At $2,500, Will You Give This 1982 Peugeot 505 TD A French Toast?

Considering that today’s Nice Price or No Dice Peugeot has almost 240K on the clock, it’s safe to say that anything that could go wrong has long passed the opportunity to do so. Let’s decide if old, quirky, and slow demands a price that is low.

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We almost attained our holy grail yesterday—a 100 percent consensus vote. We came dang close. The contender? A 1991 BMW 318is that had been converted into a supercharged S52-equipped monster. The price? $27,000. The issue? The car wasn’t presented as being anywhere near nice enough to command that much. And the result? A 98 percent No Dice loss.

In America, we tend not to think of France as a significant innovator in the automotive sector. The baguette department? Sure. But not so much cars. That generalization is wrong, however, as the French auto industry maintains several significant firsts, including the steering wheel and the remote key fob.

Since we can now take the French car industry seriously, let’s take a serious look at this 1982 Peugeot 505 turbo diesel, which was built at the company’s Shochaux factory in France’s Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region near the Austrian border. That’s pretty-darn French.

Introduced in 1978 in replacement of the 504 and riding on a platform derived from its predecessor, the 505 slotted in as Peugeot’s mainstream sedan worldwide. Featuring long suspension travel and generous ground clearance, the 505, available in sedan and estate body styles, proved immediately popular, especially in underdeveloped nations with shit roads. It’s also notable for being the last front-engine/rear-wheel-drive Peugeot sedan ever built.

Peugeot sold the 505 in the U.S. with several engines, the most popular of which, in the first few years of the model’s run, was the four-cylinder diesel. Beginning in 1981, a Garrett turbocharger was added to the 2.3-liter oil burner, boosting output to 80 horsepower and 152 lb-ft of torque. Here in the States, that was made available only with the five-speed stick.

This 505 has the turbo-diesel and, hence, the five-speed. Peugeot sold a little less than 14,000 505s in the States in 1982, but few of those have been given an extended lease on life, as has this one. According to the ad, it has done a stunning 239,208 miles, and aside from some aesthetic blemishes and some quirks, it looks ready to do a lot more.

It’s the paint that lets the car down visually. Per the seller, that’s a respray. The clear coat, however, is giving up the ghost on all the horizontal surfaces, marring the ability to appreciate the incredibly handsome Pininfarina bodywork below sufficiently. On the plus side, all the trim and the factory alloys are still present and accounted for.

It’s a better experience in the cabin with mouse fur upholstery that looks to be in excellent condition and no major issues other than an ill-fitting dash wig and a bit of missing trim above the driver’s left knee. The steering wheel cover should also be retired, and some general cleaning is needed, but nothing looks too daunting in here. Don’t plan on using the sunroof, though, as it is broken.

Mechanically, it’s claimed to be in “Good running condition.” Nothing seems amiss under the hood, and there even appears to be a new top radiator hose and thermostat, so there’s that. According to the seller, the car is on non-op registration. The tags indicate it has been so since just last year. That means no back registration fees for the next owner and that the seller is a bit of a scofflaw for shooting the pictures on a public street with the expired tags. I won’t tell if you won’t.

Also, since this is a diesel of a certain age, no smog test will be required if it’s sold in California, where it’s currently located. The title is clean, and the price for this Gallic creampuff is $2,500.

Look, I know most of us would consider that price a bargain even if the car was actually 15 feral cats in a Peugeot suit, but the question remains: is an old 505 a reasonable car to take on? Would even that meager amount of money be better spent elsewhere?