One of my favorite local salvage yards had a very similar Peugeot to this 1980 504 Diesel that’s listed for sale with just under 100,000 miles and in incredibly well-preserved condition. The car in my jurisdiction clearly belonged to a former professor, which seems like the perfect car for an eccentric that wears a jacket with elbow patches. That car met its demise in the shredder; hopefully, the future for this example here on eBay is brighter. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Roger for the find.
The junkyard Peugeot did, at least, offer up some unused vintage license plates in the trunk which now hang proudly in my garage. Unfortunately, due to the limited number of enthusiasts keeping their 504s on the road, they didn’t sell a single part off of that car in the many years they held onto it. I suspect the clearly passionate Peugeot owner of this car would have snatched it up for some spares (before deciding to list it on eBay, of course.)
The mileage is low, but not impressively so – making this 504’s condition all the more applause-worthy. The sheepskin seat covers rarely find their way into cars that aren’t loved, and I’ll bet the seats are darn near perfect underneath. The manual transmission is the only way to fly in a car with such little power, further compounded by the rare diesel mill under the hood. Really, the interior appears to be faultless.
The same goes for the engine, which still shows lustrous plastics and hoses in good condition. The seller notes it will cruise nicely at 70 m.p.h., and comes with a stamped service booklet. Recent fixes include new tires and a professionally cleaned gas tank, along with a total fuel system refresh. It sounds like this Peugeot was parked for a spell, but was left in the same highly preserved condition we see on display here now. Perhaps another college professor that left their prized Peugeot languishing in the garage.
One of my dream cars from my odd, misspent youth, and equipped just right. I wonder what it will sell for. Would love to try to buy it, but can’t justify it right now.
Growing up I hated these Peugeots, now I’m looking at childhood memories and wonder: what was I thinking?
Although being a French car from that era, I would like to see some pictures from underneath, cause they were known to rust easy.
What a time capsule! Needs to be preserved so that future generations can see what the French (and US college professors) drove in the early 80’s. Maybe a candidate for the Lane Motor Museum here in Nashville?
French? Old? No dealer network? Gee, what go wrong with the new ownership experience? ( Written by a former Simca / Citroen owner).
And diesel too. No thanks.
I love these old Peugeots!!
Personally I have no interest in French cars, but it’s cool that there are people that care to keep these ‘uninteresting’ cars that more or less littered euro streets some 30-40 years ago. I remember as a kid I actually found these 504 sedans appealing somehow, maybe due to the opposed C taillights?
Those N/A Pug diesels are said to run FOREVER and the cars’ conventional layout make them easy to work on – probably also the reason many of these were sent off to Africa, at the same time there was local production of the 504.
Perhaps the most appealing of all 504 would be the 504 Coupe V6 designed by Pininfarina.Have any of these surfaced in the US?
About 12 are in the US
I think I may have mentioned this before, pops had one back in the day.
If you look at the hubcaps, there is one solitary bolt that holds it on the wheel.
When time came to repair a flat, he quickly found out the rim had no hole in the center, so tire machines didn’t work. Tire irons only!
The seats were very comfortable even if the pleather material was like parchment paper. He had sheep skins too.
….sheep skin covers could also hide worn out seats! These cars drive very well but it is no collector’s dream either, just a used car and should not fetch beaucoup Dollars.
These were beautiful cars. My grandfather down under was a Peugeot mechanic and I remember him having Peugeots from the 1950s on from a 203s to 403s and then 404s and finally the 504 and I fell in love with them. My dad was also a convert and had a 203 for a while.
Interested in red 504 if still available
My first car was a 1975 Peugeot 504GL.
I truly enjoyed that vehicle and would like to have one again.