Is my Peugeot 405 any good? A detailed look

[@GeoffBuysCars]

Ah there’s an error with the video one of the clips is repeated, that’s Sunday afternoon editing for you 😂

[@stephenyoung1506]

Thought I was going crazy 🤪 as you there when it went into loop tbh Like 405 saloons tbh just not estate shape

[@sisyphussapprentice8976]

Can't review a french car without a spot of déjà vu. 😃 Love the way you get excited over aspects that we considered "modern" at the time. The 405 was probably the last decent car peugeot made. That "scrappage scheme" has a lot to answer for.

[@seanbroadbent7738]

I thought it was groundhog day😂😂😂

[@clungepoker6749]

Wooah, deja vu!

[@jondonnelly3]

I don't like it. I think my ultimate forever car would be Mk4 Golf with 1.9 turbo diesel. They still look great today, tune well and loads of mods available. Quiet and refined.

[@matthewgodwin3050]

From the era when somebody deep within the bowels of Peugeot really knew how to set up a car for ride and handling. 80s & 90s Peugeots are some of the finest drivers cars you can buy. £900 is a steal for this. Love it.

[@jfv65]

Did you know that Peugeot was the last manufacturer that produced it's very own shock absorbers developed and calibrated inhouse. I think they stopped doing that after the 406. But the point is that it enabled Peugeot to make suspention calibrations that had good grip and control yet were also comfortable. Typical for all french car brands in that era really. Just think of this 405 and also 406, R21 and Laguna1, the BX and Xantia.

[@carukchannel]

Peugeots of the late 80s and 90s were class leading. These 405's were cracking motors and sold a few in my early days of trading. Great Video 👍👍

[@chrishart8548]

They made a great Taxi

[@dortkommendieclowns1474]

I bought a 405 2.0 SRi from '94 in Stockholm last year, I drove straight to the Netherlands. It was a lovely drive, very comfy.

[@DouglasMorton-yr6ck]

A friend of mine had the same car as a taxi. 761000 miles last time in it. However retired not long after. Didn't stop him from keeping it as his own personal car for another 6 years. Proper car! If you do need parts, it's always worth giving Colin a call at pug performance.

[@THECONTROVERSIALCYCLIST]

Future Classic. Bomb proof engines especially the diesels.. Love an old Pug. 309 is one of my favourites.

[@getawayhs2856]

This one isn't. It needs way more spending to make it nice than it will ever be worth.

[@l3nny47]

In 1990 I was given a 1.9 injected petrol 405 SRI as my company car, loved that car

[@IamColonel1]

I drove a 405 diesel saloon back in the early 90s; one the most comfortable car I have driven. I later got a 306 which was nice.

[@vrillon778]

Smokers package! Got to love that😅The flap to hide the radio from thieves prying eyes is brilliant!

[@tee_m]

Race across France vs Lee (not again!) but this time NO TOLL ROADS! Let's see him try find a charger (and a latte) in the middle of nowhere.

[@chrisaskin6144]

Had two 405's - both saloons - a petrol one, followed by a turbo diesel, loved them both. In the early 90's the latest fad amongst society's scumbags was to saw through the cradle housing the spare wheel and nick it - which no doubt is why your spare is in the back.

[@paultaylor9652]

New cars have so many things that many people never use. It does look dated, but I'd prefer a low mileage one of these than a low mileage new Peugeot with their digital dashboards etc.

[@paulhawley7885]

Love the 405 👌

[@semfor22]

You definitely have the right approach to cars, love it 😊

[@plbingham]

my old boy had one as a company car - absolutely loved it

[@dama054]

I had one it was one of the best cars i had 1.9 turbo diesel

[@chrishart8548]

Sure the turbo diesel was not a 1.8. And the non turbo was a 1.9

[@Billy.Cunningham]

It needs some love and an epic roadtrip 👍🏻👍🏻

[@myprimergrey90]

A really good friend of mine had a 405 Estate 1.8 PETROL - his Dad had it new as a company car, he bought it when de-fleeted at 200,000 miles and it went on to 377,000 miles before it finally died. Amazing car!

[@chrishart8548]

Wasn't it a 1.9 petrol and a 1.6 petrol

[@myprimergrey90]

@@chrishart8548 yes, a 1580cc on lower trim levels and a 1905cc on higher spec

[@dan3092]

Pininfarina designed very comfortable with a great FB community for spares glad Harvinder found a home for it on U tube I love my 405 D Turbo getting cooler with age.

[@johnperrin914]

I enjoy your car videos like this 😊 Being from north america, i really appreciate seeing the European cars and their interesting styles and attributes. Great car!

[@minimaxi802]

I remember when the Peugeot 405 was launched about 1987 with the advert and song Take my breath away. The saloons looked good especially in a bright colour like red. The estates appeared later, a bit more bland. I know someone who is still driving two 1990s 405 estates a few miles from me in dull grey and maroon.

[@monkynuts1261]

I had one , brilliant car.Went to Italy and back in the nineties,never missed a beat.

[@nieko3038]

Had one of these. 1.8 petrol with zero rust and lot of space. Quite comfortable car.

[@kawarps]

On the question of what to do with the car must be a heartfelt *keep it.*

[@Lot76CARS]

I absolutely love 405s, I had two as company cars and was crying in my beer when I had to swap to a Mondeo, they really did handle well with good quality. They had a bit of a USP when they launched the facelift car as one of the few cars in the segment that gained air-conditioning., bizarrely when they replaced it with the 406 air-conditioning was not standard across the range… says the person who got a 406 without air-conditioning😢

[@GeoffBuysCars]

The handling of this has surprised me today!

[@surbo5524]

I had 4 saloon 1.6 405s in a row in Singapore until the last one could not be fixed. It has been 6 years and I had some other cars and even a 508, an Expert and a Berlingo in between but none could match the 405 for steering. I have gone back to buying a few in Malaysia and one came with an Mi16 phase 2 engine. Hope that everyone including Geoff can help to keep more of these great cars on the road.

[@mikestanley3219]

We had these as company cars when I was working in South Africa many, many years ago. They were pretty well bomb proof, and you could be confident setting off on long trips on dirt roads over the highveld in the days well before mobile phones, so with no means of calling for help.

[@bentullett6068]

Saw some lads who had brought a red Peugeot 405 estate to the Festival Of The Unexceptional. That was in great condition as well and someone comical in there group decided it would be fun to scewer a baguette to the arial. I hated to tell them but sadly the uk ones weren't built in France but Coventry.

[@iancarrington1967]

I was a service engineer for Scottish & Newcastle and we used 405s , I had a new one every three years as I did well over 30.000 miles a year, they were pretty bombproof, at least the diesels were. I was issued with one petrol version when the company decided to “go green” and that one blew up after about 60,000 miles, after that it was back to diesels.

[@Toprandomfacts45]

Cars were simple back in the day. Now they're way too smart

[@GraceGroves-q5p]

Smart is not always smart unfortunately

[@roverenderalligator9104]

Indeed, just look at the motorways.

[@twosix5444]

I had a 305 in the early 90's. a 2nd hand 1.6 petrol and it was bomb proof. I put some speaker boxes in the back a graphic equaliser in the front and some good door speakers and off I went to the parties, sleeping in the back of it. Me and my partner filled it with camping gear in the boot and drove it almost to Spain and up Pyrenean mountain tracks and back through Switzerland and France. For all the time I had it nothing went wrong with it apart from a stuck brake calliper around Paris that almost went on fire. I loved that car and I wanted an upgrade to the 405 as it was even bigger inside. My dream car back then was a 4x4 405.

[@Perry-James-uk]

Steering wheel reminds me of my old 205 gti’s I use to have 😊

[@bojanstojanovic5465]

I have exactly steering on 205 XS.

[@alundavies5171]

i was part of the team made this car happen at Ryton Coventry! 405 saved Ryton!

[@Aviyel]

Had a 1988 309 built in Ryton! Was in New Zealand

[@SteelSteedStan]

Wow! Seeing that brings so much memories. My mum used to own a non-turbo 1.9D Peugeot 405. She owned it for almost 20 years and 450k miles. Foolproof car really. And I owned a 3 door Citroën ZX with the same engine. It just went on and on without breaking a sweat. Simple and affordable motoring. My father still keeps a Xsara turbo diesel.

[@ThomasVranch]

We drove a 94 Peugeot 405 across Europe. Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Spain, France and back to UK. Ran it on cooking oil for the first leg of the journey. Didn't miss a beat. Great car.

[@thejamesieboy]

Was tempted to by one of these over 20 yrs ago, never got round to it but would still have one today. Cracking car and a great price.

[@floppyflipflop4605]

I had a 406 Hdi estate , soo comfy 346000 miles on clock and the engine and gearbox was spot on, best car I ever had.

[@ianbrown-zw8pz]

Had 2 petrol 405 saloons as company cars in the mid-90s and loved them both! But the later one 1995 had aircon and although it was only a 1.6 LX it was a dream to drive. I ran each to over 100,000 miles and they were trouble-free. Looks like you've got a good'un there!

[@ianjones739]

Love the Peugeot's of the 80s and 90s they made great and genuinely attractive/appealing cars, give me an 80s/90s Peugeot any day of the week. Now unfortunately Peugeot are making a load of boring SUVs just like the other car companies.

[@davidheaney9249]

Had a 406 GRD 1.9 diesel great car .. even ran it on veg oil at one point .. bodywork was solid

[@bramosborne3078]

Geoff I was driving up Cannock Road Wolverhampton yesterday there used to be a coach operator who operated a couple of coaches off his drive called JR Holyhead long gone now but noticed the house is now for sale and on the drive are 2 dumped 405 estates maybe from their operating days! You can see them on streetview on the A460 near B4156 roundabout

[@dartskipper3170]

The 405 was a good car, but the 406 was even better. I drove both of them back in the day.

[@leepower2717]

406 wasn't better, I had a 405 then a.406 which I got rid of within 6 months & went back to a last year of production 405.

[@dartskipper3170]

@@leepower2717 My first 406 only had one minor fault in 80,000 miles. The second one, a late runout diesel model, was given to a colleague when I left the company. I found out later it saved his life when he got punted across both carriageways of the M6 by a foreign lorry one morning. The car was written off. His only injuries were scratches to his arm caused by the thorn bush when he got out of the wreck. The accident closed the M6 and made the National news on Radio5 live.

[@69waveydavey]

I used to do work for a taxi firm, they were all 405/BX's, all XUD powered, I can do a cam belt still with my eyes closed. I had an estate, one that i regretted selling straight away. I still have a boxer campervan with the trusty motor in.

[@cool_training_tips]

Yes a proper car that, good purchase Geoff!

[@m.r.659]

When I had 206 I restored all them faded black exterior trims with gentle help of heat gun and those become nice and new looking. Good repeated video in some parts.

[@tonyw.6813]

I had a Peugeot 205 as a replacement for my company car back in the 90’s. I did put it into a ditch while avoiding a tractor. But , it had the best gearbox I had and since have ever experienced.

[@sisyphussapprentice8976]

I had a 205 diesel. I remember when I first got it I thought the fuel gauge was broken as the needle didn't move. Brilliant little car that went round corners as quick as it went on the straight.

[@HybridGt2052]

I had 2 of these back in the 90's as company cars, over 350k put on both.

[@sib923]

Great to see the blue sky again!!! 1 Day full sunshine is all they've given us this '' summer'' 😒🙄

[@paulmoore6345]

I have a prefacelift 405 Sri surprisingly it’s not a rusty car, My spare is under slung. The only Achilles heel is the rear brake load sensor mechanism which can seize giving you lots of brake at the front not much at the back. Parts are hard to come by. I had to have a stainless steel exhaust made because I couldn’t find one for mine. Enjoy it!

[@andylaauk]

405's were underrated, they handled like they were on rails and the diesels were unbreakable.

[@mpjkea2000]

Lovely drive , used one as a taxi, never let me down.

[@alantheskinhead]

My dad had a company E reg 405 GL or something. It was very basic, just a box on wheels but it was the only automatic his company offered. However I was with my mum driving down the M69 back to Leicester at 3am doing about 70-80mph. All of a sudden there was a huge bang and the sound of metal on metal, the wheels locked up causing the car to veer into the crash barrier. My mum at the time was leaning forward to get something off the floor so to stop her head smashing through the screen I had to push her face into the seat with my left hand and steer with the right. The car at this point started to crab and skid but it did come to a shuddering stop and then the gearbox shattered and punched a hole in the bonnet. The car was a utter right off. It turned out to be the auto box "P" pin had somehow decided to activate at speed and cause the gearbox to blow up in spectacular fashion. I hasten to add my dad's next car was a Cavalier auto that was faultless for 80k miles! My mum ended up with black eyes and bruising with me forcing her back into the seat! Later in life we never learnt our lessons and between us we had a 207cc, 3008 and a 1007.... Never again!

[@DanRobards]

Such pretty cars. All the basics covered and done to a very high level 👏👏

[@andrewwaller5913]

Very comfortable and drove well, i had a 1.6GR F reg as a first car and later a 2 litre SRi L reg saloons.

[@RobertWilliams-oy9qk]

one of the best cars I have ever owned. Wish I had kept it.

[@kevingreen8581]

You have got yourself a great car there Geoff. Enjoy.

[@DouglasMorton-yr6ck]

If you need parts. It's worth giving Colin's call at pug performance.

[@GT380man]

Loved all the history details!

[@gb5uq]

Had a 405 2.0 auto estate on an F plate, the one before they ruined the dashboard. Did over 250,000 miles when I sold it. Passed every MOT and owed me nothing. Best car I ever had.

[@chrishart8548]

I much preferred the dashboard on the later ones. They didn't have that top bit that just ended. It looked a lot more modern and rounded

[@jameswalker7874]

You've got a great car there. A week or so ago the KZbin channel UpnDown had a 405 estate (also diesel) that'd done over 300k but was rotten beyond saving and was going to be broken/scrapped. They dyno'd it and the engine was good as new. Anyway, point is it had the wheels you like and may have the parcel shelf clip you need. Good luck with it. As it's been cared for all it's life, it'll be absolutely bulletproof and cost next to nothing to run. A worthy two fingers to the pcp brigade.

[@leonvanderlinden6929]

Its a French Volvo. My dad owned one for decades.

[@leescott8807]

❤

[@kevinmott6205]

Thankyou Geoff really enjoyed this😊

[@trisrush9155]

A brilliant car!

[@James-ld2jc]

I drove one of those Peugeots, pretty sure it was a 405, to Germany in 2001 - lovely comfortable cruiser

[@jfv65]

The basket for the spare wheel seems to be missing. My old BX had a similar arrangement and to get at the spare wheel one had to lower it from the boot using a wheel nut spanner.

[@offgrid7837]

I'd pay £900 for that any day of the week. I drove one on a 5000 mile road trip to Bulgaria, Romania and Greece with no problems. Really good car.

[@Vincent77654]

I had a 405 as a taxi, absolutely awesome car. Gutted when the council made me get rid of it because of age limit.

[@simonbutler2966]

3d print the parcel shelf bracket

[@johnlladron735]

Great looking car, Geoff. The little features, largely free of electricity, are great.

[@paulineprice9534]

Love it! I've always disliked the new fandangled modern steroidal cars. Give me an old car that does the job any day. We've still got a 1996 Mitsubishi Rodeo Colt with 150k on the clock out in SA. Had it 20 years and it never let us down. Could always get parts. Haven't been back since lockdown. Hopefully going back in October. Wonder if will still work after a battery change? We'll see.

[@liveloud9894]

I had one of these in the late 90s , same model, colour It was a superb solid reliable workhorse of a car, had it 6 years , never failed me once I sold it to a neighbour who subsequently drove it into a wall and destroyed it after a heavy session on the sauce 😡

[@christhesnaildriver]

Oh god Geoff, I'm green with envy that you found a 405 (especially an estate) in such complete and well cared-for condition for £900! Unlike the odd handful of scathing troll commenters with their 'helpful' opinions, 405's are one of my favourite all-round cars of all time, yet for years of keeping an eye out, those that have turned up for sale have been either a) too far away, b) totally ruined or c) far more money than I could spare at the time. Aside from a general appreciation for all pre early 00's French cars, I've been fond of 405's ever since having them (2 saloons & an estate) as school taxis between '98-'00. They seemed far more comfy, stylish and well designed to me than most of the other cars of the time, then suddenly, they all seemed to vanish...

[@lesklower7281]

There was a cradle for the full size spare wheel because of the brackets good luck in finding another one and you got a peach of a car al, the paperwork very good and you know what has been to your Peugeot station wagon but its basic maintenance and servicing and a couple of rust repairs and that parcel shelf that is excellent and all it needs is a tidy up and a clean

[@Pmjs]

I've had a Peugeot 405 1.6GR 93K & 405 1.9TD GLX 95N run-out model in Diablo Red with spoilers&alloys.I've had two 406 2.1TDs 97P& 2.0HDI all 110bhp 2004.

[@wildthing6668813]

When they put that tyres over a certain age had to be replaced on the MOT they were getting people to replace perfectly good tyres that had hundreds if not thousands of mileage of use left in them.

[@leepower2717]

Owned 2 x 405 sakoons back in the day, on these later ones Peugeot removed the sunroof & fitted A/C as standard - you could no cost delate the A/C & have the electric sunroof fitted instead OR pay a little extra & have both options included. Its rare to see a late 405 with a sunroof fitted.

[@rayfordham9230]

My eldest son had a petrol 405 some years ago lovely motor, chewed up motorway miles with a minimum of fuss. Then a 306 diesel another great car, the offerings in recent years not so good 3 cyl lawn mower engines, good grief.

[@bgarston]

This needs to be saved for sure. I once owned a 1.6 306 estate. I bought with 100,000 miles on the clock and proceed to add another 100,000. It was great. Part exchanged it for a 307 SW on the strength of how good the 306 was....what a mistake that was! The 307 was a nice car but was way too complicated and spent more time in the garage than on the road, it was a proper 'Friday car'. Car manufacturers need to go back to making cars like the 306/405, simple with knobs and switches, that beyond electronic ignition doesn't require you hook up a computer to change a door mirror, etc! I have a lot of time for 1990s Peugeots, save this one Geoff. 👍😎

[@marklockwood8386]

I am 53 and in the 80s these cars lead the way on todays deisels and they sound like a tractor back then but work horses

[@martinhudson2552]

Good old cars. I have the 2.0 hdi engine in my car which I believe is a later generation of your engine. Brilliant engines.

[@DavidStanbridge-fx2yn]

passenger door has had a door skin when door skins where a thiing was cheaper than a door

[@justinnewton9509]

Nice set of RS Turbo wheels would fit on that as old fords and Peugeot have the same stud pattern.

[@GraceGroves-q5p]

I took my spare out of the cradle under the boot as it was getting grubby and seizing up. It reduced my boot room but at least it was accessible and clean

[@andytipping70]

i loved my 405

[@paulmunday9773]

Cool !! Less is more, had one of these and a Citroen Xantia estate..better than the BMW and Audi’s that followed..

[@Poshpanda-09]

I had a working pal with a Laguna. Only problems was steering rods. He had the cruiser set at 90 km/h (86 real) and when it was 80 zone he only got a warning. When it was 100 people got mad. 😂

[@PercyPruneMHDOIFandBars]

I had the Citroen version of this, the Xsara. It was a 1.4 and seriously comfortable! I'd still be driving it if some uninsured burke hadn't written it off! Haven't found anything as good since. Cracking little motor STILL miss it!

[@jagman999]

This is so good it felt like I watched it twice 😅

[@willdatsun]

had a turbodiesel, in 2007 not bad, very comfortable, and fairly economical. rear floor and chassis started to rot however and usual French weak electrical components. Hardly ever see a 405 these days.

[@sandralidster473]

The best Peugeots 405s, and they are still made in Iran. I'd love a good 405 wagon.

[@Wee_Langside]

Geoff it was the Festival Of The Unexceptional on Saturday at Grimsthorpe Castle, Grimsthorpe, Bourne Lincolnshire. You'd have a great day to other owners (about 1500) of ordinary cars that escaped the scrappage cull of decent cars

[@iancarrington1967]

The spare being under the floor was not a great idea, despite only being two years old when I needed to use the spare wheel the carrier bolt was rusted solid! This was a company car and serviced at the main dealer, obviously the carrier bolt had never been greased. I had a few choice words to say at the dealer after being left stranded by a spare I couldn’t use.

[@schenken660]

It takes my breath away 😉

[@toucheturtle3840]

I drove a 405 years ago that my mother had on loan whilst her car was being repaired after her latest bump. It handled really well besides being a pile of crap.

[@warrensmith4590]

7:16 the arrival video... The Air Con was said to have been deleted on the 405....

[@jondonnelly3]

406 Coupe is still nice today.

[@Emppu_T.]

Why am i getting constant deja vu watching this.

[@recall2880]

Most comfortable car I ever had! Always rotted on the sills mind you

[@paulie-Gualtieri.]

Great project car, which will benefit from some cosmetic work and will keep on living.

[@onemanandhisdog]

The 405 and 205 were the last of the good Peugeots. Brilliant cars at a very reasonable price