I too watched this auction closely. We have a nice 504D of the same
year and I share the feeling that these cars deserve a higher valuation.
If you set aside the fact that is a Peugeot and instead look at what
you get - a 2.3L diesel 4-door sedan that rides like nothing on the
market today, then you begin to respect it more. For some reason, it's
the name "Peugeot" that keeps the prices down. Sure, there's no ABS and
no airbags, but technology enhancements aside, this car is a very safe
vehicle to be driving even today. At a touch under $6k + the cost of AC
repair, I think the selling price was fair. With proper care, this car
could probably outlive an entry level family sedan costing 4x as much.
What's surprising to me is that unlike many other orphaned makes in
North America, Peugeot fans haven't moved past the "clinging" stage. By
that I mean that we are still sharing info with each other and trying to
keep these car alive with existing resources, while with other orphaned
makes businesses have sprung up to provide support by way of
remanufactured parts, cross referenced parts, performance add-ons, etc.
As an example, I've owned a '71 Opel GT since 1978. The period
through the 80's and early 90's was extremely difficult. GM parts
supply dried up, or was simply dumped. Cars were disappearing rapidly
as people just drove them into the ground and generally didn't respect
them or care for them to the extent they perhaps should have. Then the
Internet came along and brought the dedicated enthusiasts together,
businesses started up, rare parts were manufactured in batch production
runs, performance improvements were not only discussed, tested, and
proven, but the 3rd party businesses actually began to sell them as
kits. The result is a thriving community in which this particular mark
is now easier to own than it was 20 years ago. (check out
http://www.opelgt.com if you're interested). FIAT, Alfa, Merkur - they
have similar support channels.
Maybe it's the difference between sports cars and average family sedan?
Owner's reluctance to spend money on a car whose market value is so low?
I don't know. It's a very strange dynamic in the Peugeot community -
at least here in NA. What IS good about the current state of affairs is
that those who know the value (as a vehicle, not monetary investment)
can usually end up with a sweet deal if they are patient and look hard
enough.
Senen.
Ruggeri, Robert wrote:
> I dunno; AC not working.
> I have a 75 sedan in nice shape so I'm glad to see the price take
OnOn
> off.......
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: peugeot-L@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:peugeot-L@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Steven Harris
> Sent: Monday, November 19, 2007 10:38 PM
> To: Lance; Peugeot-L@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [Peugeot-L] 504 on eBay
>
>
>
> And well worth every single penny! Just wish I could afford
> it....
>
> Lance <lanceto@netineti.clearwire.net
> <mailto:lanceto%40netineti.clearwire.net> > wrote: Look at the price!!!!
>
>
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trkparms=tab%3
> DWatching&viewitem=&item=110193306340&_trksid=p3907.m32
> <http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trkparms=tab%
> 3DWatching&viewitem=&item=110193306340&_trksid=p3907.m32>
>
> --
> Lance
Received on Wed Nov 21 03:58:34 2007
