Onze Peugeots / Nos Peugeots / Our Peugeots

Details 504 / Detailles 504 / Details 504

In aankoop volgorde / Dans l’ordre d’achat / In order of purchase

504 Saloon GL 1978 – 2.0 Carburetor, Automatique
Our first 504. After a year risking my life in a Volkswagen Derby this was absolute heaven. Bought for 749 Euros form a very decent family (all 504’s at that time were owned by decent families) from a well-to-do town. The car lasted for about two years and quite some kilometers before it gave up, when it ran short on cooling water. I knew it could happen since it was dripping already for quite some time. The end came when I drove through a remote forest area in the middle of the night on a Sunday and didn’t feel like stopping, although the red light on the dash was shouting “STOP”. The engine still kept on working for some kilometers but gave up just one street before I reached my destination. It took me another ten years before I had the guts to completely dismantle it. The ‘first cut’ really hurts ! (picture three). Valuable tip: If you ever run out of cooling water and don’t have any with you, just pee in the radiator as a temporary solution (but don’t come too close for obvious reasons !!).

504 Saloon GL 1979 – 2.0 Carburetor, Automatique
Bought for 975 Euros. I liked this one (drove it for two years), although it had been ‘upgraded’ with a lot of fiberglass, but before that became visible, I was able to sell it for a 1135 Euros (even more then I bought it for). For some reason this car had notably more power than the first one. Although this was my first 504 I had to change the gasket from, it was certainly not my last !!!

504 Saloon TI 1978 – 2.0 Injection, Automatique
After 2 x GL I had set my mind on a TI. One time I was walking in my parents garden when I saw a 504 passing by. I jumped over the fence and caught up with the car. It looked great and moreover it was a TI. I begged the guy to sell it to me and he did for 2042 Euros. I also bought a leather interior and a set of Dunlop alloy wheels for it. Only drove it once in 1991 and then decided to give it a complete restoration because I liked it so much (easily happens when you first time experience a 504 – 2 liter injection engine). As you can see on picture two, I made a good start (sandblasted chassis parts). However, this project was canceled in 2002 with the complete dismantling since I didn’t see it happening anymore. Fortunately the parts I treated are interchangeable with any of the other 504s we own, so nothing really lost here.

504 Saloon TI 1977 – 2.0 Injection, Automatique
So much fun to drive and very cheap as well (as it ran on LPG). People were always surprised that it ran so smoothly despite the injection system which is said to give many problems when you change to LPG. Unfortunately, after four years it gave up one day on too little oil (again I knew it was dripping). One of the pistons was completely destroyed. We repaired it, but really never used it again since shortly after we went living abroad. On the first picture below you can see my dad holding an egg on a spoon, while I’m doing a circuit as fast as I can during one of the Peugeot Club events. Sold in 2003 for 300 Euros to two guys who then could even split the price since one only wanted the engine and the other one the body (needless to say that the Dunlop alloy wheels were not included).

504 Saloon 1969 – 1.8 Carburetor
Finally another color. On the hunt for a 504 mode ’69, I imported this very nice car (sold to me for 800 Euros) from Germany. Very rare also, since there is not much left from the first production year. Tip: If you strive for an original 504, don’t buy one from the first production year that is not completely original. It is a real pain to get some of the spare parts. After being safely stored for the first two years (during which I started to collect the necessary spare parts for a restoration) it crashed during a slippery winter day after only a few thousand kilometers of duty. Completely dismantled. Engine sold. End of story.

504 Saloon GL 1977 – 2.0 Carburetor, Automatique
I bought this car for 1900 Euros and shipped it over to Mexico during our four years stay there. I expected to get a job somewhat away from where we lived, but in the end I hardly needed to use it. I do not regret the shipping though, cause Mexico is an excellent place for ‘natural car conservation’. Since we are back in the Netherlands again, the car returned as well and is safely stored for later use. It was definitely not an eye catcher in Mexico. Just too small compared to the huge US 1970’s battleships that are very popular over there. Picture one is in front of our Mexican house. Picture two shows me repairing the shock-absorber after hitting one of Mexico’s famous speed-bumps that was suddenly constructed over night. Picture three shows the porch I made to protect the car against the burning sun.

504 Saloon 1969 – 1.8 Carburetor
Only car I know of from the first production year that has original Dutch plates. The first time it was for sale, I wanted to come and have a look at it. It was wintertime and they advised me to come back during springtime. The doors of the garage were frozen and they couldn’t get in… The price was too high anyway. I kept the car in mind and found it for sale again a few months later. Also the price had dropped a bit (still 5.445 Euros though) . Unfortunately we were in Mexico that time so we had to buy it by telephone without ever having seen it. Seeing it for the first time was a real surprise. Although the interior had suffered (and had partially been removed) and so did the paint work, it was almost completely rust free (!) and with the engine in good condition. Amazing for a 504 that had spent almost thirty years in the coastal areas of the Netherlands. On the first picture we’re enjoying it before its restoration on a trip in the Champagne region. It has undergone a rigorous restoration in 2001 (result in picture two). I have been trying hard to get some of the history on this car. It was delivered to me without any documentation, so there was nothing to trace. In 2004 I finally got in contact with the very enthusiast grandson of the first owner.

  • Go to the ‘restorations’ TAB on this page to see some pictures of its restoration in 2001.
  • Go to the ‘rides/shoots/articles’ TAB on this page to see
    • Pictures of it’s maiden trip to France (Vosges).
    • It’s appearance in an article in a Russian car magazine in 2004.

504 Coupe 1974 – 2.0 Injection, Automatique
Not in perfect condition, but what a fun car to drive !! This car caused some serious headaches in the beginning since water was entering all the time it rained. You all know how difficult it is to find the spots where water is coming in. For the boot it was easy: The former owner must have had a similar problem and thought that the solution was to apply a lot of putty under the rear window rubber. Of course it got only worse…. For the wet carpets we thought that water was coming alongside the door rubbers. First tried to bend the window frame so the doors closed more firmly. Then applied a plastic tube in the door rubbers so the rubbers stuck out more erected. No effect on the water inlet problem but less wind noise indeed. In the end it turned out to be that the plastic cover applied on the inside of the doors had been removed and that water could slip in through the door panels. 
On picture two I’m kicking the tires at my wedding. Picture three proves that there is enough room in the back of a coupe to have fun. This is the car my wife loves most. I had to promise her that I will start paying serious attention to this car when the ‘green’ 1979 restoration is finished. We have used it as 2nd daily car for almost four years and although it was sometimes only used once every 2-3 months it ALWAYS started with the first turn of the key. It is now safely stored, but since years have gone by it looks almost impossible to restore it to its former glory. Bought for 5218 Euros but expect to have to spend X times this amount again to get it perfect again.

504 Family Wagon 1979 – 2.3 Diesel
Indeed extremely difficult to find. Very little adds. came to our attention. Most of those were not even worth the time I took to gather some information on the cars. One guy was getting these family cars from Portugal for export to Africa, all in good condition he claimed. A total waist of time.
After a 4-5 years search I found the one on the photo’s below when a Dutch guy had just bought it the same day from a French owner. The price was OK (2723 Euros) and it was in a very reasonable condition. There are some spots that need attention in a few years, but what is most important: The interior is in very good condition. Over time I learned that you can better buy a reasonable car with a good interior than a good car with an interior in bad condition, since interior parts are always very hard to find. We used the car (which still had French lisence plates) while spending our vacations at our little farmhouse in the French countryside (picture three). But after turning 40 it was cheaper to get it imported, so it is ow part of our ‘Dutch’ collection. I was also able to find genuine set of seat belts for the 3rd seat row, so the twins are finally allowed to sit over there.

504 Saloon 1970 – 1.8 Injection
I did miss some parts for the restoration of the blue 1969 saloon. The rear bumper was not original and the ‘504’ and ‘Peugeot’ chrome symbols on the car didn’t look too good anymore. I found a 1970 504 for sale and asked the owner if I could switch the parts I needed (Of course I offered him a good price). Unfortunately he refused and after a week or two I decided to buy the whole car for the 1702 Euros he asked for the parts I wanted. Then we decided that this car was actually not so bad and in a good enough condition to use it on a daily basis. So, the white 205 had to go…… Mmm…. can you still follow what’s going on…..
The story behind picture three goes as follow: During spring 2002 we participated in a ‘Tour de Vosges Rally’ , a weeks event where we had to do all kinds of things with roadmaps and so on for fun. One of these ‘fun’ things during eight hours a day was to spot black letters, printed on a yellow background in the road verge. Not really funny, cause when the week was over it took us several weeks to drive ‘normal’ again, keeping focused on the road itself. Now, a few months later we went for a three days trip to Belgium. Driving on one of the countryside roads we said to each other: He, this looks like one of the Rally roads. At that very moment I couldn’t believe my eyes since I saw in a flash something black on a yellow background… Indeed one of those darn letters, they must have been forgotten to remove at the end of the day… Since that time I don’t want to drive this car anymore and get even shaky when I see it… (joke). I recently wanted to sell it, but my wife didn’t agree. A rigorous inspection however showed that it was definitely more wise to let it go…… Sold for 275 Euros.

504 Saloon TI 1979 – 2.0 Injection
As of 17 March 2002 this beautiful green colored Saloon, fresh from the Paris region, became number 11 in row and ranks second on my list of favorites (just behind the blue 1969). Bought for a little over 2400 Euros. It is one of the last TI Saloons produced, completing my hunt for a ’69 model and a ’79 model. Condition: very good overall, although the rear end had been worked on (as you can see in the third picture which shows the ‘silver on black’ TI type indication from a 505) and one front wing had been replaced. It came with a complete maintenance history and it has all fabric options (except for the automatic gearbox I wasn’t looking for anyway) like: Leather upholstery, sunroof, seat belts in the back, green tinted windows, metallic paint & varnish, alarm. A very, very comfortable car to drive. Feels very like driving my dads ‘old’ 1986 505 GTI.
Since summer 2002 totally stripped to undergo a complete restoration. I had hoped had it done soon, but the guy who is doing it unfortunately didn’t seem to be in a hurry. After one and a half year he told me that he has just bough the sanding paper and the paint. Now after three years exactly (March 2005) the guy has finally started. Hurray ! And…………. the end result is very, very nice.

  • Go to the ‘restorations’ TAB on this page to see some pictures of its restoration from March to July 2005.

    504 Coupe 1972 – 2.0 Injection, Automatique
    If you don’t come too close it doesn’t look too bad, but it’s actually in poor condition. Found in April 2003 on eBay for 300 Euros. The guy who owned it had bought it ‘unseen’ somewhere in the south of France and had it transported for restoration to a 504CC restoration workshop in Central France (picture one). Interesting place, but I didn’t like the quality of work delivered at all. When the owner of the coupe realized that a restoration would have cost him a years salary or so, he decided to sell it again. He could have sold it to the workshop guy, but he didn’t wanted him to get all these spare parts that cheap ! Very remarkable if you know that he also had his 504 convertible under restoration with the same workshop !!
    I transported it to our farmhouse in France where is very organically located between the nettles. I originally thought of dismantling it to support the restoration of our Coupe 1974, but soon we decided that it actually belongs to be in the garden. We follow its decay and I’m shooting pictures almost every season. The local “scap metal lady” seems very interested in this car as she is peeking through the fence every time she passes (fat chance). The boy form the neighbors is still convinced that we get it on the road again. If we replace the broken headlamp we are already almost there he says….

    Now after almost 20 years I finally sorted out the series of pictures I took over the years. Click the Gallery button here below to see its decline 2003-2020.

    504 Saloon GL 1976 – 2.0 Carburetor, Automatique
    Found in the English Countryside. A ridiculous low priced offer but without any photo available. The talk was OK and since we already had decided to go out for the week-end anyway, we hopped in the 405 and went of to England rather than to France (which we intentionally wanted to do). In the middle of nowhere (but in a beautiful scenery in the North-Western Midlands) we met the very nice owner whose family grew too big and who just wanted to get the car to go into good hands. It looked pretty decent (little surface rust spots only, leather interior in decent condition, 68.000 km. only) and the deal was there for 1750 Euros. But…… literally on the first corner it stopped and the engine wouldn’t run anymore. We were towed away (image 2) after we concluded that the points were completely gone (lifter broke off). Fortunately the garage was able to get their hands on a new set which arrived within 2 hours and it looked like we were ‘back in business’. After me having adjusted the timing, it ran pretty well…………….FOR THE NEXT 1000 METERS ONLY !!! So…. the guy had to come again to pull us away, back to his garage annex scrapheap. Now we identified that the coil (who was just replaced with a new one the very day before) had completely given up. To get us on the road again a coil from an old VW bus was ripped out and mounted on the 504. Altogether exactly 24 hours after we had originally booked the ferry back, we were finally in the cue to go on board back home (image 3).

    After driving it for almost a decade, an appearance in a movie (Mömfiü – image 3), kids came and also the rust devil showed up and after a failing MOT and with no seat belts in the back we stored the car and put it on sale in the end. Now sold for 900 Euros to a nice guy who has the intention to restore it to its former glory.

    504 Coupe V6 1975 – 2.7 Carburettor
    Since my wifes 504 coupe 1974 turned out te be a hopeless project (more or less) an alternative had to be found rather sooner than later. Found this one nearby for 3500 Euros. The seller just bought is, but claimed he was actually looking for something else, he did find a few days later so the 504 could already go… I guess however, that he thought it to be a bad duy, since the engine was very misbehaving. But…. since the bodywork seemed very reasonable we dicided to buy it and make the best out of it. Indeed the timing was far, far off and the cold start was as deregulated as a cold start mechanism can be. After a good service and repacement of all parts of the ignition system, it now runs very, very well. We almost do 10 kilometers to the liter, which is extraordinary for these cars. So, now since we got the engine right, we dicided to give it a complete overhaul. More details can be found on the ‘restorations’ TAB  on this page. The wife wants to take it to the racetrack when it is finished, but that can still take a while since the guy from the body work shop is not in a hurry at all.

    Now after twenty years of waitng and pushing there is light at the horizon !! Some info can also be found in my blog items.

    504 Coupe 1969 – 1.8 Injection
    Wife was actually pretending to do something on the internet for work, but then spotted this one (!) Orginal Dutch lisence plates, 1st. production year ! And in the color as you find it on the cover of the first brochure. Unfortunately not in too good of a condition. I’m sure that If we had not bought it, nobody else would have done so and the car would have been lost forever. Still had to pay 2.500 Euros….. This is gonna take a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get it back on the road again, but since we still feel young I would say that the thing makes good chance to laste longer than we do….. Did tranport it from the vendor right to the storage shed, so really nothing more to say about it other than we got fined for driving too fast during its transportation….

    Now in 2020 I was able to find a 1.8 injection engine to replace the 2.0 injection engine which i not genuine and is completely stuck anyway.

    504 Convertible 1982 – 2.0 Injection
    There had been a time that I intensively searched for a decent convertible. Seen dozens, but then I gave up since I had seen too much crap and was simply not in the mood anymore for a long time. Then 10 years after that: Don’t know why I decided to go and see this one, but glad I did. Very good condition and a fair price. After 10 years with its 1st Swiss owner and 20 years with a caring Dutch elderly couple, I’m the proud third owner. Not a bad move I think.