Faults:

Bought cheaply since it was difficult to start when cold. Ran rough even when warm. Dealer unable to fix it even after several visits. We replaced the bimetal spring in the automatic choke. That helped a bit and made the car drivable, but not perfect. Then rebuilt the carburetor. Still a bit better, but still some hesitation when cold. Drove that way first year. After some investigation with a carburetor specialist, I realized you can't really rebuild these on a DIY basis. So got it factory rebuilt. Unfortunately I think a lot of these cars got an early grave due to carburetor problems that dealers said was "impossible" to fix.

Besides that very little problems. Brakes, muffler, shocks, suspension parts etc, i.e. standard wear items.

General Comments:

Comfortable and very good to drive, and practical. This was the estate version with a pretty sizeable loading capacity. Partly used to pick up goods and parts for my step dad. We regularly loaded this with 600-700 kg of brass and metal parts. Very solid and well put together. Was getting rusty in the end and was sold off. Mechanically it was fine.

Faults:

Rear suspension rubbers needed replacement.

A/C needed regassing.

Like many old 504s rust was an issue. I removed the major spots in the firewall (near the windscreen wiper motor) and in the front door sills. Get one without any rust if you can!

The usual Peugeot oil leaks around the gearbox.

General Comments:

A fantastic car that I constantly regret selling, the 504 epitomised everything that was great about Peugeot. While the next model, the 505 was a more capable car, the 504's aesthetics were spot on.

While certainly not fast, 504s (especially later models) are easily able to keep up with modern traffic. Mine consistently returned fuel consumption of 11L/100km, down to about 8.5L/100km on a trip. Not bad for an old car.

Mechanically very simple, the 504 is easy and cheap to maintain. Although they have no power steering, 504s are very easy to drive. The best thing about 504s though are the seats - the most comfortable of any seat I've sat in. Mine were brown velour - just like big armchairs. Mine also had factory A/C, 505 alloys and CD player - what more does one need?

Faults:

Brake master cylinder replaced at 172,000Kms.

Clutch failed at 176,000Kms.

Speakers and radio were replaced, as they were not working well when I bought the car.

Radiator cracked and leaked at around 178,000Kms.

General Comments:

This is a superb car, from the moment you sit in it you can tell that it is built with quality.

Handles beautifully, although there is quite a bit of body-roll.

Engine is strong and reliable. Little maintenance required.

There is little in the way of acceleration or speed (the 504 is equipped with a 4-speed transmission), however there is plenty of torque; almost enough to start in 3-rd gear.

The seats are amazingly comfortable!

Faults:

I bought it with a cracked liner seal and 118000 Km in the counter ( I suspect it had about 250000)... changed the engine by an XD2 found in a scrapyard... and from then the car has made 135000 Km (4 years). The engine I found in the scrapyard had an oil leak that was fixed and 15000 Km ago I had to replace the starter motor, but I don't think it was the car's fault because it worked perfectly, had a major frontal accident (the repairs costed 3800$ that were paid by the other car's insurer) and the same day I had the car back from the dealer, the starter motor didn't work.

I have to change now the steering flector (a rubber piece that costs $3). Nothing else but normal wear elements like brake pads and tyres (that last around 85000 Km each). I have even the same belts the car had when I bought it.

General Comments:

Don't think that anybody builds cars like this nowadays. The XD2 engine, and the transmission are a rock. 20 years old, many kilometers and hard driving on them, and they work like a clock. The body rusts very easily.