Even though many manufacturers have been forced out of the US market, that doesn’t necessarily mean they weren’t making good product. The Peugeot 505 is a good case in point – a well-proportioned sedan, comfortable seating and good handling, and in the Turbo, a 160hp 2.1 liter turbocharged four-cylinder. It’s even rear-wheel-drive. So why didn’t it do well here? There’s a whole Harvard business case on that one – okay, maybe not – but the short story is you get a super-depreciated car that should be a pretty decent ride, and if it’s not, well, you only skipped one month’s pay to get it. Right? So check out this 1985 Peugeot 505 Turbo for sale for $1800 in Puyallup, WA.
With the recent relocation of the RustyButTrusty HQ to the Pacific Northwest, let’s get one thing in the open – it’s called Pew-al-up. And the car is not called Pew-joe, but Puh-zhoe. Black on grey is a suitable color combination for this conservative but elegant design, though the typical 1980s clearcoat failure has arrived, done its deed, and left the building. But that’s fine, because will you be looking at the fading while you’re racing the car up to 60 in a mere 8 seconds?
Happily, this is a manual transmission car – good for longevity, and for driving amusement. The interior looks like you won’t need to make excuses to your passengers, and it has the earlier funky dash with all the organic curves, instead of the more modern later dash. You also get those smart Turbo alloys that couldn’t be on anything but a Peugeot. The seller says he has manuals and many parts and factory tools, but doesn’t clearly say if these are included.
You will need to make a small excuse to yourself, as the driver’s side seatback bolster is wearing thin. However, that’s pretty respectable in a car showing over 240,000 miles on the odometer. In the turbo’s gauge cluster, you get a cool boost gauge, a rev counter, and, perhaps not unique to the turbo, an idiot light that says STOP. Stop driving? Stop hitting me? Stop, park the car, turn off the engine, and call AAA because your next destination is your friendly Peugeot dealer?
And because this is an 80s car, you get a badge with the manufacturer’s logo and the same lower-case turbo script that everyone with a turbo had. How long would the novelty of a 30-second turbo cool-down cycle last?
Rusty But Trusty 
December 28, 2016 at 8:09 am |
I owned the 2.0 gas exactly the same but with auto transmission as it was the wife’s car….and man did she get some lookers…oh and the car would get some attention too…Ha…it took a garage fire to kill this car….so sad ..I drove this car through a hurricane in 1984…