15th Mar 2017, 20:52
I totally agree with you on your '90s cars (being-best) conclusion. The Alfa Romeo 164 falls into this '90s reliability and simpler design also. It checks all the boxes. And Peugeot certainly falls squarely into this category with the 405. I have three of them: manual DL 1.9 petrol, automatic 1.9 petrol, and Mi 16 manual. I have 205,000 miles on the DL with the original clutch. Never had any significant issues; just simple maintenance. The Bosch Motronic 1.3 injection is so solid in its reliability and good gas mileage. The whole 405 design execution is simple and successful. Forget the newer more-complicated cars of the 2000s; too many issues/problems with supposed mechanical design "improvements". And, the rust issues with the '80s and '70s are a problem. Exactly right, this early '90s era car model production is the best of the sweet spot, all things considered. Keep 'em maintained and enjoy them... no matter what others say or think. ;)
23rd Nov 2025, 18:43
I agree with everything you're saying; Peugeot has stopped making cars like this. The last good large Peugeot was the 406. In the 2000s, the brand withdrew from the mid-to-large luxury sedan segment.
The 405, moreover, saw significant improvements in interior quality, materials, and bodywork during its redesign in the early 1990s.
10th Jan 2016, 17:27
Why worry about the looks? Keep the thing and "beat the system" - you'll probably spend in a year what most people spend in one month's finance repayments on a new car!! If it works, keep it - you said yourself it was tough to track down.
A guy near me owns a coach firm and runs these and early 406s as company hacks - they HAVE to be the old XUD (?) indirect injection unit he says though - what little you lose in ultimate MPG, you gain in refinement, simplicity and ease of maintenance.