31st Oct 2018, 18:00
I find reliability and durability to be very different things. Reliability can vary from car to car - depending on the type of car, how it's been looked after and used, etc.
Durability is a whole other ball game. I think the average lifespan of a car is 11 years. With older cars the main issues were rust - keep on top of that and the oil changes for the engine, and you were OK. With newer cars, the bodywork and engine and transmissions are a bit tougher, but here is the new problem - even if a modern car is looked after, the engine and gearbox and bodywork can be solid, but the car can be written off easily with a complex expensive electronic problem when it gets a little older.
So whilst you still may see some 80s and 90s cars about, I doubt early 2000s cars will be as long lasting, or about average at best in terms of durability.
1st Dec 2018, 06:36
I'm the owner that posted this review, and I can assure you both that I don't baby this car in the slightest when it comes to my driving style. Africa may not have salted roads, which certainly hinder a car's lifespan, but they have much harsher conditions than we typically do; so even though the brand never managed to meet our country's expectations for size, luxury and durability, a few of its older models have managed to prove themselves more than worthy of my claim toward their reliability in just about every country to which they were imported. That being said, I set out to test that supposed legend this past summer... I did burnouts and 360s on bare, dry pavement, drove it for hours at 5,000+ RPM trips on the thruway to car shows (keep on mind it has the 3spd auto, so 5K equals about 80 MPH), used it as a 150+ mile per day delivery vehicle, and took it on semi-drunken offroad photography expeditions, while drifting it around every corner I could find. This car is a TANK. I've owned two Volvo 850s, a first generation S40, and a Saab 9000 turbo... all of them were a complete joke compared to this car.
Sure it's not as fast, and doesn't handle like some of the other, more popular (and expensive) European cars of the time, but it begrudgingly shares one thing in common with the iconic entry level cars like the VW bug, the original Mini, and the Volvo Amazons, as well as their 240s - It will always be ready to go when you need it, and it doesn't need to be fast or particularly flashy to be a fun experience. In a way, to me the 505 actually compares to the old Jeep XJs in terms of reliability, durability, and the ability to go wherever you want it to, albeit with MUCH more comfort along the way.
I'm a driving enthusiast, I'm not biased by brand... I look for the more important unique characteristics that truly make a car great in its own right, despite whatever competition it may have. I'm 23 years old, this is my 25th vehicle in the past 9 years since my first car, and I bought it last April. Come May, it will be the longest I've ever owned a vehicle. Why so many? Because of reliability issues, and the fact that it gets boring after a while... something that will clearly never be an issue with my Peugeot, in just about every single aspect.
I always lusted after Mercedes as a kid, but think about it.... Would you rather have a reliable luxury car that everyone knows, or the one that most MECHANICS have never heard of before? Maintenance procedure is pretty typical to other cars of the time, so the biggest issue is finding parts, which really isn't all that hard if you're a member of Peugeot North America, which I am. Look me up on Facebook, I'm Malachi Smith. Easy to find... my profile picture is of me standing next to my 505 at the NY Citroën Rendezvous of 2018!
If anyone has any questions whatsoever, let me know... I plan to keep this car for a loooooong time!
6th Aug 2019, 07:57
Thanks Milachi, I too am a 505 enthusiast, living in Australia. They are becoming quite rare here, but we still have Peugeot specific mechanics and Peugeot car clubs in each state.
I've owned over 20 505s over the past twenty three years, and continue to enjoy their unique qualities. I'm about to buy another, Sti, 1984 model; one lady owner with 159k km in neat original condition. It has the 2.2 electronic fuel injection system, and I am paying $2,500 (Aussie dollars). I have a lower back problem and when I sat in the wool treed seat I breathed a sigh of relief, and felt at home.
I enjoy driving into the Australian outback and the 505s are excellent cars for this, having good ground clearance and long travel shock absorbers, etc..
Thanks again for your article.
Cheers, Bill (age 66).
18th Jan 2024, 07:24
Why does one need to say that Peugeot was as strong and reliable as a MB or Volvo of the day? It wasn't just a duo of 2 companies known as Mercedes and Volvo, that made the strongest cars in Europe and among the strongest in the world. It was, instead, a trio; Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot and Volvo.
30th Oct 2018, 12:01
Not really, I hear what you are saying but I agree with the original review - he is definitely a fanatic, but in the UK where I come, from 80s and 90s French cars actually had a bad reputation for reliability, however Peugeot models like this stood out - in fact later 405 models, especially the diesels, were famous for good reliability, and some were used as taxis for in excess of 250,000 miles.
Not going to pretend modern cars aren't better, but in older cars from simpler times, change the timing belt and oil on time and you were pretty much trouble free - a far cry from some modern cars I've had where expensive electronic problems arise at even under the 100,000 mile mark. There are pros and cons to keeping both older and newer cars - and newer definitely does not always equal better.