405 merits
Michael A Savage (msavage@juno.com)
Tue, 01 Apr 1997 09:43:56 EST
On Tue, 1 Apr 1997 07:31:01 -0500 (EST) SENIORMKT@aol.com writes:
>I hear all these good things about the 405 from you guys(have 505s
>myself), but my Peugeot dealer is always full of them needing repairs v.
the
>505. The service manager says they are "absolute junk" and what killed
Peugeot
>in the US--fuel tank doors falling off, etc. Does anybody agree?
>
Mechanically speaking, the 405 S and DL models with an 8 valve engine,
had trouble early on with warped heads, blown head gaskets, and serious
oil leaks (I am a little vague here, but I think I am close) . These
problems, occurring shortly after the cars' US intro in 1989, did nothing
to help Peugeot's image. The Mi16, is less prone to mechanical problems.
However, the original sales invoice for my 1989 Mi16 shows a price of
$24,000 ( I payed less than $4k in 1993 with less than 60k miles) which
was quite a hefty price at that time. I think Lexus, Infinity, and Acura
had high quality 4 door performance sedans in that price range at that
time. As is common with the first year or two of production (the 405 was
introduced in Europe in mid-1987), there were quite a few bugs to work
out. For example, the 1989 405's had an ECU that was subject to water
infiltration due to plugged drain holes in the engine bay. the 1991 405
models have a fully encased ECU.
There is a lot of plastic/nylon in the 405s that get brittle with age and
exposure to the elements. The clutch connector between clutch pedal and
cable is particularly suspect. Fuel doors are another. Electric seat
heaters often fail.
Having said this, the 405 is still a fantastic cheap car, particularly if
you have an interest in doing your own repairs. What is great about this
list, is that there are several owners that have the same car I have with
many more miles, who have already experienced just about everything I can
expect to go wrong. 405 parts are still plentiful and not too expensive.
I would buy another one, although I would try and find a '91 Mi16.
Peugeot made several improvements in the '91 405 car, and I think it is
less prone to many of these problems. I drive my car every day, and I
expect to spend something like $1000-$1500/yr to keep it going for a few
years more. As we have already discussed, when the 405 runs well, it is
quite a pleasant driving experience.
My two cents!
Mike Savage
'89 405 Mi16 101k miles