Regarding Keith Martins Risks, and Rewards, of Industry's Orphans article,
As a Peugeot owner I enjoyed reading your article on Peugeots and Alfa
Romeos, but I feel it necessary to correct some inaccuracies. Peugeot does
have Factory support. Peugeot did not abandon the US market, they are in
fact still here at their US headquarters in Lindhurst, New Jersey. Most
items can be ordered from Peugeot with a very quick turn around. Technical
support is provided as well as warranty claims from this location. There
are also a chain of authorized dealers that can service Peugeots
throughout the US and Canada. The service according to Pat Whale of the
French Revolution in Austin, Texas has been outstanding. A conversation
with Pat Whale revealed that he had been waiting over 6 weeks for a part
to a Jeep Cherokee, while a part for a Peugeot 405 arrived in less than 4
days. Peugeot also has several representatives traveling throughout North
America to support their dealers. Peugeot is far from your typical
orphaned car in America. For a company who has not sold a car since 1991,
their commitment to their product is outstanding. Most recently Peugeot
did a voluntary recall of all 405 headlamp assemblies. If your lights were
not up to spec, you received new a new headlamp assembly. And furthermore
with the advent of the Internet, Peugeot owners can browse over 700
Peugeot related links and sites. Chances are a problem you may be having
has been solved by someone else on the Internet.
Peugeots are not as dismal in the reliability department as Monte Shelton
would like for us to believe. Most problems with Peugeots are of the small
nagging variety. I depend on my Peugeot as a daily driver, and commute
about 275 miles a week with it. I also take a greater interest in my cars
maintenance than most Americans do, and tend to rely on my five senses to
alert me to future problems. So far my problems have not been that unusual
for a 10 year old car with over 125,000 miles. My advice to others is to
stay away from Turbo models and either go with the V6 or the normally
aspirated 4 cylinder. It is not uncommon for these examples to reach over
250,000 miles.
For the skeptic, whatever you do, please dont drive one as the suspension
is so good you may experience a let down when driving all other cars. It
worked for me.
Sincerely,
Alan Hood