Rusty But Trusty

Peugeot’s 404 has to be one of those cars you buy if you want to meet people from other countries. If driving a Lada is an automatic opener to conversations with people from most former Soviet countries, so driving a Peugeot 404 must be an ice-breaker with people from France and its various colonies, along with other countries on the African continent. As with the Volvo featured earlier this month, older Peugeots are a great starter classic, both for their durability and their parts availability guaranteed by a production run that lasted through 1991. Okay, so that’s already 24 years ago, but some of those must still survive. Check out this 1969 Peugeot 404 for sale for $3500 on Camano Island, WA.

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In the lean post-war years in Europe, there was a golden age of spartan, well-built sedans that, unlike their American counterparts, were built to be durable to the extent they could be considered heirlooms with a bit of extra care. On their home continent, they served as taxis, ambulances, hearses, and in various other heavy-duty roles. Thanks to their remarkable designs (or the manufacturers’ need to get the most out of the development costs for these costly cars), they lasted long past their natural expiration dates, and some were manufactured well into the 1990s. Mercedes, Volvo, and Peugeot (and Saab, to a lesser extent) all built cars that fit in this category, so for today, check out this 1969 Peugeot 404 for sale for $3950 in Kuna, ID.

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