PEUGEOT 504 REVIEW

The magic touch of Pininfarina meant that the coupe and cabriolet versions of the 504 were thoroughly stylish Peugeots.

Peugeot’s 504 saloon may have been a best-seller in its homeland, but despite being designed by Pininfarina, its looks erred on the side of traditional. But there was more opportunity for indulgence with the coupe and cabriolet variants, launched in 1969, the year after the saloon’s debut. These were very handsome creations that shared only their engines and running gear with their more staid sibling. 

Sadly, Britain got less than its fair share of these cars. Although there were right-hand drive conversions, they were quite expensive and thus uncommon. And official imports from across the channel ceased around the same time that Peugeot dropped a 2.7-litre V6 – the first use of the Peugeot-Renault-Volvo joint engine development – under the bonnet for 1975. Some left-hookers subsequently sneaked in, but most of the few examples in the UK are four pots.  Not that that should stop you from looking abroad if you really want one of these in your life, of course...

VITAL STATISTICS

ENGINE 1796cc/4-cyl/OHV
POWER  106bhp@5200rpm
TORQUE 125lb ft@3000rpm
MAXIMUM SPEED 111mph
0-60MPH 12.1sec
FUEL CONSUMPTION 23mpg
TRANSMISSION RWD, four-speed manual

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

BODY IMAGE

Be very afraid of rust; you can’t get new body panels and even secondhand items are very scarce. Vital areas to scrutinise are where the scuttle meets the sill and inner wheelarch – corrosion here is usually running rampant deeper in. If there’s significant body flex from a cabriolet, suspect weak sills and check the stiffeners underneath the sills too. Bonnets also rust. Also on al fresco versions check the floorpan in case water has got in. Don’t forget to look under the rear seat. On pre-1978 cars, there’s a scoop in the bonnet that allows water into the inner wings. If the drain holes are blocked, it will start to chomp through the inner wings. Brightwork is difficult to replace.

ENGINE ISSUES

Engines are generally tough especially the V6, for which parts supply is still good, so usual common sense checks apply. If the fan runs constantly, suspect head gasket issues. Fuel injection (where fitted, from 1978) is more complex. If it’s malfunctioning, a specialist will need to tinker. A diaphragm with a hole in it will cause over-fuelling. Corrosion in the fusebox (left-hand footwell) can cause the fuel pump to stop working – in which case, you won’t hear the usual ticking. Or it could be that its belt-drive has snapped. Replacement belts are needle-in-haystack jobs. The in-line fuel filter should be changed regularly to keep the right pressure.    

TRANSMISSION TROUBLES

You’ll be lucky to find a gearbox that isn’t dripping some oil, but it shouldn’t be a big pool. Five-speed boxes will feel sloppy with age and start to clonk.

WHAT LIES BENEATH

Front spring saddles collapse, so look at these. Power steering (standard from 1975) racks are known to leak too. Rear subframes can break away from their rubber mountings if the car has been jacked up incorrectly. Turning to the brakes, front discs are known for wearing out, but can be upgraded. A non-functioning handbrake points to inoperative rear calipers.

INSIDE STORY

Hoods are usually pretty watertight, but do check them carefully, just in case. Try out all the electrics but especially the windows. Rust inside the door can cause their pulleys to break loose. Cabriolets have vinyl upholstery, on the coupes it’s cloth. But replacements for anything are hard to find, so you’ll need to resort to a retrim if a revamp is necessary.  Check any right-hand drive conversions carefully; they can often look a little amateurish. Dashboards can crack, especially around the glovebox edges.   

OUR VERDICT

Why do you want one? Because it’s the sort of car that will prompt the uninitiated to ask if it’s really a Peugeot. The looks, while displaying some Peugeot family genes, are much more Italian grand tourer in style and, certainly in V6 form, the cars drive that way too. Think of the four-seater convertible as a less obvious French retort to the Triumph Stag and you wouldn’t be that far from the truth. Be prepared to search hard and wait long for the right one though. You probably won’t find one for sale just around the corner… 

PEUGEOT 309 GTI REVIEW

The motoring phenomenon of the Eighties, the hot hatch was all things to all people; fast, fun to drive and practical, while usually relatively cheap to run. One of the most prized is Peugeot’s 205GTI, but its bigger brother the 309GTI was (and still is) a more capable all rounder. Better balanced dynamically, greater value, more spacious and just as much fun to drive, the biggest downside with the Peugeot 309 is that it doesn’t have the pert looks of its smaller brother.

There's not much out there, so you’ll have to look hard – your starting point should be the 309GTI Club. The GTI debuted in April 1987, in three-door form only; in October 1988 a five-door edition arrived. A facelift in October 1989 meant cosmetic tweaks, while from January 1991, remote central locking and sportier front seats became standard; ABS became optional.

The first Goodwood special edition appeared in September 1991, with metallic green paint, a sunroof, black leather trim, a boot-mounted CD autochanger and cosmetic tweaks; a second edition arrived in March 1992. The 309 GTI died in October 1992, but some cars were registered late in 1993. Some of these include Japanese-spec cars which never made it to the land of the rising sun. These have air-conditioning and automatic gearboxes.
 

VITAL STATISTICS

Peugeot 309 GTI
Engine 1905cc 4-cylinder OHC
Power 130bhp @ 6000rpm
Torque 119lb ft @ 4750rpm
Top Speed 122mph
0-60mph 8.7sec
Gearbox 5-speed manual

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

BODYWORK

Poorly repaired accident damage is more likely than corrosion. To reduce repair costs, many insurance companies specified pattern panels, some of which fit poorly, so check panel gaps. Most important are the bonnet and front wings, along with the doors and tailgate.

Rust in the front wings suggest they’ve been replaced; also inspect the seam between the front inner and outer wings. There should be lots of seam sealer there – if the car has seen new panels the sealer may be missing. Worse still, if the sealer hasn't been applied, water and mud will have got into the joint to eat the metal away. See if the wing retaining bolts are the same colour as the rest of the car, with intact paint – if not, the wings aren't factory-fitted.

Cars that have been looked after shouldn’t be rusty, although traces of corrosion might be evident in the rear wheelarches and the seam between the sill and bottom of the rear wing. The bottom of each door can also corrode along with the base of the tailgate. This isn’t too rust-prone, but if the glass has been poorly replaced, corrosion will soon strike.

ENGINE

All GTIs had a 1905cc four-cylinder all-alloy engine, which doesn’t take neglect. Camshafts and valve guides wear quickly if the engine is thrashed – within 60,000 miles the powerplant will need rebuilding. But if the engine has been treated well, with oil changes every 6000 miles, it'll last 130,000 miles, although it’ll get clattery at tickover.

Every 36,000 miles the cambelt should be renewed; fit a replacement if you've got the slightest doubts about its condition. If the belt has been changed recently, but the engine still isn't happy, make sure the ignition timing has been set up properly. The distributor is driven directly off the camshaft and it's easy for the settings to get knocked out of adjustment.

The fuel injection needs adjusting by an expert with a CO meter, or it’ll never run properly. Another reason why the engine runs badly is because the breather hoses have got blocked up or are leaking, allowing air into the system. It's worth buying a whole new set for a couple of hundred quid or so although sub-standard ignition parts can also cause erratic running.

TRANSMISSION

All UK-spec 309 GTIs have a tough five-speed close-ratio gearbox. A constant knocking belies worn CV joints, or an imminent bearing failure within the diff; the latter is unusual. Unless it's fixed quickly the gearbox casing will be split, requiring a new gearbox. Fixing it will cost around £50 for a new set of bearings – or a decent used box is around £100.

If the car has been used mainly in urban traffic, and the gear linkage has been allowed to wear, the clutch will probably be due for renewal if it hasn't been done within the last 30,000 miles. Rebushing the gear linkage will cost £25 while buying a new clutch will land you a £75 bill.

SUSPENSION & BRAKES

The straightforward suspension gives predictable handling and a good ride, but hard-driven cars will need a suspension rebuild. Clonking from the front means either the wishbone bushes or the bottom ball joints need replacing. The bushes are £16 per side or a whole wishbone with bushes and ball joint is £62 per side; failed anti-roll bar drop links add £33 per side to this.

The weak spot is the rear suspension, which can be pricey to fix. The rear axle bearings can seize, leading to the whole back axle having to be replaced. New wheel bearings are £58.80 a set, but if the axle needs to be replaced you’ll be looking at a potential £700 bill. To make sure you’re not going to have to replace the axle, try lifting the car and see if the suspension moves. If it doesn’t or if it’s sitting low on one side, there’s a big bill looming.

Look at the car from the back and see what angle the rear wheels sit at. They should lean slightly in at the top – if they don't there's been some heavy wheel-to-kerb contact and you'll have to replace the pin in the stub axle(s) at £30 each. Off-colour handling can also be down to broken suspension mounting blocks. To check these you need to jack the car up and see if the mountings have fallen apart – replacements are £11 each.

The spare wheel lives under the boot floor, and they’re often pinched. Make sure it's there and if a lock isn't fitted, fit one for £30 or so.

INTERIOR

Cheap materials were used for the 309’s interior, so expect any car to be looking tatty, unless it’s been really cherished. Glovebox lids fail readily and sunroofs leak, especially through the two fixings in the glass. Door locks also seize up, with repairs a real pain because of poor access.

ELECTRICS

The electrics tend to be unreliable, as damp gets into the terminals and connections, causing corrosion. Megawatt stereos were popular when these cars were new, along with home-fitted security systems, so make sure the loom is reasonably intact. If the electrical system isn't charging properly, it's probably because the alternator drive belt isn’t tight.

VERDICT

Fast, fun to drive, practical and economical, the 309GTI has everything going for it and is worth buying if you can find one worth considering. Parts availability is good, and DIY maintenance is simplicity itself. Best of all though, the cars are criminally cheap; even the bargain-basement 205GTI is massively overpriced in comparison. If you’re waiting for the car to become a future classic, you’re way behind – this is a car that’s already there.

PEUGEOT 205 REVIEW

The Peugeot 205 is a chic Eighties number, and it isn’t just the legendary GTI that deserves the plaudits. Classic motoring doesn’t get cheaper.

Peugeot launched the 205 in 1983, it was as great to drive as it was to look at. It’s no wonder Car magazine crowned the 205 its car of the decade for the Eighties – this was the car that had it all. Affordability, reliability and a wide choice of engines meant there was a 205 for everyone, from ultra-economical diesels to the storming GTI.

While the GTI gets all the column inches in the classic press, there was a whole range of 205s which are still worth a look. A car that’s still seen as everyday cheap transport by many, the Peugeot 205 can be far more than that. Diesels are especially frugal and long-lived.

There are still lots of low-mileage cars about, so find one and cherish it. You’ll pay peanuts for it, you can maintain it yourself and every drive will be a blast. Buy now because interest in the Eighties is growing.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Transmission

Most 205s came with a five-speed manual gearbox, although 1.0 and some 1.1-litre editions featured a ratio less. There was also an automatic transmission offered, initially with three speeds, later with four. Transmissions are strong, but clutches usually last just 30-40,000 miles; wear manifests itself as a difficulty in selecting reverse.

Engine

Three ranges of petrol engines were fitted, starting with the XV/XW/XY in 954, 1124 and 1360cc forms. The XU was used for the GTI, CTI and automatic models in 1580 and 1905cc guises, while the TU, evolved from the earlier range, came in the same displacements and was the only range which included a cast iron version (TU3/FM – 1360cc). All other petrol engines were alloy with cast wet liners.

The earlier units faced the bulkhead; with the gearbox underneath, you had to remove the engine to open it up. Later engines sit upright and have a timing belt instead of a chain, with a gearbox on the end.

The all-alloy engines can’t cope with neglect. Camshafts and valve guides wear within 60,000 miles if the engine is thrashed. Treated well, they can easily clock up 130,000 miles.

Every 72,000 miles, or five years, the cambelt should be renewed; if the belt has been changed recently, but the engine isn’t happy, make sure the ignition timing has been set up properly. The distributor is driven directly off the camshaft and it’s easy for it to get knocked out of adjustment. There was also a diesel which has a cambelt. This ran for the life of the 205, eventually being offered in turbo form. It’s a strong unit.

OUR VERDICT

The 205 was a best seller for several reasons – practicality, affordability, choice and reliability were just some of the key ones. While it may seem rather modern to be badged as a classic, and the car that saved Peugeot’s bacon in the Eighties, the 205 deserves some recognition as an all-time great.

It’s unlikely that any 205 will ever be valuable; even the much sought-after GTI editions are unlikely to ever be worth a fortune. So buying any 205 as an investment will probably only disappoint – but if you’re after a great-looking modern classic than you can use every day and maintain yourself, you’ll have to look hard to find a better candidate.