The Peugeot 604 in British Columbia
- Thread starter Mike Tippett
- Start date
Every state has its own licence plates and some of them are quite creative in their options and approach. It is still possible to tell the state of origin of a vehicle from a distance which in recent times has become something of a disadvantage.
If the ad is still there, does that mean that the car is still available to purchase, and at the same price as it was?
No. It was sold but the for sale ads seem to be archived.
That car sold for $3k around 18 months ago
At $13K now it seems a little pricey for what it is (eg flat paint). I'd expect something in mint cond for that. It could be worth every cent of that price to someone. Just not to me, even though I am ready to buy the right 604 if one ever comes up.
For the wear and tear internally it seems it's had a rough 90k
You, and other people I know.
It could be a seller's market for 604s! Who would've thought that possible?
I think that might be true, if the price was realistic. While not as endearing as a 604, I have always liked the Rover SD1, esp Series II. It is a similar car to the 604; a 'premium' luxury sedan, but an orphan here.
I could have bought a SD1 in very good original condition with 114,000km for about $7K (or less) a couple months ago. I baulked at it as I have been waiting for a 604. Truth be told, while I don't think a SD1 auto is a patch on a good 604 (Ti, STi or GTi), parts seem a lot easier to find, esp in the UK. I haven't looked v hard for 604 parts, but aside from some stuff that is shared with 504, it would seem they are not easy to get. Basically I think that SD1's asking price is also on the money for a good 604.
There are always exceptions though. If someone ordered a 1985 604 GTi manual fully optioned from the factory in a nice colour and imported it here, it's only done 20,000km, always maintained and garaged, kept all receipts etc and it was now for sale -- then I imagine such a car would be worth a lot more than $7K.
I thought that the Rovers were appreciated by the Australian motoring journalists of the time but they quickly lost interest. I wa never sure what had happened to cause that change of mind. I have some memory that the Rover won a Car of the Year award here, so it can’t have been all bad. But overall, I agree with you that I like the car. My mechanic does a lot of work on English cars but I don’t recall seeing any of them in there. I’ll try to remember to ask him about them.
That is very low kilometres for a car of that vintage! I would have been very tempted if I had been in the market.
You’re not wrong about parts availability for the 604. I had my 604 from 1999 to about 2005, I think. In that time, I had two accidents with kangaroos, both along the same stretch of road, not far from where I was living at the time. Getting the first accident repaired was not difficult. The only broken parts were the radiator and the grille, from memory. Getting the second accident was much more problematic. Two headlights had been broken. Whilst the lenses/reflectors were comparatively easy to find, the clips which hold the lights in place were next to impossible to find. The car was off the road for about 6 weeks after everything else had been repaired whilst the clips were ‘searched for’. I don’t even remember where it was that they were located or if I had found them or the repairer did. It was a nightmare.
A mild understatement!
This bit reminded me of when I had my 604 (1999-2005) and I was searching for a LH door mirror. I made contact with the U.S. based Peugeot group which at the time was running on Yahoo Groups. None of the 604 owners had a door mirror that they were willing to part with. I found it interesting - and annoying - that the 604 only ever had a driver’s door mirror. In LHD markets, only the left hand (exterior) mirror was available. And conversely, in RHD markets, only the right hand mirror was available.
But I had a couple of friends who were working in France so I contacted them and asked what the possibilities were. Nothing. They hadn’t even seen a 604 for many years. They felt that if they were to go to a dismantling yard in search of a mirror for me that they would be laughed out of the country. I decided that it would not be worth the friendship!
Way back in 1983 John Regan's 604 was needing a door mirror and even they were having trouble getting one. I believe it was on back order for months.
Do you know if he was wanting the original RH mirror, or was he trying to do the same thing as I was?
I think he was seeking the original.
Now here's a turn up. The 604 I advertised in 2011 was on behalf of someone else. I thought it was sold. Apparently not. The owner is in ill health. I will visit him to confirm but it may still be there in a shed with the old asking price of $7500.
Interesting. Does it have a different carburettor on it? I'm guessing that (judging by the plates) this car is in Victoria?
A Holley carby if it's the same car. The seller is a backyard dealer in older Peugeots. I introduced a Qld member to him and he came down with a truck to buy a 403 ute and wagon. The deal did not go well and he feels he was ripped off. He put an opinion up here on the seller. It's an opinion I can't disagree with. So the cars can be good but the trader must be treated with caution. As he is quite old and unwell now there may be a clearance and an opportunity for some good purchases. When he restores a car he has it done by professionals and it is well done. There is a restored 203C he wants $22000 for and a restored 403. It's an activity I've preferred to keep my distance from but I'll see what is going on. It's in far western Victoria which is free to travel to from the eastern states but not SA. I won't put his phone number up until I assess the situation.
That's good of you to do that Russell - thank you. I might be interested... but it's long way from me. It looked great in 2011, but a lot can happen to a car in nine years...
It might not be the same car. I will visit in the next few days. There was a collection of non- runners in a shed including a 604. One of the few remaining farm collections of old Peugeots but there was family pressure to clean it up. The worry is when the inevitable happens the lot goes to a scrap dealer.