Thank you Zack for reviewing my humble 505! I'm so glad I could provide your first Peugeot experience! Genuinely, they are remarkable cars!! ^_^ I cannot thank the Peugeot community in the United States enough! With their help, I'm able to get pretty much every part I could ever need (sometimes for a terrible price, but it's an exotic car).
@Seb61Normandie Hello! I most desperately need front brake rotors (specially made for V6 505s and I believe Turbo models). They're extremely rare because Peugeot was the only manufacturer and only for a few years.
@@STEVE33437well the lack of parts availability was a result of 2 bigger problems, limited dealerships and quality control issues, the 405 was the nail in the coffin for Peugeot in America as it didn’t appeal to the US market, criticized for being too small and plagued with electrical issues Americans didn’t buy them as there was too much competition from other European brands and Japanese automakers which is a shame because the 405 was a fun car that sold well in other markets.
It’s a shame what happened to Peugeot. Back in the day, they were known for very good build-quality and reliability. Their Diesels were second only to Mercedes-Benz, until they started to use electronic fuel injection, which made them unreliable. Unfortunately, by the time the 504 and 505 had been released, the build quality and reliability had begun to slip. I think a lot of that is due to the Citroën purchase, which I hate to say, as Citroën is my personal favorite (classic) car marque.
I'd say considering there are still thousands of 504s and 505s happily puttering around (in similar cosmetic condition to mine) in West Africa much like w123 Mercedes still are, I'd say Peugeot's last rugged car was the 505. After that, they leaned way into the PSA and, as Top Gear told us, started making "le engine tres horrible et la interior spit et Kleenex." Also, Peugeot bought Citroen from Michelin. Because the French government told them to.
The build quality hadn't begun to slip when 504 & 505 released! There were lots of great and reliable Peugeot cars with electronic fuel injection system in 1990s including 405, 406, 306, 309, 206, 307, etc! It is not unusual to see a 30-year-old Peugeot 405 with a fuel injected petrol engine still on the road with original engine and transmission.
This was a quite expensive car back in the 80s. It competed with cars like the Audi 5000 and BMW 320, although oriented more toward luxury than sport. My dad bought one when I was in high school, and I loved it. His was the 4 cylinder, and I remember it felt slow compared to his previous Chevy Malibu with a 308 V8, but it was way more tight and controllable on the road. The Chevy was fast in a straight line but wallowed and floated around turns and over bumps, and the steering had zero feel. The Peugeot would accelerate faster if you used the cruise control stalk button to increase speed. Compared to cars of the era, the interior seemed super modern and cool. The ride was fantastic. It was a great car, and I think the styling is beautiful. I loved that car.
I own a US market 86’ 505S, auto transmission. Runs great and constantly get questions at the pump. Was looking to clear my garage and list on Cars & Bids but was declined. Bummer but it just means I get more time with it.
Want a French car in the US now? Look to the "Japanese" automaker Nissan. Guaranteed to be in the shop with a bad CVT and has all the weirdness of Renault🤪 It's exactly like that old Top Gear sketch where a bunch of Peugeot execs get together over wine, get drunk, and declare that they will make crappy cars forever😂
Can't forget that my 505 is now a K Car's stepsister... thanks to Stellantis' Big Fat Franco-Italio-Germano-Anglo-American Wedding... I'm also glad my Peugeot was made before corporate decided to stop making "ze sporté car."
Same! I saw a house that had a 405 in their backyard in a neighborhood nearby. I eventually found the house on google earth and they have a 505 wagon as well! They also had a couple other old cars rotting away in their yard…
505s were so tough. There's suspensions do really well on rough roads. Under the hood is a bit of a mess. It's a French car that's what they look like under there
@@RocTrollerI bought a 1990 model in 2021 here in Thailand just to remind myself how to drive a manual. It has a 2.0 liter carburetted one, still going strong but gets terrible gas mileage. Very comfortable and fun to drive.
@@mbd501 people drove Mercedes cars for millions. 100s of thousands just isn't reliable in the context of cars. It's fine. Normal, even. Not gonna give the french a pass here
IIRC, by the late 80s they had worked out the PRVs appetite for destroying itself by eating cams. I wondered why I could get such a good deal on an early to mid 80s Volvo 760, well that's why. I absolutely LOVED the styling on these Peugeots, and I used to see a fair number of them in Southern CA back in the era. French cars, Citroen 2CV notwithstanding, had comfortable seats. I drove a friend's Renault 10 in high school and was blown away by how much more comfortable the seats were compared to my 68 VW.
As for why Peugeot failed to capture the American market in the same way BMW did: I think it comes down to advertising and dealership networks. Peugeot was "better" at this than Renault and Citroen, but still didn't support their US network nearly as much as they should have (especially with parts availability). One story I'd heard was that in 1991 when Peugeot pulled out, one of the Peugeot dealers heard about this from the news... only getting a call weeks later from the head office that Peugeot was done with the US. Other things of note is that the 505 spent long stints as the only model Peugeot offered in the US. The fantastic 205 was never sold here, or the 305 (which would've more directly competed with the 3 series) and the 604 was on-again-off-again (and once that was done in 1985, there was no direct replacement for 5 years). While the 505 was fantastic, it wasn't until 1987 that it got the V6... which provided enough horsepower to justify the sport-luxury pricetag. Before that, every journalist complained that the 505 was underpowered (apart from the Turbo, which was pretty finicky).
@@writeStevie No, not a 305. Escort, Golf and Astra with those 1.3, 1.5 engines are too small. Never like those small cars. In price terms, a E30 is closer to a 505, although the 505 is a much better family car. E30 has no headroom and no knee room in the back. Nevertheless, the E30 I had was far more reliable than the 505. Thanks.
The Peugeot 504 and 505 were quite popular in Australia, even being locally assembled from imported and local parts at a Renault factory in Melbourne, then for a brief while at a factory which also made buses in Sydney. They were a really popular car with farmers and country people, due to their long-distance comfort, cruising ability and ability to handle rough Australian roads as well as diesel options. They were also closer in price to a Holden than a Mercedes but had a certain amount of prestige, especially after winning around Australia rallies in the 50s and 60s. However, more modern Peugeots have struggled in Australia, due to poor value for money and a bad reputation for reliability. Most of the 504s and 505s in Australia which survived ended up getting shipped off to former British colonies in Africa, due to Peugeots popularity in Africa and the steering wheel being on the right
Yes. Modern Peugeot and Citroën had lost its French characters and being just like any other cars. The designers no longer stick to their guns and maintain their respective characters. I also very annoyed to see European = prestige pricing in Australia, anything European will move up the pricing bracket. Škoda and SEAT/Cupra I'm point at you, I know what you are back home.
Peugeot makes excellent engines and chassis. The rust proofing was not good at that time (now it is). And then and now, French cars have cheap connectors and wires, (just like GM) so the reliability is not top notch. They were class leading in the world with diesel engines. In my opinion even better than Mercedes Benz (more low end torque, less vibrations).
@@FTRVDenny Fair... lol To be fair, mine was just about the top of the line (only thing it doesn't have is leather). A base model 505 would've been about $10K in '87.
Peugeot nerds, dealerships (at the time), and journalists alike all puzzled why Peugeot didn't bring over the 205. I think their thinking was that they wanted to concentrate on being a premium brand ala Mercedes and BMW here... and/or it wasn't cost-effective to import 205's in a market segment that would've been pretty damn competitive (what with Rabbits, Escorts, Civics, and so on already fighting tooth-and-nail in the hot hatch segment).
I also had a Golf mk2 GTi, and I felt strongly that the Peugeot 205 GTi was a better car to drive. However, the 505 ownership really put me off any French cars even I still have a crush on Citroën CX and XM.
Great car, so happy for you to finally get a chance with 80's Peugeots! Ironically, for the 1987 model year the 505 WAS the "full-size" Peugeot, the 604 having been out of production for more than a year and the 605 not being introduced untill the 1990 model year.
Love reading comments like this. People who are talking but have no clue what they’re talking about. Firstly, Peugeot 505’s came as a naturally aspirated diesel from 80-81, and as a turbocharged diesel from 1981-86 in the US. (I own two of them) Secondly, the wacky idea that these cars are “poor quality” because they’re french is ridiculous. All three of my 505’s still run strong and all over 150k, (heck I even have one with double that) and one of them is used daily. So tell what you said to all the Africans who willingly buy these cars overseas and import them, because of their legendary quality.
@@peugeot505man oh from the man himself. I thought all have Turbo diesels but I was kinda wrong. But yeah I don't mind getting one myself. Definitely the SW8 model that is a dream I want to get.
Back when this car was new it was actually BMW 5 series size (with a several inches more wheelbase to boot). I thought/think it is a very handsome car - shame about the headlight compromise - with enough Farina curves to make it interesting compared to the general angularity of the time. French cars were always considered to be very comfortable, and yet they never made it here. This was basically their last car in the US (But sold almost 1.5 million of these things worldwide). The STI/STX deserved a better fate, maybe they could have used a little more engine (Saab and Volvo were on the turbo bandwagon then, and BMW had a reputation - tho the 528e, well, did not quite live up in absolute acceleration). I'd like to have one - in better shape.....
To be fair, Peugeot did bring over a Turbo 4-banger 505 in 1985, but that was a little finicky (marvelous when it worked... heh) and honestly, too little, too late... Let alone the PRV taking until 1987 to be in the car and also for Peugeot to address the PRV's shortcomings (odd-fire engine, Bosch K-Jetronic letting it down, lack of balance shaft, etc. etc.). A paint job is in this car's future... it's something to save up for. Until then, I'll just have to enjoy the Mad Max aesthetic.
OMG I had a 505 S wagon when I was in college. I loved that car, but hated having it worked on. I actually had to drive to the one town in my state that had a place that would do it. They were in the middle of nowhere. They did great work, and they got all of their parts for Egypt. But it was a whole day for anything the car needed because of that. They were more difficult because of engine position, everything being metric, and just how rare they were. They stopped importing Peugeots to the US in 1991.
This video was like going home again. I so appreciate your comment about Peugeot filling the gap between luxury brands and "the rest," none of my passengers had ever been in one and all complimed it. A friend had a 504 diesel that I fell in love with. I purchased a 1982 505 gas model and to date, it remains my favorite car of all time. It was a dream on highway trips, you were floating on the asphalt, no other carmaker's seats could begin to rival Peugeot, and I dare say this remains true. It had a huge V4 (for the time, and so far ahead of the time they were) and that unique transmission that dropped the rear end when you put in reverse just gave it character. What I would not give to drive one once again. Calling out all Houstonian's with a Peugeot!
As Peugeot is now a brand of Stellantis I don't think they will come back to the USA to cannibalize Chrysler sales. By the way: it's not "Puuugeot" it's "Pösho".
I think Peugeot will definitely come back to the US.... as rebadged Chryslers! AHAHAHAAA!! (Genuinely, though, it's weird to think my 505 is a K car's stepsister...)
Yes! PURR-sho & REN-o in Europe,although i think they were advertised as Pew-SHOWS in the US,just as Renaults were marketed as Re-NOLT in the 50s & 60s,but then Re-NO by the 70s & 80s
It's pronounced Poo-ZHO in the U.S. (the way Zack said it, except more on the 2nd syllable than he did). That's how they were marketed back when they were sold here.
@@Doctor_Robert That's a good idea. Chrysler's in need of new models, so rebadging a few of the nicer new Peugeot models might work. They've already done that with rebadging an Alfa Romeo as the new Dodge Hornet.
I had a 1981 Volvo 264 (not a typo) which was a 240 with this V6. B28F I think. Mechanical fuel injection. It was a joint effort with Volvo, Renault, and Peugeot. DeLorean bought these engines for their cars for some curious reason... There was a race modified version of this engine which reached over 350hp, but stock it was 175hp and in my Volvo I never got faster than 80 mph and believe me I tried.
I love PSA (peugeot citroen) cars! I live in Russia, and here is so many parts for them. And they are very beauty and comfortable for a reasonable price! P. S. Waiting review on 2008 Ford Taurus, Escape or Focus
I like some French cars. Even in Europe with the exception of France people said that French cars are unreliable and have a rust problem. Speaking of the 80’s and 90’s mostly.
Hi… does anybody knows how to open the trunk without the key ???? I lost the key and I have valuables in the trunk that I would like to retrieve . Thanks 🙏
I have 2 604s...a 504 Coupe that was Enzo's daily driver...2 405s...had an XM. The French service manuals say change oil 4500 miles. Volvo said 9000 miles. There's your cam wear! The PRV6 AVERAGED 250.000 miles in French highway patrol. The failure was 30% undersized radiateur and short-lived alternateur.
Only time I've driven a Peugeot, it was 206 rental... Had about 60HP, extremely squishy gearbox, absolutely no power at all, even when you revved the hell out of that thing... Absolute shitbox, no doubt. :D Always wondered how a higher spec 206 would drive though.
In the Nineties I got spares from the US warehouse in 3 days. Today I get spares either from specialists in France or from Sochaux in 2-4 days and at 65% or more price discount. Peugeot failed because every radiateur is 30% too small. Every alternateur is short -lived. They were No.1 in Europe in 1980 and No.2 today.....
I've owned the 505 turbo north american model until this day nothing compares in the way it drives so confident in the twisted roads even my 405 m16 couldn't match. Rear wheel drive I suppose
There were not many Peugeot dealers in the USA. People who were fortunate to have a dealership nearby would buy the vehicles, because they were a comfortable ride and had tasteful styling, different from anything else on the road. A similar situation to SAAB, perhaps. It’s amazing how long the company has been in business, and how many models they have produced. Some of their cars were really cool but were not sold in the US.
It seems that someone didn't like the import of European cars to the US. coincidentally the American versions of Europeans US SPECS have 50 hp less horrible truck bumpers It was a great incentive not to buy those versions
"Those that know, know Peugeot" Ive had my share of 203,403,404,504, and of course 505's. Had a 89 stx, with the v6, 4 speed auto. By 89 they got rid of the awful bumpers. All the v6 cars have speed changing steering. As in it will take more or less wheel force to turn(at speed). This was done electrically, and often breaks.. Just like the headlight stalk! The 4spd auto is mainly known to fail spectacularly. Though most all of the bad ones have blown up by now. Did you know the ECU from a Volvo v6, will plug right in? The factory used nicopp brake lines on all 504-505s as standard. To the owner of this- be glad this isn't a stx... Those had a abs master cylinder(with a nitrogen sphere), and front rotors which were never made again! Notice it has a decent hood prop? Earlier cars had a wee stick near the strut tower, that when used, let the hood sag comically I used to daily drive these.. What really makes a 505 feel cheap, is the amount of plastic crap. The first version of the interior was WAY more plush, and simple.. If you want the best of Peugeot, get a 504-505 diesel.. By now the XN6, PRV V6, and what ever else fuel injected are just ticking time bombs. Just not worth the hassle
My folks had one of these but it was a 4cyl. Seats super comfortable and they have a very nice driving experience. Really liked the steering. Folks also had a 505 Turbo sedan and wagon. Both were fairly quick. I believe Peugeot had issues stateside due to poor deal network and customers taking their Peugeots to untrained mechanics like Clem down the road who has likely never seen a French vehicle.
Besides the fact that the styling in some French cars was hideous back then the reliability at the time was questionable and that may have played a part in low sales imo 🤷🏽♂️cool review nonetheless 💯
The Japanese aren't the reason why Peugeot left the USA... They left because at that time, the company's board was filled with French government officials (the French state had a big stake in Peugeot) and they forced the management to focus on the European market... Historical mistake, as Peugeot was doing quite good in America, without a lot of advertising and marketing. Since Peugeot got rid off the government parasites , they are back at the top of the game. Look at the new Peugeots, stunning cars. Peugeot is preparing its come back in the USA, probably in 2025-2026.
I drove one of these when i was a teenger in the late 90s, a Peugeot 505 gti, and god they were fast and ultra reliable. But way better looking than the one you have.
What is with American pronunciation of 'Peugeot as "Poo-zhow"'. I mean, maybe they made a few sh*t cars over their history but it's not actually in the name! In the UK we all call these cars "Per-Zhow" and that is probably wrong too... but c'mon! 😅
I'm going off the French pronunciation... because... it's French. I wanted to mimic the British pronunciation because Top Gear, but I don't know where you guys get the "r" sound in "Pur-Joe."
I tried submitting my Citroën SM 3.0L 5MT Fuel Injected to Zack’s form. Same with my Isuzu Piazza RS Turbo, my Grandfathers Maserati Khamsin, and ALFA Romeo Montreal. Couldn’t get it to go through. Not sure what the issue is.
I submitted my cars to him over a year ago. He plans a trip and groups up reviews per region. His trip out for our car club was his first sojourn to Oregon.
They make the best coffee grinders, in actuality still do. Anything else is just as bad as a coffee grinder. One time, I heard they started making coffee grinders with wheels.
3:42 I loathe that aftermarket radio. It does alright and all, but the original radio was manufactured exclusively for Peugeot (and branded accordingly) by Alpine. Which means it would've sounded better. Naturally, tracking one down on eBay is a fool's errand. :3
What happens after a couple decades is the capacitors in the radio break down, thus guaranteeing a replacement is required. Most of the car owners would rather leave the factory radios on an antique car. They weren’t terrible, but for the money the manufacturer charged you always could get a much better aftermarket one at the time.
Peugeot used to be called the French Mercedes-Benz. This one's a little rough but it's rare to see one running at all. Earlier 505s had quad round headlights shoved into that trapezoidal space. These were also sold as wagons in the US with really cool deep side skirts. French cars were a little too weird and unreliable for US standards. Peugeot made a good effort, Renault sent through AMC and Chrysler, and Citroen even tried with their bizarre but innovative cars. You could buy an odd-looking French car with parts that had to come from France or you could buy an Oldsmobile you could get serviced by your local gas station mechanic.
She may look like a pig, but she drives like a dream! Genuinely, I did not expect this car to last as long as it has thus far... She's not without her faults, but the drivetrain is bizarrely solid.
The Peugeot 505 are also very rare in France. I'm french and i have not seen a lot of 505 in my life (just two). The reason of why French car are not sold in america is simple. In France we don't produce cars with V8 because V8= lots of tax. But americans love V8 so that explain why americans don't love french cars. We almost released an American version of the Renault Alpine GTA, the French equivalent of a Corvette) but the project was canceled because for Renault sold cars in america was no longer profitable. During the 70 / 80's french brands must change a lot of things in a way to produce a car in united states.
Since the 70s,though,many US cars did not have huge V8s...many did,but many did not! Plenty of other European built cars were successful in North America.
V8's in regular passenger cars were phased out in the wake of the two gas crisis's in 1973 and 1979. By the mid-80s, most of what General Motors (Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, and Cadillac) offered either had much smaller V8s or V6s and 4-cylinders. In the 1980s, the time was right to bring in fuel-efficient cars powered by 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder engines from overseas. Americans were begging for fuel-sipping autos. Peugeot's best year in America was 1981 in which they sold 17000 cars, most of which were diesels. By the 1990s, Japanese cars had become the norm for regular people and German cars became the preserve of the wealthy. Japan took over by proving themselves (at least in the 1980s into the 1990s) to be more reliable and better built than anybody and while German cars had been pretty rugged, they also invested heavily in marketing themselves as the new chic and also making sure parts supply lines were solid. Ironically, when V8s made by Ford, GM, and Chrysler were the norm in the 1950s~1970s, Peugeot and Renault had a solid, if small, following from people who needed something more fuel efficient, well-built, and comfortable.
Never gonna happen. Each brand has full identity and autonomy within the Stellantis Group. By the way, those who really run Stellantis are the French, not the Italians nor the Americans. The French will be back on the U.S market, but not as Chryslers.
I think that now is the best moment to reintroduce the french brands since they are part of Stelantis and the USA is more familiar with European cars, but they need to improve reliability, they are still crap, not crap in terms of falling apart but bad in terms of engineering.
Hey man you should come down to Texas and review my 2002 Silverado. It's unique as it is a 1500, ex-cab, Short wheel base with the Allison Bradley Package. It was mad for the US Government Special order. She has 250K Miles and everything (Even AC which is a must in Texas) works! My son drives now as I just got a 2023 Frontier Pro-4X. Have you reviewed a new Frontier yet? Edit- Yes, yes you have, my bad.
I can answer that. The reason Peugeot was not successful in United States should be uncompetitive pricing and reliability issues. It may be priced as up market cars when it landed in the United States. I used to have a hand-me-down 505 GTi in the UK, it was used as a spare car by a relative to supplement a Jaguar XJS V12 when the Jaguar breakdown. Despite the 505 was one family owned with full service history, when it became my car and getting used regularly, it broke down like the Jaguar, at anytime and without warning. Once every 3 to 4 weeks on average. Between the 70s and 90s, the family/relatives were using large cars like the S-class, 7 series, XJS, XJ, Bentley. The German cars were definitely much more reliable. When I was increasingly frustrated with the 505, I replaced it with a E30, then a E36. These two did not require anything other than routine servicing, with no breakdown during my ownership. What I liked about the 505 was the quietness and the soft and smooth ride, it was also more engaging to drive than the BMW, which were 'cold' (if you know what I mean). The 505 was definitely more roomy at the back than the E30 and E36, but the Peugeot's front seats had little lumber support and not comfortable on long trips. 🤞
4:10 this way only one set of switches for rear windows. Switches reachable for front and rear passengers....no extra set of buttons. My 504 Peugeot only had power windows in front, rears were manual. Mt family bought it in 1977 as a cheaper alternative to a Mercedes Benz 240D
WOW brought back memories of my 1983 (or was it a 1982) 505 STI. It was so quirky and weird that I loved it. Mine was brought new by me, cause I thought it was cool looking. Mine was black with a saddle color leather interior. Mine was weirder than this one. The interior door panels had round plugs where the manual window cranks would of been. My A/C vents pulled up from the dashboard, where the horn should of been was a little storage compartment. The car was great to drive and lots of fun. I wish I still had it
Power window front/rear switches are separated because back then on European cars, power windows were often separate options for front and rear EACH. Very common in Europe to have a car with front power windows only. At this point, I’m sure all 505s came to the US with all 4 power windows, but they didn’t redesign better logistics for the window switches on the US bound cars. They might have in subsequent years, but I’m not sure.
I think my brother had one of these cars. I was so young at the time. I don't remember the year. Or model. Not a 505. Remember riding in it. Diesel. Cool. 😎❤️
I had a 505 STI in the early 90's - Loved it until it needed new tires - 15 1/2" tires - which were hard to find and very expensive, even back in the day. Horrible in the snow - seemed like it was one wheel rear wheel drive!!
