic electric windows, dash lights coming on when there was not a fault, etc etc. Bodywork had slight paint fade and some rust spots in my last few years of ownership.
General Comments:
The 406 is good looking for a family saloon and still good looking to this day in my opinion. This was one of the first of the updated shape (1999/2000 models) on the already sharp looking 1995 car.
The LX model is mid range. No fancy features, but enough electric equipment typical for a car from this time. Seats were very comfortable and the ride was smooth. A bit dull and grey, but on the outside it looked the part, very sharp with metallic blue paint and alloy wheels. Always got nice comments from people about how good looking it was.
To drive it was nice though the gear-change felt a little vague. Handling was sharp enough with surprisingly little body roll for a softer suspension car. 2.0 petrol engine was fast enough, but I thought the fuel consumption was poor - really struggled for over 30 MPG, should have been mid to high 30's in my opinion. Many years ago I had a 2.0 Vauxhall Carlton that was honestly slightly better on fuel, and it was a slightly bigger car. In between that and this car I had a 405 and Mondeo that again were both better on fuel and had the same engine sizes (1.8/2.0). I did hear the diesel version of this car is worth checking out as it did more than 50 MPG, impressive for its time, and you saw a lot as taxi's. Speaking of Taxi's, there is a hilarious 1990's French film called "Taxi" that featured a white V6 model 406 that is worth a watch.
Looking back it was a good car for me, despite not being quite as reliable as the 405. But the 406 was better looking at-least. Had it for 10 years and sold it in 2016. Not many about now (they stopped making them in 2003) and I would advise against the newer 407, I have heard they are even more unreliable. I drive a modern BMW 5 series now that I like very much and it's obviously a better car, but is very expensive to run. Still miss my 406!
