For being "Dated" in the late 80s, it looks like something that wouldnt be out of place in the late 90s. Certainly for a french car. Its quirky, but always fresh and modern.
I was a tech at a Peugeot dealership from 1982 through the end of Peugeot in North America. I never saw one of these 505s with the V-6 engine, only saw them in the 604. Peugeots were very nice cars to drive but didn't really hold up that well in the US despite all the mythology surrounding them, and depreciated horrendously. I owned a 504 and 40 years later my wife still occasionally out of the blue mentions how unreliable her old Peugeot was. I remember vividly the day when Peugeot pulled out of the North American market. One of our salesmen arrived at work saying he had heard about it on the radio on his way in to work, but we had received no notification from Peugeot. Finally around 10 AM our service writer called Peugeot N.A. and asked them and they confirmed it. They said they just hadn't gotten around to telling us about it yet LOL! Keep in mind that we were an official Peugeot dealership and had been for about 25 years. When we got the announcement in the shop all of us were literally jumping up and down and yelling in celebration. That's how much Peugeot technicians liked Peugeots.
@@vintage76vipergreenBeetle We were a BMW/Peugeot dealership. We wanted to work on BMWs because that's where the money was. We were also a DeLorean dealership. But I try not to think about that.
I worked at Volvo / Renault other awful, hateful, wilfully piss poor V6 and ALL Renault products. I laughed when they said the central locking didn't work all the time: I'd be surprised if anything working some of the time.
@@troyclayton1775 I had the dubious pleasure(?) of working on the PVR V-6 in Peugeots, Volvos, Dodge Monaco/Eagle Premiers (Renault) and DeLoreans. I was not impressed. When I worked at the Chrysler dealership we hated having to work on Monacos and Premiers so much that one Sunday morning the parts manager went in to work and threw all the PVR factory tools into the dumpster behind the shop. After that we refused to work on those cars because we didn't have the proper tools LOL!
@@dragonbutt I spent my youth in a lot of late 80's cars with heated seats, which here in Finland in the winter time is a must have. All the 80's cars the heated seats worked but once i moved on to newer cars they were more and more often out of order.
I am french and I am proud and suprised "MotorWeek" talk about to this car. I thind funny how he pronounce the mark "Pougeot". In France and in Europe, the 505 was a best seller when this car was produced. Until early 2000's years, we saw again this model on our roads.
I had one of these and the only parts that ever failed were the German-made Bosch electric relays. Replaced them with Japanese ones and problem solved.
Thank You @Motorweek!!! My Dad drove a Grey 1990 505 STX V6! up until I was 13 in 2002 then he bought a 01 Lexus GS430 because we couldn’t find parts! I’ve been looking for one to buy now that I’m able to maintain it ever since!🔮🤗
I worked with a customer who had a Peugeot 505 diesel until parts were almost impossible to get. Each repair was extremely expensive so she eventually gave up.
The 1990 model year was the second to last year and your father's car would be a serious collector's item today if you had it. I went to high school with a guy that had a 1985 Peugeot 505 STI(his family's car) and he loved it. It looked amazing in the school parking lot too. It's sad that getting parts for the car was so hard. That was before the internet and the poor car didn't deserve to be sold.
I had a 504 diesel to cut down on my wife's speeding tickets. GREAT car! Most comfortable ride, fantastic brakes, wonderful fuel economy... unfortunately, she still got tickets.
@@moejr1974 I asked her HOW could she get up to speed in the distance between lights and she said "Catch the lights just right and keep up the momentum!" Her Dad was friends with the local cops but after she was married... I paid the tickets. 42 yrs at this point so I guess I'll keep her. ha ha
@@alexander1485 She has slowed down quite a bit over the years, but I still can't ride with her. ps It was an automatic!! REALLY slow. But so smooth you could drive with a glass on the dash if you wanted.
Man, that was such a beautiful car. Still looks great to this day. About 20 years ago I had a neighbor with two of these in wagon form. She would periodically swap parts from one to the other to keep at least one of them in running order until she could find parts to get the other running again.
@@craig9843 Yes i admired them too for being different. They didn't look like anything else on the road. There are so many negative comments on this video about them but they were amazing cars.
Back in 1986, my boss had a 1983 505 STI coming off lease. He asked me if I wanted to buy it. He sold it to me for what it cost him to buy it off the lease. It was black with a buckskin color leather interior. It had about 20K miles on it at the time. Before he sold it to me, he had the car fully detailed and wow, it looked amazing. There wasn't a scratch on the car and it was in mint shape. The paint was beautiful and the leather was gorgeous. I really loved the car but it was extremely quirky. The power door locks sounded like bullets, the AC vents pulled away from the dash, the interior door panels had plastic plugs where the window cranks would of been, the horn was a stalk on the steering column, the middle of the steering wheel had a secret compartment, the dashboard lighting was a weird orange/red color... I could go on and on. But, the car was really good looking for it's time, was built like a tank, and was a blast to drive. I kept the car for a few years and then traded it in. I never had any problems with it and it got decent milage.
@@TheBandit7613 The non-H.O. variant found the in the CV/GM/Town Car made 150 HP/270 lb-ft in 1988. The truck model had 185 HP / 270 torque. The H.O. model had the E7 heads from the truck version, but a hotter cam, H.O. intake manifold, and tubular exhaust manifolds. The heads on the non-H.O. variant were either E5 or E6SE (IIRC), and they had a less aggressive cam. The 302 in the panthers was pretty much done at around 4000 RPM, and even under WOT would shift well under 5k RPM. There's a reason those cars typically had 2.73 or 3.08 gears.
@@FoDaddy Cool. And we know it's the torque that gets these cars moving. Probably why they tuned the Panthers and trucks like they did. I'd like to see the dyno torque graph, my guess is it's pretty flat so more power is available lower in the RPM range to get them moving. The Peugeot was rated at 173 lb ft. The T-Bird Turbo Coupe (2.3 4 cyl) was rated 190 hp and 240 lb ft. 0 to 60 in 8.0 second and 137 mph top end (Car and Driver) It's easy to see why the Peugeot didn't sell very well. Bland looking, expensive and mediocre performance.
That's nice. I always wanted a Peugeot since I was in my early teens. It never happened. I always loved the unique look of a Peugeot. Most people have never heard of or don't even know what was is.
I remember during the early 90s when I was in the military 🪖, I mostly saw this car along with the Saab 900, Volvo DL, and BMW 318 being driven by soldiers.
I LOVE IT.... MY KIDS FATHER PURCHASED ME PEARL WHITE PEUGEOT 505 TURBO DIESEL IN 1991... I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT IT; EXCEPT THE DIESEL BUT WAS GOOD ON GAS MILEAGE. LEARNED TO DRIVE STICK IN THIS MAKE/MODEL 👍...
I worked with a mechanic from Egypt. He said he was surprised that there were very few Peugeots in the USA. I met someone who did have a Peugeot diesel. She said the car was very reliable for a long time. The only downside was that it she needed to plug in the block heater during winter in New Jersey. I have heard one great thing about French cars is that the suspensions is as cushioned as a Buick. 5:09 Factory remote keyless entry for 1987? I thought that wasn't an option on anything until 1989.
Old Peugeots are bulletproof. Prone to rust and bits falling off, yes, but their mechanicals are made to survive France. So they can survive anything, even the apocalypse lol.
My dad had a 1990 505 GR Wagon. I still remember how pleasant it smelled on the interior. And it wouldn't die. He eventually gave it to his brother 8 years later.
@@Blakecryderman7244 It was a new car smell. You knew you were smelling the foam or padding of the upholstery but it wasn't offensive in anyway. It was very subtle. And it wasn't like any perfume or fragrance I can describe. I do remember on one occasion when the car was older, I put my nose close to a hole at the base of the second row seat for the locking mechanism to access the third row and caught a whiff of the same smell. It was like I couldn't get enough of it. I wish I could send you the smell but that's the best description I can give. No other car subsequently (my dad's or mine) has come close to smelling that good.
Got one same-same sitting in my driveway. Lead WWll bombardier father-in-law bought new. 71,000 miles. New Firestones. Drive anywhere. Grandson has first dibs.
The 505 had a very good looking design. I grew up in South America and saw these all over the place. It's funny to me that my Q50 3.0t will hit 60 in half the time.
My parents had a dark red 504 back in the day…rode great and was slow. It was totaled in an accident and was replaced with a 84 Volvo 240GL… both excellent cars.
I wonder how many of these were imported to the USA and now many still exist. I’m a very well seasoned car guy and never seen one of these irl for sure
Come to New Jersey. People had a thing for French cars here in the 80s. My home town had three 505 Estates driving around at one point! There was at least one sedan too. Peugeot still maintains a US office in Little Falls, NJ and occasionally has European models out on the roads here with vehicle manufacturer tags.
I grew up in So Cal in the ‘80s with quite a diverse car scene. I remember seeing these cars one in a while, but it was still not a common sight. Many were diesels and just like a lot of diesel cars at the time, it was slow and spewed black smoke. The last time I remember seeing one was 1990. One of my high school classmates had one and it was a gasoline model. It was a nice car, but it was just different. If any of you remember a Suzuki Kizashi from about 10 years ago, it was that kind of a presence.
Ah so it must have been just a few years before me then. I was born in the 80s but didn’t start my car obsession till the very early 90s. Down in the south east we did not have as many of the Kwerky cool cars that the north east and Cali people liked.
I just bought a 30+ yr old 505 (2.0 l 4-cylinder carbureted engine) last year here in Thailand. A really nice car, drives really nicely but a bit of rust and some interior parts are falling apart. Hoping to get it properly restored.
The only bad thing is that so few of the V6 ones sold in the states, so they're few and far between now. Older cousin of mine had the 2.2 Turbo one when I was a kid, and it was actually quite dreamy.
Yeah the Peugeot 505 Turbos were the most popular(if you can say that) model in the US. Since it was the top of the line car in the Peugeot line up until the STX. If you're going to find a Peugeot today, it's probably going to be a diesel or a turbo model.
always crying for the volt meter... In proper cars you do not need them. In French cars usually everything but the engine fails, so no need for those dials..
Wow this is a memory flashback, I almost bought one of these when I was stationed in Germany, but I extended a year and bought a BMW instead and when the mark rate was 3-1 I could not go wrong. It's kinda funny though expensive cars were 20-30k-now cars and trucks are 50-60k. Geezus times.
I loved the styling then and love it now. I wanted one of these so badly, but as a poor college student back then, I ended up with a low spec Corolla. UGH.
@@keithbaker1951 maybe is because there were a lot of Corollas that days and not many 505, because in South Africa they used it for hard work and they are still running, it was a very reliable car.
Yeah when i was in high school i had a friend who drove a 1985 Peugeot 505 STI to school. Graphite Grey exterior with grey leather interior. Even had the optional power moonroof. I loved that car and would always park next to him since i had a Audi. I told him all the time i wanted to swap cars or even buy it from him but since it was his family's car he wasn't selling. You have very good taste in cars my friend.
Took my drivers test on an 87 505 stx v6 loved that car parents bought it brand new drove like a dream and loved to be pushed hard had it till about 2000 couldn't get parts
@@klwthe3rd all my life I have been crazy about all manner of automobiles. I particularly enjoy things that are a little off beat and not necessarily common. (I am currently driving a 2019 Stelvio.)
It had quite a few features ahead of its time for 1987 like ABS, keyless entry and heated seats. However, in hindsight, we can see that it still wasn't enough as Peugeot never really caught on in the US or Canada.
There was a Peugeot dealer within a mile of my childhood home. It was the only one for hundreds of miles. Our little town here in Virginia had more Peugeots than any other import. I had lots of friends with parents that had a Peugeots.
May i ask what town that was??? Virginia had a lot of Peugeots sold; second only to New Jersey being #1. Over the years i have seen some come up for sale to the general public and they were always in Virginia. Would love to know the dealership name too.
I’ve always not been a fan of car designs before the late 80s early 90s but if I was around when this car came out this would’ve sold me I think it looks really good and heated seats are a mandatory for me on every car I buy never had a car without them
I had a 1986 505 Gl, the base model, with automatic and a sunroof.. which wasn't standard on the gl, it was a slug , but was comfortable and handled well enough, it would chirp the transmission shifting from 1st to 2nd, my friends thought that was cool. It was fairly reliable too, but trying to get the oil changed at the local jiffy lube was a joke.. Nobody had the tool to get the drain plug off. I read a comment above about seeing a lot in New Jersey.. well that was there USA headquarters.. so I'm guessing a lot of their executives were driving them to drum up business. The best and last one would have been the 1989 505 turbo S it had 180bhp. But with the manual only.. the automatic still was 150bhp.. that was what John Davis was talking about updating the exterior.. that year 89.. they changed the front and rear bumpers, with lower airdams in front with integrated fog lights a much cleaner look... but Still NO European headlamps.. ugh. That was the last year for the sedan. Peugeot only imported the 505 wagon and 405 until there departure in 1991. I gave mine to a friend because I wanted a car that had Air-conditioning so I got a 1988 Saab 900s 4 door 5 speed .. the AC in it lasted until I traded it in a Mercedes.. I miss that old PUG!
You are correct. New Jersey was where their headquaters were located and the dealerships in that state were responsible for selling the most Peugeots in the country. You had a very rare car the way it was speced - base model but had automatic and sunroof. What exterior color was it?? You rarely saw the 505GL in sedan form as most were wagons. The sedans were more the STI, STX or the turbo. The most collectable model is the 1989 sedan Turbo S. As you stated, that was the last year for the sedan and was the only year that had the updated taillights, body ground effects and other cool features. One was sold on bring a trailer years back and brought crazy money. It was the bright red exterior with black leather interior. I would kill to have that car as a collectable.
Shame this wasn't show "505" ha. Also a shame that these are basically non-existent at this point, I've seen 3 in my life in person and all 3 were falling apart in driveways. A friend in NZ has seen one running though!
That Teves ABS system was fitted for many different makes and models back then. Of all things, it's in my '89 Lincoln Mark VII and are better than my 2020's brakes.
That dashboard is so space inspired. I remember there was a video with a group of these doing some incredible synchronized arobatics maneuvers. And they were quite popular in China back then as well...
My parents bought a 1979 504D and it was the most comfortable car I’ve ever sat in. The downsides were horrible reliability. Eventually they ended up with a Camry, or should I say CamRay, lol
Its was a great car but, realiability? Maybe the ones that arrived there or how you drive cars. In my country sold for almost 40 years and it was a tank. Taxi, police, rally etc You now still see them driving around in an overall good shape It was a top seller in África too. You have to be though for that
504 diesel unreliable?, How did you managed to break it?. They're notorious for serving as taxi and police vehicles for years and years, they're slow, but boy the won't die (here in Argentina it got discontinued in the year 2000, idk in other countries may have lasted longer)
@@TheCarCrazyGuy You mean plastic parts like the dash, buttons and all that? Maybe! Because it was cheap and simple, mostly the last gen (85’-00’) the first gen was all metal and wood In the third world we base our opinion almost 100% about the mechanical subject and in that: it was bulletproof In argentina was the main fleet vehicle
My parents had a 1987 505 Turbo. When running good it was a dream ride. Thing was it never ran good often. Transmission let go at 17K miles and it just went all downhill after that.
Wasn't the transmission under warranty at 17,000 miles?? By 1987, as stated in the video, Peugeot had the 3 year 36,000 mile warranty. What color was it if i may ask?
Step father was cop and he saved our lives in on of these when car accident happened in front of us and cars came flying at us. He used his evoc training and slamlomed all the cars . 👍👍👍👍
So weird, where I live (Argentina) that car very popular one!! almost a entry luxury car, still that price of 24K was waaaaay up! t The back lights, back then, here in 1987, they already had changed them to a same shampe,but different design, the SR version was very popular, I think they stopped making them around 1995
Peugeot was on a huge resurgence mid 80's. -WRC victories & championship -205 GTi selling fast in Europe -Pikes Peak hillclimb victory. -405 winning awards Never seemed to get traction in US beyond "professor car" reputation. Seems now like Citroen or DS would be better candidate for US to play up the quirky French angle.
I remember these things being everywhere(oddly in this color or a brown). But just as fast as they came...they disappeared! I think with the horrible dealer network, pricey parts...which you'd buy often because these were pretty unreliable.
One of my favorite cars of the 80's. It's amusing he said people don't want to spend 20k on a 4 cylinder. Hence the demise of SAAB. And now a days people spend 60, 70K+ on 4 cylinders lol
Well said. SAAB always believed that the 4 cylinder engines were the way to go and bucked the tread when all the other carmakers went to V6 power. Now look at today???? Everything is a 4 cylinder. Peugeots were amazing cars.
You can find these in the northwest area(Portland and Seattle), New England, Florida and CA. There's a dealership in Huntington Beach from my understanding. Austin may still have one also
You are correct about those locations having the highest sales of Peugeots. Mostly New England region since it's headquaters was in New Jersey. No dealerships are left that service these cars but some smaller dealerships turned into independent shops that service them if you can find one.
This would make an excellent first second car for me to drive(my first car was a 1987 Chevrolet Spectrum). At least this car has an automatic and antilock brakes. Styling is not an issue for me.
All I've ever heard about the is that they were really reliable and well built cars . They never really sold well in the states mostly because many did not know about them and most could not pronounce Peugeot if they did....Then replacement parts became hard to find and were overpriced when you could find them. That alone put most into early retirement. The only reason I know much about them is because of their odd bolt pattern that just happened to be close enough to work on the older Subaru's. It was the easiest way to get your Bratt or RX out of the 13in wheels.
I used to have a 1986 505 STi with the 2.0 four cylinder and an automatic. Severely underpowered, but neat in pretty much every much every other way. It felt similar to the 1985 Volvo GL I had at the same time, but slightly less power and better handling.
My high school friend had a 1985 505 STi with the 2.0 and automatic. It was graphite grey exterior with grey leather with the optional power moonroof. It was a stunning car. Never got to drive it but it looked so elegant back then. What color was yours?
@@klwthe3rd - Mine was white with blue cloth interior. It also had the power moonroof, which was nice on sunny days but leaked pretty badly at the front.
@@RadialSkid I dont think they made many in white but I could be wrong. I also love that yours was cloth which is often underrated. I appreciate you taking the time to reply to my comment as it's owners like you with your stories that i love the most.
I wish Peugeot today could make something as elegant as this. I don't mind most of their newer stuff, but nothing will ever be as desirable as the 505 in my view.
The advancements made in car safety and capabilities are amazing. They wore helmets to test cars that maxed out at 78mph for the 1/4mi. These days, soccer moms are doing 80MPH in a Suburban full of kids.😂
The 'dated styling' is actually a plus now. This car looks great.
absolutely
there is "dated" and there is classic! This is classic
That was an interesting admission for MW. This didn't look terribly different from the mid-80s era 5-Series.
Agreed
For being "Dated" in the late 80s, it looks like something that wouldnt be out of place in the late 90s. Certainly for a french car. Its quirky, but always fresh and modern.
I was a tech at a Peugeot dealership from 1982 through the end of Peugeot in North America. I never saw one of these 505s with the V-6 engine, only saw them in the 604. Peugeots were very nice cars to drive but didn't really hold up that well in the US despite all the mythology surrounding them, and depreciated horrendously. I owned a 504 and 40 years later my wife still occasionally out of the blue mentions how unreliable her old Peugeot was. I remember vividly the day when Peugeot pulled out of the North American market. One of our salesmen arrived at work saying he had heard about it on the radio on his way in to work, but we had received no notification from Peugeot. Finally around 10 AM our service writer called Peugeot N.A. and asked them and they confirmed it. They said they just hadn't gotten around to telling us about it yet LOL! Keep in mind that we were an official Peugeot dealership and had been for about 25 years. When we got the announcement in the shop all of us were literally jumping up and down and yelling in celebration. That's how much Peugeot technicians liked Peugeots.
If the Peugeot technicians didn't like working on Peugeot cars, why did they stay working there?? 🤨
@@vintage76vipergreenBeetle We were a BMW/Peugeot dealership. We wanted to work on BMWs because that's where the money was. We were also a DeLorean dealership. But I try not to think about that.
I worked at Volvo / Renault other awful, hateful, wilfully piss poor V6 and ALL Renault products. I laughed when they said the central locking didn't work all the time: I'd be surprised if anything working some of the time.
@@troyclayton1775 I had the dubious pleasure(?) of working on the PVR V-6 in Peugeots, Volvos, Dodge Monaco/Eagle Premiers (Renault) and DeLoreans. I was not impressed. When I worked at the Chrysler dealership we hated having to work on Monacos and Premiers so much that one Sunday morning the parts manager went in to work and threw all the PVR factory tools into the dumpster behind the shop. After that we refused to work on those cars because we didn't have the proper tools LOL!
@@barryervin8536
Okay, I thought it was a Peugeot only dealer.
Revving the snot out of an engine immediately after cranking it over is a MotorWeek signature.
😂That and shanking the gearshift as hard as possible
That makes me wonder if they know how a car engine actually works...
@@vulekv93
Ask the person with the clipboard who runs up to the driver's window after every braking test.
The car is already warmed up and circulated with hot oil. No damage done. It makes me wonder if you guys know how an engine works..
@@alexyoungberg5232
Can us guys come over and do that to your engine? Make sure it's nice and warm first, circulated with hot oil.
ABS, heated leather seats and keyless entry, that would've got me sold on one of these in 1987.
Don't forget Anti-theft system.
late 80s heated seats will probably catch fire, and keyless entry in the late 80s is, as the video showed, selective when it wants to work xD
@@dragonbutt I spent my youth in a lot of late 80's cars with heated seats, which here in Finland in the winter time is a must have. All the 80's cars the heated seats worked but once i moved on to newer cars they were more and more often out of order.
1st company to have keyless entry was Renault on the 1982 Fuego, and then on the 1983 Alliance.
It got me sold today, this is what I need
I am french and I am proud and suprised "MotorWeek" talk about to this car. I thind funny how he pronounce the mark "Pougeot".
In France and in Europe, the 505 was a best seller when this car was produced. Until early 2000's years, we saw again this model on our roads.
I had one of these and the only parts that ever failed were the German-made Bosch electric relays. Replaced them with Japanese ones and problem solved.
Peugeot 505s reminded me of my paternal grandpa, since it's the last car he has ever driven..... I remembered him driving this thing as a kid.....
I miss these cars so much. Wish we had a FDM scene here in the states.
Now you've got me wondering if they have an FDM scene in Quebec.
Thank You @Motorweek!!! My Dad drove a Grey 1990 505 STX V6! up until I was 13 in 2002 then he bought a 01 Lexus GS430 because we couldn’t find parts! I’ve been looking for one to buy now that I’m able to maintain it ever since!🔮🤗
I worked with a customer who had a Peugeot 505 diesel until parts were almost impossible to get. Each repair was extremely expensive so she eventually gave up.
The 1990 model year was the second to last year and your father's car would be a serious collector's item today if you had it. I went to high school with a guy that had a 1985 Peugeot 505 STI(his family's car) and he loved it. It looked amazing in the school parking lot too. It's sad that getting parts for the car was so hard. That was before the internet and the poor car didn't deserve to be sold.
I had a 504 diesel to cut down on my wife's speeding tickets. GREAT car! Most comfortable ride, fantastic brakes, wonderful fuel economy... unfortunately, she still got tickets.
That's impressive if you can get a speeding ticket in that car
@@moejr1974 I asked her HOW could she get up to speed in the distance between lights and she said "Catch the lights just right and keep up the momentum!" Her Dad was friends with the local cops but after she was married... I paid the tickets. 42 yrs at this point so I guess I'll keep her. ha ha
She has a lead foot
@@alexander1485 She has slowed down quite a bit over the years, but I still can't ride with her.
ps
It was an automatic!! REALLY slow. But so smooth you could drive with a glass on the dash if you wanted.
504 Diesel?
Car and Driver had a 70-0 braking test back then, and listed an N/A for this model because they couldn't reach 70mph!☺
Man, that was such a beautiful car. Still looks great to this day.
About 20 years ago I had a neighbor with two of these in wagon form. She would periodically swap parts from one to the other to keep at least one of them in running order until she could find parts to get the other running again.
I always admired the look of a Peugeot . Too bad they are gone from the USA.
@@craig9843 Yes i admired them too for being different. They didn't look like anything else on the road. There are so many negative comments on this video about them but they were amazing cars.
@@klwthe3rd I agree!!
Always loved the 505. Still see some on the road, which always makes me happy.
I love this vehicle, peugeot is a well accepted vehicle in México and Argentina.
Back in 1986, my boss had a 1983 505 STI coming off lease. He asked me if I wanted to buy it. He sold it to me for what it cost him to buy it off the lease. It was black with a buckskin color leather interior. It had about 20K miles on it at the time. Before he sold it to me, he had the car fully detailed and wow, it looked amazing. There wasn't a scratch on the car and it was in mint shape. The paint was beautiful and the leather was gorgeous. I really loved the car but it was extremely quirky. The power door locks sounded like bullets, the AC vents pulled away from the dash, the interior door panels had plastic plugs where the window cranks would of been, the horn was a stalk on the steering column, the middle of the steering wheel had a secret compartment, the dashboard lighting was a weird orange/red color... I could go on and on. But, the car was really good looking for it's time, was built like a tank, and was a blast to drive. I kept the car for a few years and then traded it in. I never had any problems with it and it got decent milage.
Nothing wierd about red/orange instruments, aircraft pilots prefer that.
@@Salman-sc8gr SAAB had them too and they were an aircraft maker too. So you are 100% correct.
145 bhp is pretty impressive at that time . Standard Ford 302 2 barrel V-8 only made about 155 hp .
The base 87' Ford 302 (N code) was 185 hp 270 lbft
The Mustang GT was 225 HP.
If I remember correctly all 302s were fuel-injected by 1987.
@@TheBandit7613 The non-H.O. variant found the in the CV/GM/Town Car made 150 HP/270 lb-ft in 1988. The truck model had 185 HP / 270 torque. The H.O. model had the E7 heads from the truck version, but a hotter cam, H.O. intake manifold, and tubular exhaust manifolds. The heads on the non-H.O. variant were either E5 or E6SE (IIRC), and they had a less aggressive cam. The 302 in the panthers was pretty much done at around 4000 RPM, and even under WOT would shift well under 5k RPM. There's a reason those cars typically had 2.73 or 3.08 gears.
Torque is more important than HP
@@FoDaddy Cool.
And we know it's the torque that gets these cars moving. Probably why they tuned the Panthers and trucks like they did. I'd like to see the dyno torque graph, my guess is it's pretty flat so more power is available lower in the RPM range to get them moving.
The Peugeot was rated at 173 lb ft.
The T-Bird Turbo Coupe (2.3 4 cyl) was rated 190 hp and 240 lb ft.
0 to 60 in 8.0 second and 137 mph top end (Car and Driver)
It's easy to see why the Peugeot didn't sell very well. Bland looking, expensive and mediocre performance.
Great cars these are, extremely underrated. Glad I’ve got some to enjoy.
That's nice. I always wanted a Peugeot since I was in my early teens. It never happened. I always loved the unique look of a Peugeot. Most people have never heard of or don't even know what was is.
The name says your love for these engineering marvels lmao
I remember during the early 90s when I was in the military 🪖, I mostly saw this car along with the Saab 900, Volvo DL, and BMW 318 being driven by soldiers.
I LOVE IT.... MY KIDS FATHER PURCHASED ME PEARL WHITE PEUGEOT 505 TURBO DIESEL IN 1991... I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT IT; EXCEPT THE DIESEL BUT WAS GOOD ON GAS MILEAGE. LEARNED TO DRIVE STICK IN THIS MAKE/MODEL 👍...
I worked with a mechanic from Egypt. He said he was surprised that there were very few Peugeots in the USA.
I met someone who did have a Peugeot diesel. She said the car was very reliable for a long time. The only downside was that it she needed to plug in the block heater during winter in New Jersey.
I have heard one great thing about French cars is that the suspensions is as cushioned as a Buick.
5:09 Factory remote keyless entry for 1987? I thought that wasn't an option on anything until 1989.
The Renault Fuego had remote keyless entry in 1982.
@@nkt1 Thanks, I was unaware of that. The Renault Fuego was sold in the USA, but almost nobody bought one.
@@skylinefever I visited Canada from the UK in 1997, and was surprised to see one parked in the drive next door to where I was staying.
86 iroc had keyless entry, maybe even earlier camaros.
Old Peugeots are bulletproof. Prone to rust and bits falling off, yes, but their mechanicals are made to survive France. So they can survive anything, even the apocalypse lol.
You can never forget your first car 🚙😎
Loved my 89’ STX…still miss it.
My dad had a 1990 505 GR Wagon. I still remember how pleasant it smelled on the interior. And it wouldn't die. He eventually gave it to his brother 8 years later.
@CHIEMEKA AMUZIE what did it smell like? Explain it as best as you can. I’m curious
@@Blakecryderman7244 It was a new car smell. You knew you were smelling the foam or padding of the upholstery but it wasn't offensive in anyway. It was very subtle. And it wasn't like any perfume or fragrance I can describe.
I do remember on one occasion when the car was older, I put my nose close to a hole at the base of the second row seat for the locking mechanism to access the third row and caught a whiff of the same smell. It was like I couldn't get enough of it.
I wish I could send you the smell but that's the best description I can give. No other car subsequently (my dad's or mine) has come close to smelling that good.
@@chiemekaa I don’t blame you, certain smells are really hard to explain
Got one same-same sitting in my driveway. Lead WWll bombardier father-in-law bought new. 71,000 miles. New Firestones. Drive anywhere. Grandson has first dibs.
145 hp and 173 lb.ft torque was quite impressive back then!
@@paulvicks1336 hey, my fellow e46 m3 (the best m car) buddy!
@@paulvicks1336 My first car was a 2013 Ford Escape with 240bhp and 270lb-ft, sadly, no manual though a Manual transmission is available in Europe
Not in Europe it wasn't. Just normal.
Not really
Eww, mercedes better than bimmers
The 505 had a very good looking design. I grew up in South America and saw these all over the place.
It's funny to me that my Q50 3.0t will hit 60 in half the time.
what a great looking ride. Alway was intrigued by one of these back in the 80's
My parents had a dark red 504 back in the day…rode great and was slow. It was totaled in an accident and was replaced with a 84 Volvo 240GL… both excellent cars.
The 504's were even more rare but amazing cars. I would love to own a 504 today.
I wonder how many of these were imported to the USA and now many still exist. I’m a very well seasoned car guy and never seen one of these irl for sure
Come to New Jersey. People had a thing for French cars here in the 80s. My home town had three 505 Estates driving around at one point! There was at least one sedan too. Peugeot still maintains a US office in Little Falls, NJ and occasionally has European models out on the roads here with vehicle manufacturer tags.
I grew up in So Cal in the ‘80s with quite a diverse car scene. I remember seeing these cars one in a while, but it was still not a common sight. Many were diesels and just like a lot of diesel cars at the time, it was slow and spewed black smoke.
The last time I remember seeing one was 1990. One of my high school classmates had one and it was a gasoline model. It was a nice car, but it was just different. If any of you remember a Suzuki Kizashi from about 10 years ago, it was that kind of a presence.
@@NJRoadfan now I’m curious why I haven’t seen a peugeot in Northern New Jersey.
Ah so it must have been just a few years before me then. I was born in the 80s but didn’t start my car obsession till the very early 90s. Down in the south east we did not have as many of the Kwerky cool cars that the north east and Cali people liked.
@@tomkato6400 You’re right, Peugeot was a rare sight in the Los Angeles area.
I just bought a 30+ yr old 505 (2.0 l 4-cylinder carbureted engine) last year here in Thailand. A really nice car, drives really nicely but a bit of rust and some interior parts are falling apart. Hoping to get it properly restored.
I loved my 2 renault leCars, very reliable.
this show was so damn consistent since the '80s. Great job.
The only bad thing is that so few of the V6 ones sold in the states, so they're few and far between now. Older cousin of mine had the 2.2 Turbo one when I was a kid, and it was actually quite dreamy.
Yeah the Peugeot 505 Turbos were the most popular(if you can say that) model in the US. Since it was the top of the line car in the Peugeot line up until the STX. If you're going to find a Peugeot today, it's probably going to be a diesel or a turbo model.
Beautiful automobile, mom had a black turbo 5 speed, sweet ride
Designed bt Pininfarina.
I always thought that car looked great! And the interior way ahead of it’s time! Also with abs!
4:52 John: YOU GET READOUTS FOR EVERYTHING BUT VOLTAGE! LOL
always crying for the volt meter... In proper cars you do not need them. In French cars usually everything but the engine fails, so no need for those dials..
John is accustomed to dinging cars for lack of an oil pressure gauge. You just can't win with John.
My grandpa had one of these. Surprised to see a review from Motorweek.
Growing up, my neighbor across the street drove one of these in a diesel version forever.
When I lived in Europe recently, the Peugeots were some of the nicest looking cars there.
Wow this is a memory flashback, I almost bought one of these when I was stationed in Germany, but I extended a year and bought a BMW instead and when the mark rate was 3-1 I could not go wrong. It's kinda funny though expensive cars were 20-30k-now cars and trucks are 50-60k. Geezus times.
I loved the styling then and love it now. I wanted one of these so badly, but as a poor college student back then, I ended up with a low spec Corolla. UGH.
Your corolla is likely still running lol 😆 when is the last time you've seen one of these on the road?
Possibly, but when did you last see an ‘80s Toyota? The Corolla was a workhorse, but no flare at all!
@@keithbaker1951 maybe is because there were a lot of Corollas that days and not many 505, because in South Africa they used it for hard work and they are still running, it was a very reliable car.
Yeah when i was in high school i had a friend who drove a 1985 Peugeot 505 STI to school. Graphite Grey exterior with grey leather interior. Even had the optional power moonroof. I loved that car and would always park next to him since i had a Audi. I told him all the time i wanted to swap cars or even buy it from him but since it was his family's car he wasn't selling. You have very good taste in cars my friend.
@@charlesb7019 Well said.
Took my drivers test on an 87 505 stx v6 loved that car parents bought it brand new drove like a dream and loved to be pushed hard had it till about 2000 couldn't get parts
I thought these looked good when I was 16 in 1986 and I think they still look nice
I always liked the clean, simple design of the 505's. I also never knew they used a V6 in them.
The 604 is one of the most comfortable cars I ever drove.
I had one of them , 505 stx v6 , love style , design , how it rides , miss it
Can you please tell us about it. So rare to see someone in the comments that actually owned a 505 STX model.
When my Grandmother needed to buy a car in 1991, I tried to interest her in a Peugeot. The idea did not fly.
We played that game, but with a Honda. Insert endearingly racist granny comment about foreign cars and the people who drive them here.
That was wicked kewl that you at least tried to get her to buy a Peugeot. You must have been a really awesome kid.
@@klwthe3rd all my life I have been crazy about all manner of automobiles. I particularly enjoy things that are a little off beat and not necessarily common. (I am currently driving a 2019 Stelvio.)
It had quite a few features ahead of its time for 1987 like ABS, keyless entry and heated seats. However, in hindsight, we can see that it still wasn't enough as Peugeot never really caught on in the US or Canada.
My grandfather had many of these since they were built like tanks. Too bad I never got to drive one, these are getting hard to find these days.
Wow I NEVER see these cars on the road today, I always liked them a lot!
There was a Peugeot dealer within a mile of my childhood home. It was the only one for hundreds of miles. Our little town here in Virginia had more Peugeots than any other import. I had lots of friends with parents that had a Peugeots.
May i ask what town that was??? Virginia had a lot of Peugeots sold; second only to New Jersey being #1. Over the years i have seen some come up for sale to the general public and they were always in Virginia. Would love to know the dealership name too.
I’ve always not been a fan of car designs before the late 80s early 90s but if I was around when this car came out this would’ve sold me I think it looks really good and heated seats are a mandatory for me on every car I buy never had a car without them
I always though it was pronounced pig ott lol
I had a 1986 505 Gl, the base model, with automatic and a sunroof.. which wasn't standard on the gl, it was a slug , but was comfortable and handled well enough, it would chirp the transmission shifting from 1st to 2nd, my friends thought that was cool. It was fairly reliable too, but trying to get the oil changed at the local jiffy lube was a joke.. Nobody had the tool to get the drain plug off. I read a comment above about seeing a lot in New Jersey.. well that was there USA headquarters.. so I'm guessing a lot of their executives were driving them to drum up business. The best and last one would have been the 1989 505 turbo S it had 180bhp. But with the manual only.. the automatic still was 150bhp.. that was what John Davis was talking about updating the exterior.. that year 89.. they changed the front and rear bumpers, with lower airdams in front with integrated fog lights a much cleaner look... but Still NO European headlamps.. ugh. That was the last year for the sedan. Peugeot only imported the 505 wagon and 405 until there departure in 1991. I gave mine to a friend because I wanted a car that had Air-conditioning so I got a 1988 Saab 900s 4 door 5 speed .. the AC in it lasted until I traded it in a Mercedes.. I miss that old PUG!
You are correct. New Jersey was where their headquaters were located and the dealerships in that state were responsible for selling the most Peugeots in the country. You had a very rare car the way it was speced - base model but had automatic and sunroof. What exterior color was it?? You rarely saw the 505GL in sedan form as most were wagons. The sedans were more the STI, STX or the turbo. The most collectable model is the 1989 sedan Turbo S. As you stated, that was the last year for the sedan and was the only year that had the updated taillights, body ground effects and other cool features. One was sold on bring a trailer years back and brought crazy money. It was the bright red exterior with black leather interior. I would kill to have that car as a collectable.
i like how it looks like it’s angry
My aunt had a black one with a manual transmission sunroof leather int. I thought that was the nicest car ever made.
You weren't wrong. That car was gorgeous.
The car I learned to drive on! Loved that car.
this car was the top choise in my country egypt back then
Peugeot is the Worlds oldest motor manufacturer, older than Benz.
In the UK they're called Pug.
Why are they called PUG in the UK? Just curious?
@@klwthe3rd PeUGeot
That car has to be worth close to one million dollars it’s a true collector dream car.
Shame this wasn't show "505" ha.
Also a shame that these are basically non-existent at this point, I've seen 3 in my life in person and all 3 were falling apart in driveways. A friend in NZ has seen one running though!
That Teves ABS system was fitted for many different makes and models back then. Of all things, it's in my '89 Lincoln Mark VII and are better than my 2020's brakes.
Love this design, the inspiration for the E-Legend concept
Design by Pininfarina.
@@dm5374 aw yeah!
Inspiration for e-Legend was 504 coupe.
this was lightyears ahead of anything designed and produced in the usa at that time and few years later
...and it was designed in the 70s.
If it was currently 1987 and I was shopping for a new car I definitely would have looked into one of these. However I wasn't born until 5 year later.
Hearing the english speakers wrong pronunciation of francaise is the most hilarious thing in the world.🤣🤣
That dashboard is so space inspired. I remember there was a video with a group of these doing some incredible synchronized arobatics maneuvers. And they were quite popular in China back then as well...
Drove the Peugeot in Europe back in the eighties. Definitely a smooth and comfortable ride. Reliability probably killed it in the US market.
That 505 STX looks epic. However, I still prefer the 6000 SUX for its sheer size. You know what they say…bigger is better!
My parents bought a 1979 504D and it was the most comfortable car I’ve ever sat in. The downsides were horrible reliability. Eventually they ended up with a Camry, or should I say CamRay, lol
Its was a great car but, realiability? Maybe the ones that arrived there or how you drive cars.
In my country sold for almost 40 years and it was a tank. Taxi, police, rally etc
You now still see them driving around in an overall good shape
It was a top seller in África too. You have to be though for that
504 diesel unreliable?, How did you managed to break it?. They're notorious for serving as taxi and police vehicles for years and years, they're slow, but boy the won't die (here in Argentina it got discontinued in the year 2000, idk in other countries may have lasted longer)
@@ivokiller2000intel The engine was fine it’s the rest of the car that fell apart.
@@TheCarCrazyGuy You mean plastic parts like the dash, buttons and all that?
Maybe! Because it was cheap and simple, mostly the last gen (85’-00’) the first gen was all metal and wood
In the third world we base our opinion almost 100% about the mechanical subject and in that: it was bulletproof
In argentina was the main fleet vehicle
504 unreliable? tf you're talking about lol. My dad had a 73 1600cc one, that thing was indestructible.
In 2018 I saw in Algiers a brand new 505 wagon; it was parked in dealership garage; very impressive car!
Wow my parents had 3 of these in South Africa & they were superb!
My parents had a 1987 505 Turbo. When running good it was a dream ride. Thing was it never ran good often. Transmission let go at 17K miles and it just went all downhill after that.
Transmissions were made of glass on these.
@@hellkitty1014 it was an Automatic. Were they known to be bad too?
Wasn't the transmission under warranty at 17,000 miles?? By 1987, as stated in the video, Peugeot had the 3 year 36,000 mile warranty. What color was it if i may ask?
@@hellkitty1014 Automatics or manuals?
@@klwthe3rd it was past the years, but under miles so they made a deal and paid a percentage. It was silver
What a handsome car. Almost bmw-esque.
In 1987 I bought the 505 STI for 19k. I really miss that car, better and nicer than the Volvo 244
I’m really impressed by the “avoidance test” @3:11
Step father was cop and he saved our lives in on of these when car accident happened in front of us and cars came flying at us. He used his evoc training and slamlomed all the cars . 👍👍👍👍
So weird, where I live (Argentina) that car very popular one!! almost a entry luxury car, still that price of 24K was waaaaay up! t
The back lights, back then, here in 1987, they already had changed them to a same shampe,but different design, the SR version was very popular, I think they stopped making them around 1995
Peugeot was on a huge resurgence mid 80's.
-WRC victories & championship
-205 GTi selling fast in Europe
-Pikes Peak hillclimb victory.
-405 winning awards
Never seemed to get traction in US beyond "professor car" reputation.
Seems now like Citroen or DS would be better candidate for US to play up the quirky French angle.
I remember these things being everywhere(oddly in this color or a brown). But just as fast as they came...they disappeared! I think with the horrible dealer network, pricey parts...which you'd buy often because these were pretty unreliable.
My neighbor had one this exact color. He finally sold it just last year.
I thought they were around in the USA for years!
One of my favorite cars of the 80's. It's amusing he said people don't want to spend 20k on a 4 cylinder. Hence the demise of SAAB. And now a days people spend 60, 70K+ on 4 cylinders lol
Well said. SAAB always believed that the 4 cylinder engines were the way to go and bucked the tread when all the other carmakers went to V6 power. Now look at today???? Everything is a 4 cylinder. Peugeots were amazing cars.
You can find these in the northwest area(Portland and Seattle), New England, Florida and CA. There's a dealership in Huntington Beach from my understanding. Austin may still have one also
You are correct about those locations having the highest sales of Peugeots. Mostly New England region since it's headquaters was in New Jersey. No dealerships are left that service these cars but some smaller dealerships turned into independent shops that service them if you can find one.
Worked for Peugeot in 87' a comfortable car, but a total repair hog, never had repeat owners!
What was your position at Peugeot?
Those brakes are insane! Better than 911 turbo from that era.
Good looking car and a sweet PRV V6 motor.
That engine was horrible when it was first introduced
Had my first car accident in a Puegot…1979 504……had ignition on the left side of the steering wheel between the window and wheel!
This would make an excellent first second car for me to drive(my first car was a 1987 Chevrolet Spectrum). At least this car has an automatic and antilock brakes. Styling is not an issue for me.
The best iteration of the 505, was the Evolution SR edition. 👍
My friend owns one of these exact cars! Anyone under 30 doesn't even know what they are seeing.
Still love the way they look!❤
All I've ever heard about the is that they were really reliable and well built cars . They never really sold well in the states mostly because many did not know about them and most could not pronounce Peugeot if they did....Then replacement parts became hard to find and were overpriced when you could find them. That alone put most into early retirement. The only reason I know much about them is because of their odd bolt pattern that just happened to be close enough to work on the older Subaru's. It was the easiest way to get your Bratt or RX out of the 13in wheels.
I used to have a 1986 505 STi with the 2.0 four cylinder and an automatic.
Severely underpowered, but neat in pretty much every much every other way. It felt similar to the 1985 Volvo GL I had at the same time, but slightly less power and better handling.
My high school friend had a 1985 505 STi with the 2.0 and automatic. It was graphite grey exterior with grey leather with the optional power moonroof. It was a stunning car. Never got to drive it but it looked so elegant back then. What color was yours?
@@klwthe3rd - Mine was white with blue cloth interior. It also had the power moonroof, which was nice on sunny days but leaked pretty badly at the front.
@@RadialSkid I dont think they made many in white but I could be wrong. I also love that yours was cloth which is often underrated. I appreciate you taking the time to reply to my comment as it's owners like you with your stories that i love the most.
I still would love to see both of the '87 DNCP shows.
Probably next to impossible to find a working one of these nowadays.. Used to love the styling though as a kid..
Verrrrrrrryyyy good car ... I drove one durring 7 years,
Wish Stellantis would bring Peugeot and Citroen back to USA
Why? With Chrysler and Fiat, don't they already have enough problems? And nobody would buy them anyway, much as nobody here is buying Fiats.
They canceled the plan to bring back Peugeot
Chrysler changed that
They brought them back to Mexico. Thinking about buying a Mexican version and importing it to the US.
Beautifully styled by Pininfarina and the French.
I wish Peugeot today could make something as elegant as this. I don't mind most of their newer stuff, but nothing will ever be as desirable as the 505 in my view.
The advancements made in car safety and capabilities are amazing. They wore helmets to test cars that maxed out at 78mph for the 1/4mi. These days, soccer moms are doing 80MPH in a Suburban full of kids.😂
Good point 😂
Slow tf down Karen, noone care xD
😂😂😂
The same engine that theDMC-12 used in 1981
Seen one of these 10 years ago
Wait What, the POO JOE? !🤣🤣🤣