Greetings to one and all.
I've been meaning to get this out since the thread started so here goes.
Name: Steven Klein
Town: Seattle, WA
Car: 1985 505 GL wagon, 5 spd, 145k
I grew up in Washington, D.C. and parents of friends, who for the most
part were civil servants or diplomatic corps, had Renault Dauphines,
Peugeot 403's, a Citroen, Saab 96's, and of course the occasional
Lincoln Continental and Ford Falcon station wagon. I lived in Germany
for a few years and got to drive BMW 1600's, a few different Alfa
Romeos, and a VW van. NSU had the RO-80 at the time and it was a lovely
sight on the autobahn. I had been an avid cyclist for years and so the
second day I was in Frankfurt I bought a Peugeot PX-10E bicycle to ride
while I lived in Europe. I'd always ridden bikes with Campagnola
components so the Simplex/Mafac gear took a little getting used to.
When I got back to the states I moved to Seattle and bought my first
car- a Volvo 144s. One day while getting parts for the Volvo I walked
down the street to a dealer on Seattle's Capitol Hill that sold Peugeots
and saw my first 504 wagon. It was gold, had the mammoth cargo area, and
I was ever so subtly indoctrinated into this world of The Lion. I'll
never forget how struck I was by the design of the body, the comfort of
the seats and the overall sense of refinement compared to my Volvo.
Years passed and I bought my first Peugeot- a 1982 504 Diesel wagon-
gold of course. Great car. It developed rust around the tail gate and
after 100k (145k total) the crankshaft broke. I know not why. My
mechanic at the time, Bob Danielson, hooked me up with one of his
customers who had a '74 504 GL gas sedan. I paid $1000 dollars cash for
it and just loved that car. The ride was perhaps the best I had
experienced and the ability of the suspension to absorb speed bumps and
potholes was astounding. Handling, acceleration, braking and driving
experience still bring a grin to my face. When my original mechanic (Bob
Danielson) retired I started going to the shop known as Rxxxx Motors in
Seattle- the beginning of the end of the 504 sedan. After spending far
too much money on exploratory procedures and what I can only describe as
quantum mechanics I was forced to give up on this delightful little car.
While I still owned the 504 sedan I came across the wagon I have now. I
was working in professional theatre at the time as a sound
designer/composer and was engaged by the Utah Shakespeare festival for 6
seasons so I got to drive to Cedar City in southern Utah- a 1200 mile
trip each way. The first year the speed limit was still 55mph so there
was a lot of shifting but the next year our country came to its senses
and I got to fly through Idaho and Utah. 90 mph through the Idaho
mountains was a revelation in how nice the 505 wagon is on the road. I
had a roof top carrier (Yakima Space Cadet) that I put my bike in so
when I got to the festival I could use my bike for transportation and my
car for adventures. One of the wildest was a mountain trail from Zion
National Park to Cedar City. The road went from macadam to dirt to
gravel to boulders and the 505 did it all. Every other vehicle was an
SUV or truck. I don't really want to know what kind of wear I might have
put on the suspension/drive train but it was a great trip and the looks
I got from other drivers are memorable.
The year before my last trip to Utah I bought an 82 505S Diesel
automatic to drive around town. My wife (now ex) didn't drive and my son
was coming up on driving age so I thought that an automatic would make
it easier for them to learn- neither did. I am a big fan of Diesel
engines- I like the torque, the efficiency, and the foaming fuel. This
car went to my ex wife who still doesn't drive. If anyone is interested
in buying it I'm sure she would be interested in selling it. She starts
it every week, lets it warm up, and goes through the gears. I had the
injectors rebuilt before I gave it to her. The body is fair, the glass
is good, and it used to be a great deal of fun to drive. Contact me off
list if you'd like to get the contact number. I can probably provide a
little more information about the car if you want.
So now I drive my 505GL wagon every day. My mechanic is Krys
Dziubkiewicz at Motor Technik Modell (771 Valley St Suite 102 Seattle,
WA 98109 206.281.5026). I've got a small leak in the exhaust system
that he is going to repair next week- ordered the parts today. Krys has
done a great job of maintenance on my car and I'm really happy to have
him so close to me. There are a lot of Peugeots in Seattle (and several
mechanics as well). I just saw a burgundy 505 STI V6 two weekends ago in
Pioneer Square- it was a car that I hadn't seen in town before. I live
in the Magnolia area of Seattle and there are quite a few 505's and at
least 2 or 3 405's in this part of town.
I mentioned bicycles earlier in this post and I recall other members
talking about bikes so... I've got a 1964 Schwinn Paramount P-13 that
I'm selling. I'm the original owner and love my bike but because of some
knee and groin injuries just can't ride anymore (I have discovered
rowing and that is another story). The frame and fork are Reynolds
531with Campy drop outs, 25" seat tube, all chrome with most of the
original Terra Cotta pinstriping intact. I have all of the original
components- Campy Record hubs (120mm) derailleurs, cranks, pedals, etc.
I did replace the original steel Record rear derailleur with a Nuovo
Record. Cinelli Giro d' Italia bars and stem, Weinmann center pull
brakes, etc. I was doing a lot commuting a few years ago and swapped the
original components for a set of Chorus cranks, rear derailleur, and a
set of long throw Campy brakes with the 10mm drop adapter on the front
and a custom fabricated adapter on the rear. I have several saddles-
there is a Brooks Professional on it now and I also have a Brooks B-17
Swallow that is still useable. If anyone is interested let me know. I'm
also selling the last of my recording equipment- ReVox A-77 1/4 track
and ReVox A-700 1/2 track.
I read every post on the list, I don't respond very much but I do enjoy
each and every one of you who contribute. It is a pleasure to be
affiliated with all of you.
Warmest Regards,
Steven M. Klein
'85 505 GL Wagon
145k
Recommended format for your email subject lines:
Model # [Model Letters] Year Subject
Examples:
505 88 V6 Mileage
405 Mi16 89 Ignition Coil source?
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Received on Wed Mar 9 00:53:20 2005
