pug 405 diesel- thinking of buying

The_TailGunner · 22 Jan 2006 at 00:42

lo all- i need some advice

i've had an offer of a pug 405 1.9 diesel for £185 with "plenty of mot" (getting details tomorrow).

i think its the saloon, not the estate

anyone have any advice on what to look for (besides the usual non-car-specific things)?

these motors any good? its to replace my dented, battered, 1992 1.1 fiesta (reliable little car, but HATES starting/running in the cold).

any advice or comments would be helpful!

TG

chopchop · 22 Jan 2006 at 00:48

make sure the back wheels havent gone /---\ or one side lower than the other.

Axeboy · 22 Jan 2006 at 01:11

I love 405's

Still the best chassis ever IMO

I assume itll be a phase 1 for that price, but might be a 2.. if it is, top stuff.

Adz · 22 Jan 2006 at 01:15

I agree, nice cars if you get a good one (I had a P2 2.0 SRI). Very light and nimble for a saloon.

What to check... the electrics! I wouldn't be too fussed if one or two things don't work. If you hear a ticking noise, don't be alarmed, it's probably the speedo. The engines are very strong. Drive it like you stole it and check for knocks from the suspension.

The_TailGunner · 22 Jan 2006 at 01:18

good news so far then

i have heard that pug diesels are top notch and are practiacally immortal- this true?

any nasty expensive things i should look out for? (im buying cheap cos im skinter n hell, so any expensive jobs would be bad news)

also, anyone know of things that are likely to fail (you know, clutches that explode if looked at by ginger children, or rear calipers that seize in the presence of butterscotch)?

thanks for your time- i need to get this one right!

TG

The_TailGunner · 22 Jan 2006 at 01:19

Adz said:
I agree, nice cars if you get a good one (I had a P2 2.0 SRI). Very light and nimble for a saloon.

What to check... the electrics! I wouldn't be too fussed if one or two things don't work. If you hear a ticking noise, don't be alarmed, it's probably the speedo. The engines are very strong. Drive it like you stole it and check for knocks from the suspension.

electrics- meh...as long as i can open the windows and the heater works, i really really dont mind

TG

-Mike- · 22 Jan 2006 at 01:54

Check for service history as a good starting point. Whether its cheap or not, I need a new gearbox for mine, new clutch and the cambelt is stupidly overdue. My last 306 dt engine seemed to be bomb proof, but with this one I'm not too sure.

blueboy2001 · 22 Jan 2006 at 10:33

At £185 if it goes and stops in a straight line and the important electrical bits work buy it and run it into the ground. Not worth messing about changing the cambelt or anything like that. I've had a 1.9TD engine that had covered 220k which still ran very well, so an NA diesel should run forever as long as the oil is changed every 6k.

My Dad had a couple of petrol 405's in the late 80s and early 90's and whilst they were good to drive, they were plagued with niggly minor faults with electrics and trim and the engines started burning oil at about 50k but that won't be an issue with the diesel.

The only thing I would add is don't expect to be getting anywhere fast - whilst the 1.9 with a turbo is ok, a normally aspirated one will be rather slow.