1989 Peugeot 405 Mi16 1.9 liter 16V from North America

Summary:

Fast, fun, rare

Faults:

I bought the car used (for next to nothing), as a fixer-upper to supplement the SAAB. Expecting it needed a couple thousand in work, it turned out to need suspension bushings, thermostat, timing belt adjustment, CV boots, electrical repairs and a host of other things, that ended up costing me more than double what I thought it would. But considering cosmetically the car was in incredible shape, and the miles were reasonable, it's been worth it. And since the repairs, it's been very reliable.

General Comments:

A total blast to drive. This car handles better than almost any other FWD car I've ever driven. Whatever Peugeot did to the suspension, they did it right!!

One of the nicest revving 16 valves engines out there too. Incredibly comfortable seats too, front and back.

The interior build quality is very mediocre, and the car rattles like crazy. But open the windows, turn up the stereo, keep the revs in the 3500 to 7000rpm range, and you fall in love with this car instantly.

Even at 11 years old, the car still looks modern. And it gets a lot of looks from other Euro car drivers.

If Peugeot returns to the US, the new 406 will be on my shopping list!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th September, 2000

1989 Peugeot 405 S 1.9 injection from North America

Summary:

A fairly reliable, fun-to-drive car

Faults:

After three months of owning this brand new car, the engine was rebuilt (under warranty).

I have had the transmission worked on numerous times.

Both axles were replaced.

The backlit instrument panel shorted out.

Interior door panels disconnected from the door, making it impossible to lock.

The alternator failed, and for a while I had a problem with the rear left blinker shorting out, which I usually fixed myself - not a great idea.

General Comments:

I actually love the car; it handles very well for an 11-year-old automobile. Although I have an automatic transmission, I can leave new sports cars in my dust. The handling is top-notch, especially since I had the axles replaced. The car grips the road like no other I have ever driven. I would say that the 405 has been the most expensive vehicle I've ever maintained; I wish it were a bit more reliable, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th July, 2000

15th Oct 2001, 21:00

I'm the writer of this review from back in July of 2000. It's now about 15 months later and I love this car more than ever.

Remember those transmission problems I mentioned? They caught up with the car at about 95000 miles and I had to get a new auto transmission. Then THAT transmission dropped about 4000 miles later. I ripped my hair out and lost much sleep, but I finally decided to replace it again (at that point I had just spent $1200 on new paint and was in the process of making other upgrades).

About $5000 later, I don't regret fixing this car. It looks and performs better than ever, and it's such a rare automobile that I always get looks from it.

In addition to the paint, it now has hyper-white lights and new side markers, and I've put almost $2000 into a Sony/Pioneer stereo (it comes in handy on long country drives). This car is great - if you ever find a low mileage 405 that's in somewhat decent shape, BUY IT! You won't regret having this car.

Jon (incredibly_white@hotmail.com)

26th Mar 2007, 19:18

Ah ha! The 405s had lots of problems with their automatics. Mine failed at 104,000 miles and my Peugeot mechanic told me that they all had problems and recommended I swap it out for a 5 speed. That was the best $1800 I spent on the car. It brought the little 1.9 to life and made it even MORE fun to drive. I bought 205 GTI wheels for it and put some high performance Kumhos on them and I could out perform almost everything else on mountain passes and twisty roads. A blast to drive and designed by Pininfarina, you know, Alfa, Maserati, etc.