Story by Nick Pon
Introduced in 1979, the Peugeot 505 became one of the most iconic models for the French automaker. Globally, the 505 is known for its robust build quality and excellent suspension, making it popular in various global markets. In Africa, especially, the durability of the 505 is th…
Any car can be reliable when ingenuity is vastly more abundant than resources. I.e. Cuba and Africa. I always thought the 505 was a handsome car and I owned one that I used for precisely one RallyX national tour stop. Bought it for $500, won my class in my first ever RallyX, sold it the next week.
I'm totally fascinated by how people perceive cars as reliable or not. The fact that some consider the 505 durable is just another example.
Its like the old MBs that you see in Africa. I would not want to own and maintain one, but maybe I'm spoiled by what I have access to. I wonder what would happen if you swapped a Camry for one. How would it be perceived?
I do like how the 505 looks. There were a million of them in Argentina when I lived there in the early 2000s.
The Briody Racing 505 I crewed on back in the day
I very much remember driving to college, must have been 96 or so, and being behind a 505 with SCCA stickers and a partial cage at a stop light. I have always thought they looked cool and would probably own one if the right circumstance presented its self.
Arlo Cota and Imported Car Center in Vermont had a 505 Turbo with over 80000 race miles on it. It did everything from IT to hillclimbs.
I think it has to do with many countries being smaller and having a population comfortable with public transportation. It's a lot easier to lower your expectations when you've got options.
A lot of the Peugeot reputation overseas has to do with durability and not reliability, and was forged by the 504, not the 505. A durable car can be repaired and rebuilt endlessly with simple facilities and rudimentary skills (think VW Beetle and Model T Ford), without necessarily being anvil reliable.
Turboeric said:A lot of the Peugeot reputation overseas has to do with durability and not reliability, and was forged by the 504, not the 505. A durable car can be repaired and rebuilt endlessly with simple facilities and rudimentary skills (think VW Beetle and Model T Ford), without necessarily being anvil reliable.
Pretty much this. Not super reliable, but stone simple compared to a Camry. Front engine, RWD. Lots of room to work. Lots of suspension travel.
Damn it, now I want a French car! Ugh.
Arlo at Mt. Washington.
Tyler H said:Any car can be reliable when ingenuity is vastly more abundant than resources. I.e. Cuba and Africa. I always thought the 505 was a handsome car and I owned one that I used for precisely one RallyX national tour stop. Bought it for $500, won my class in my first ever RallyX, sold it the next week.
As a corollary: Any car can be reliable if you own it for a short enough period of time.
In reply to Turboeric :
This. My Dad had a '69 404 and a '73 504. The 504 had fully independent suspension and 4 wheel disc brakes which was pretty advanced for the 1970's. The brake calipers did have a bad habit of sticking and I can remember more than once being on the side of the road up on the jack helping free them up. Other than the brake issues and rust (everything rusted up here back them) it was a solid car. The ride on these cars was amazing compared to most everything else at the time, it would suck up frost heave humps in the winter like nothing.
A friend bought a new 504. Such sold driving cars... A deep maroon color with tan interior.. Impeccable fit and finish... The local Chrysler Plymouth dealership in my small town began selling 505s... Thought they were upgraded very handsome cars.. Guy I knew stole a radio out of the trunk, they would put them there for dealer installation later... Same dealer earlier in time also so!d the Subaru 360... I remember my brother and I lifting up the front end of one... They weighed nothing
I will also say that a lot of French cars (along with Italians and some others) seem like they really suffered in the US because of incompetent dealers and poor corporate support as opposed to a fundamentally bad product.
Stuff like timing belts were pretty exotic and unusual well into the 1980's if you only touched American stuff, and of course your experience is going to be bad if you're relying on poorly trained mechanics who are spitefully working on a "furrin' car."
We think a Peugeot 405 is a weird beast but to a French person that's like their Chevy Lumina, and they littered the streets domestically just like GM stuff does here.
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