I've read alot about the so called "inherent" bad qualities of
Peugeot's, but instead of bitching about the bad qualities think about
the good ones.
The 504 is very advanced, even in todays world. For example:
- Fully independant suspension
- Four wheel disc brakes, and huge ones at that (10.8")
- Rack & Pinion steering
- Incredible seats - to quote from R&T 1976- "The most comfortable
seats man ever sat on"
- A suspension that was soft but responsive, enabling it to
swallow potholes without hesitation
- European lights that light up the darkest nights, virtually
impossible to "overdrive them"
These are just the facts, but other qualities that cannot be described
untill you drive one for a while. Making an 8 hr. trek, getting out
and feeling fine (try that in a dodge!). Finding a rough, two lane
back road through the woods and not even bat an eye as you take it.
These are just some of the reasons to love this car. Sometimes they do
need more maintenance, sometimes they run forever-just like any other
car. All makes will have a lemon every once in a while, so basing a
cars reputation on those cars is wrong.
I just read in the paper about the return of the Peking to Paris rally
for vintage cars. The race is significantly different this year,
Kathmandu Nepal to Paris, 19000KM and 11 countries. No Peugeot's are
competing, but the rally director (Philip Young) travelled the entire
route, last month, in a 20 year old Peugeot 504! Now of all the
choices he could have taken, he must have picked the best.
The 505 Turbo is probably the most under-rated car of all time. The
car is amazing. A R&T writer wrote (from Road & Track on Peugeot),
that it had the best steering of ANY car he has driven. Caring for
these cars is the secret to their longevity. I bought mine from people
who loved their car, but could not get it fixed any where. When they
did, they got hosed, not only in prices, but shoddy workmanship. Right
now the car is in very good condition, but I have some work to do to it
before it is perfect.
I realise Peugeot's dealer network was non-existant, the problem lies
in finding decent people to work on them. The cars I have are as easy
to work on as any other car (if not easier), but people are still
suckerd into paying premium prices to get their car fixed.
As far as parts being to expensive, try fixing any car these days. The
parts for a Peugeot are not that far off if at all. When you do
compare, compare apples to apples, not apples to lemons (Peugeot vs.
Dodge). Little speciality parts may cost a lot, but nobody said you
had to buy exact replacements. Use some ingenuity! Lose your hub
caps? buy a set at the local parts place, or put trim rings and chrome
wheel nuts on. Who knows, maybe you'll make it look nicer. Half the
fun is being the only Peugeot owner in a huge parking lot. Having a
personalized Peugeot gives it all that much more character.
As for getting Peugeot's back, if they don't come back willingly we
should import them. In Canada, it is a lot cheaper to bring a car in.
In my home town, a rich guy brought a DP 935 Porsche and licenced it as
a kit car! He probably couldn't insure it for its actual value, but he
could drive it on the street. If we could find a way to import them to
Canada, that may be the ticket. If you get a chance, the new issue of
CAR (British car mag) tested the top 20 best handling cars. Peugeot
had two on the list, and they were both in the top 10! The top 20 were
as follows:
- Lotus Elise
- Suburu Impreza Turbo (Prodrive modified, works rally
company)
- MGF
- Honda NSX
- PEUGEOT 106 GTI
- Caterham Super light
- PEUGEOT 306 GTI-6
- Lamborgini Diablo SV
- Toyota Supra Twin Turbo
- Mercedes Benz AMG E36
- Jaguar XK8
- Nissan Primera SRi
- Porcshe 911
- Nissan Skyline GT-RV
- BMW M3
- BMW 528i
- Citroen Xantia Active
- Alfa Romeo GTV
- BMW 318ti Compact
- TVR Cerbera
Pretty damn impressive company to beat. Yes, we NEED Peugeot back in
the North American market.
Rabin James
Faithful owner of six Peugeot's