I captured this old Peugeot 504 L back in 2017, a one time find that I’ve never come across again. Meanwhile, in recent times, a battered black one that I used to see around my wife’s old neighborhood seems to have disappeared. A third and last one I knew of, parked in a gated community near my home in San Salvador, has also gone missing.
So, have the days of seeing old 504s come to an end around me? Have these gone from being in their autumn days to fading away to a lifeless winter?
It’s, admittedly, a hard idea to accept. Old Peugeots were a given in the streets of San Salvador, and the thought of their –let’s say– distinctive shapes no longer being around is a difficult one for me to live with. Not the most relevant of worries, I know, but well… the priorities of my mind.
And I know the droopy rear ends of these Pininfarina styled vehicles are an acquired taste. I did think of these as funny-looking as a child, but now my older self finds them oddly attractive. I wouldn’t go as far as saying that they’ve aged like wine, but rather, they’re a wine I got used to.
I believe the door handles on this one date it to a pre 1975 model. Meanwhile, the “L” emblem in the back is at least from 1973, so let’s say this curbside find belongs to the 1973-74 crop. L was the 504’s stripper entry level trim, and knowing Salvadorian finances, these were probably the best selling 504s around here. Tatra87 covered the history of the 504 L in an earlier post, so you may want to check that for details about these.
Unlike the 504s, a couple of 404s are still around, keeping the “Old Pug” worrying side of my mind somewhat at ease. A worn wagon is still parked by the car wash place I talked about a year ago, and recently, a fairly well preserved 1965 sedan has shown up for sale at the local FB Marketplace. I need an old Pug like I do another DVD set of The Avengers (No, not Marvel movies, but the Diana Rigg series), but my mind wishes for both whenever a copy/sample appears. What’s life if not cluttering one’s home with useless materialistic nonsense? (Said consumerist me).
From this shot, the zebra pattern seat covers suggest this 504 L is doing some kind of role playing. Dreaming of African colonies? Well, that would make sense, old Pugs were loved in that region and thrived there for a long time.
No idea what kind of luck this 504 had after these shots were taken, but maybe I need not be pessimistic. Its looks are autumnal, but overall, quite together. I hope the locals’ tradition of “let’s keep it around” no matter the effort, played in its favor.
Of all the silly things I like, my love for the old 405 is the most inexplicable. Maybe it’s because in the US the Peugeot model numbers indicate how many of each model they sold. I’ve seen a few 505s on the road (20 years ago) and one 405, ever.
I think everything weird about the styling beautiful. And the legendary durability. How often would you find that? Beautiful and durable in the same car?
Hey Mac, not quite sure which car you’re talking about. The 405 is this one:
As a european, I find the 504 much more attractive for the american market with its twin-headlight grille. In Europe, that type of grille was only seen on models from the early 1970s. As for the car itself, I think if it’s not the best French car ever made, it’s certainly among the top five. I’ve never known a more reliable car than the Peugeot 504.
In Uruguay the French-made 504 was only available up to 1970, and then for 1985-86 and then only as a GRD. So most 504s around here are Argentinian, and there were a lot of them. But every now and then (I mean decades ago) a French one brought in by a diplomat or some other state official would appear, and hen put up for sale would be gone in seconds. One of those, a 74 GL, was in 1977 a point of interest for my Dad. We went to see it, and I duly noted all the differences with the ones I knew. Short floor gear lever, starting switch no longer deep in the column but in the upper section, much more reacheable, different internal door latches, and other things I don’t remember. The price was a bit steep and it had 60.000 km on it, and my Dad decided not to get it (as usual…he was quite undecided). About 10 years later I made my FIL buy a 78 Argentinian 2000SES, which had no exact equivalent in France but had real leather upholstery, cut-pile carpeting in a similar color, and generally very good trimming, in a metallic deep brown paint. It was a several year old car and probably had at leasr 120000 km, and as the dealer was located on a very concurred thoroughfare, the engine’s noise was nowhere as loud as when it got home…and mi FIL decided there was a loose rod who made itself known at every revolution (my FIL, though worked as a carpenter all his life, was formally trained as a mechanic and always tended to his own cars). He promptly made his mind, he liked the car, and probably wouldn’t have any problems. He kept the car for 6 years, had to weld new floors, had to tend to electrical issues, but the engine was never touched and the new buyer either didn’t hear the clunk, or didn’t care. In 1993, the year when he sold the Peugeot, Uruguay was the best place to be an expert in swapping to Diesels, and probably that’s what happened to that 504.
Well, all told, I love 504s, even Argentinian ones with a solid rear axle and mostly 404 mecanicals.