That our likes and preferences evolve and shift as we age is an undisputed fact of life. From our love of sweets in our early days, to eventually enjoying bitter flavors and the qualities of coffee. It all happens; slowly, and surely.
So as the years pass, a better appreciation of “those things” grown-ups cherished and you seriously questioned as a kid occurs. What was once dull and dopey can acquire new meaning as the years pile on. And that’s pretty much how I now feel about old Peugeots. The one-time funny-looking cars with a hard to pronounce name, now oddly captivating to my 50+ year-old self.
This is a subject I briefly tackled some time ago when I talked about another of these old Peugeots. That previous find was also a 404 wagon, and it was a vehicle I remembered well from my childhood days in San Salvador. A model fairly common back in the day, but now rare and that I hadn’t seen up close in a long time. And its fifties cues looked as dopey on that encounter as they did back in my youth.
Now, the car hadn’t changed, but something in me certainly had. And on that close encounter, my older self found much to explore on the 404’s lines. Was it the most exciting of designs? Not at all. But it did have charm and was its very own eclectic self. Qualities I couldn’t appreciate as a child (how could I?), but that now spoke to me. Yes, the old gallic wonder had found an admirer in me after all.
I guess it’s all normal. One doesn’t remain a child or a teen forever. For one, the body couldn’t take it. Then, the human need for instant stimuli and excitement finds a way to open up to other –more gradual– pleasures. Do I need my cars to be the envy of those around me? No, no more. And isn’t it nice to learn to enjoy the different and unhip? In my case, I discovered that yes, I had such a fondness.
That, plus the respect one garners for those functional qualities we as youth cared little for. Cargo space and a comfortable ride? A sturdy and tough frame to carry the family in comfort? No kid I know would worry about such things. But it was in those areas that these old Peugeots excelled and found much favor.
And while French vehicles have a spotty record in North America, these old Peugeots had a very faithful and loyal following just about everywhere else. And the cars delivered. How else to explain this 50+ year wagon still alive in San Salvador, when parts and supplies dried up ages ago?
Not that I’m sure this old 404 is still running, though it certainly was until recent times. It belongs to a car wash not far from my home and I often saw it parked at the wash’s entrance. Now, for reasons unknown, it has been moved to a side street with little traffic, away from the car wash’s employee’s eyes. Probably not a good sign for its future.
From up close, the passing of time is both undeniable and oddly alluring. Here’s the rather intact lion badge, showing some patina along the grille’s old chrome.
As you can see, this hefty emblem is still roaring despite its many years.
This old 404 may be bruised and worn, but looking closer, there’s still potential and life in it. Starting with the interior. Most of all the soft bits and instruments are still in place; so there’s much to like in that regard. Of course, it has the obligatory “CC find” missing door panel. But regardless, I’m almost inclined to ask about the purchasing price when looking at these pics.
And what’s that on the rearview mirror? Some kind of toy-like voodoo doll? Is that what’s playing with my mind and awakening my liking for these old 404s?
Let’s move away from such witchcraft before it starts to affect us. Now, these rims just say French to me.
I can’t quite tell what made me change my mind about how I feel for these old Peugeots, other than my growing older. Then again, I may be projecting some of my old self into it. Old 404s were always a bit quaint and peculiar, and seen as somewhat of a “square”. Pretty much the opinion my classmates had about me all throughout my school years. I may have resisted it back then, but why deny it? As time passed, I learned to embrace my old quirky self.
So, it may be an age thing. Or I may be just projecting some of myself on this old 404. In either case, I find much to like in this solitary and lonely aging one.
Related CC reading:
I’ve got one and its pleasures are many and sublime. https://jalopnik.com/2021-staff-pick-this-1965-peugeot-404-is-the-best-wago-1847193031
I’d say the pleasures are “many and sub-prime”: lovely machines, but high-geared (for the time) and quite likely to default. Such was my experience, anyway.
The failures were never wholesale, like an engine or transmission, but they niggling, and cumulative. One day the indicators didn’t indicate anything to anybody, and the very odd fuses were found. On another, the wipers wouldn’t wipe: a strange mechanism was located deep inside the finger cutting dash. The heater decided to remain on when it was least wanted: the job of extracting the brass tap needed three little people and a see-saw (none of which I had). You get the idea. And eventually, the many pleasures had as many opposite numbers, and they won.
During my time in Paraguay in the early 1980’s ….
Peugeot 404’s (mostly diesels) were primarily taxis–
Lined up at the taxi stand, the lead car would trundle off with passengers.
The succeeding drivers would, then, “pedal” their cabs forward, Fred Flintstone style, to save gas.
After many second looks. I agree. These wagons especially demonstrate superior design. Brake proportioning valves, a wheelbase suited to allow front and rear door openings for easy egress are just two.
Brings back many fond memories of our ’70 404 wagon. Ours was unusual as it originally came with the 504’s twin carb 1.8 L motor, because it was easier to certify just one engine. But the engine was bad from a popped headgasket ( a common malady on the 1.8) so I picked it up for $50 and swapped in a $45 junkyard 1.6.
This one looks to be a ’68 or later as it has the padded dash and later steering wheel.
Did yours have the central umbrella-handle handbrake that is visible here? Mine had an ergonomically-disastrous flyoff (could hardly reach it belted) one to the far right under the dash, presumably the same but far-left in LHD. I’d have loved a sensibly-positioned one – it would have made driving in hilly traffic a lot nicer!
I’m not seeing an umbrella-style handle. Do you mean the classic one on the floor between the seats? I’m quite sure there never was one on any of these 404s. I only ever saw the lever on the outboard side of the steering column.
There’s no room between the front seats on a 404; they’re so big and wide, not really “buckets” at all, and the two cushions are right up against each other. And there was an optional arm rest. Thye were really more like a split bench seat, hence the column shifter.
Even the very late 1974-1978 South African 404 that had a floor shift and narrower bucket seats didn’t have a floor umbrella handle.
No no, in photo #7 – even more clear if you pan in – there’s a really clear under-dash pull out job to the right of the driver, called (it turns out) in these parts an umbrella-handle handbrake. i have a vague notion the English call it that too.
Actually, as I type this, I don’t get the “umbrella” designation myself, beyond, arguably, the handle. What I mean is a handbrake that pulls out horizontally with a T-handle from under the dash, super-common years ago, and oddly quite visible in the interior pic in this 404, but I suspect it’s either an oddity or some local variation. And if it is the latter, I applaud it!
I was using a small device on my sunny deck; now I’m inside on a large screen and can see it. Yes, there it is.
Yes, it appears that they switched over to that style sometime after 1970.
But it’s definitively not like an “umbrella handle”. Or maybe umbrella handles are different elsewhere?
I grew up with a 404 Familiale, a perfect 3 row car for my parents with their 5 children. I learned to drive in this car. Many happy memories. Regrettably it was scrapped when it was 8 years old because of terminal rust. The back door could not be opened because the hinges in the roof were rotted through the roof.
In case Paul doesn’t see it, same question above for you, Dion, about that handbrake?
According to Wikipedia, the 404 was built in France until 1975 and Argentina until 1980 but soldered until 1991 in Kenya.
When I was a kid in the ’70’s, I was intrigued by them, but these were considered more than odd by the Great Unwashed – they were actively derided. “Ugly French crap, mate, where’s the f*in engine?”, ad infinitum. (In truth, I wasn’t too keen on their appearance myself, looking too much like the miserable narrow-gutted Farina models from BMC that were spreading oil and breakdown traffic jams everywhere, and it’s true they were not exactly over-endowed with power). Meanwhile, those few who had them, and the local magazines, raved, and interestingly enough, there was always a good farmer constituency, who’d have to have been the most Anglo-white conservative of the lot. They somehow got the real gin that they were super-comfy, excellent handling, and tough as a bullock’s balls. The fact that they used about half the fuel a Holden did would also not escape notice, old farmers notoriously being tighter with their wallets than a fishes’ arse (and that’s watertight).
I grew up and later owned two sedans, and they were as good as it didn’t say on the tin: that is, truly excellent machines, but I never really did warm up to the looks. The wagon is arguably the best looker, and the one you’ve got here has more potential for new life than Lazarus – unlike any other one not restored, it’s not rusty.
So in my case and the 404, I didn’t so much learn the pleasures of bitter, rather I learned how not to notice it.
” … old farmers notoriously being tighter with their wallets than a fishes’ arse (and that’s watertight).”
Y.M.M.D. (no doubt about it – CC is further education) !
This just made me snort my coffee!
I can understand and appreciate all of you guys passion for these wagons, however my passion was for the US Big Three, mostly Ford and Chrysler. GM not so much. Ford was known as the “Wagonmaster,” and for good reason You guys mentioned there were at least a few uncomfortable issues about those wagons. Ford was always introducing new ideas, like in 1965 it was Ford that introduced the double sided key, in 66, it was Ford that gave us the magic tailgate, both of these have become industry standards. In 1975 Ford was first to release electronic ignition, another auto industry game changer.. I think those are better memories than every one of the memories you all have for the Peugeot wagons, not to mention the hideous styling. Maybe it’s all about what you’re used to. But getting used to the great memories Ford brought to us ,are better to get used to, but that’s just me.
I am another who has come to a later-in-life appreciation of these. I don’t even remember seeing them early in life, but I cannot imagine they were big sellers in the midwestern U.S. I like them now, but I like them the way I like dogs – the ones that belong to other people. 🙂
The best Peugeot ever made along with the 504. The diesel models were indestructible with the Indenor engine.
You are right about the durability of these old Peugeots – they were all over Africa when I was a child for good reason – my cousin had a grey 404 with red interior. Funnily enough, the Citroen DS that he replaced that with never let him down and of course rode the dirt roads impeccably, as did the Pugs.
“Do I need my cars to be the envy of those around me? No, no more. And isn’t it nice to learn to enjoy the different and unhip?”
My word, you hit the nail on the head there! When I was younger it was all about performance – big block cars with 450+ hp were still properrly fast compared to Ferraris and Porsches that had around 300hp in the 90s. Nowadays 400+hp is not even much in a sedan or SUV any more and we have some really quick machines roaming the streets, the joke is that speeds are much more restricted (even in Germany), so these power levels are rarely usable. Plus, 500lb/ft on narrow tires with primitive suspensions was actually quite entertaining and these new vehicles are so competent that you have to be insanely quick to get them to move around. My sweet spot “modern” performance vehicle was my 997S with 355 hp – laughable today, but thouroughly useable on country roads on my way to work and still topped out at 300km/h (186mph) on the ‘Bahn.
These days I drive an old air cooled VW with under 50 hp daily and it keeps up with traffic, even on the freeway here in the USA, where anything over 90 is ticket territory. I can use all the “power” all the time and have a ball without being anti-social and every drive entertains. It’s always the smallest, cheapest vehicle when at the mountainbike trailhead amongst the trucks and Jeeps, getting surprised looks when I extract my MTB from inside it. The cost of running the thing is also low – you can actually diagnose and fix any problems yourself and modify it cheaply – another great source of pleasure.
Yes, my car is “different and unhip”, and definitely not envied by those around me, but there is a kind of freedom in that which I (and I suspect many CCers) enjoy…
You’re a kindred spirit. I feel the same way about my 103hp xB, even if it does have twice the hp of your VW. I consider it something of a spiritual successor to the VW. I have been repeatedly tempted to get an old Beetle to relive the past and remind folks that one doesn’t need a 300+hp jacked up 4WD SUV to get to a trailhead. Or the supermarket.
Exactly! The little Skoda Yeti we have in the UK gets used all the time whilst the 400+hp SUV sits in the garage. The little Czech is easier to park, fits down our narrow Devon lanes and dogs and mountainbikes don’t worry the interior. It’s a 2014 car, so we are not too worried about parking dings, etc. I’m very attached to it.
There is a huge freedom about having a daily driven vehicle that is not too “precious”- as you have expressed many times about your XB and ’66 Ford.
I think the beauty of CC is that it deals with curbside – i.e. on the street used and useable classics.
Justy Baum, BMC modified Pinin Farina’s design and compared to the 404 the BMC cars look much less well resolved. My father, a Buick car and Holden Ute owner, called the Peugeot, bloody old fashioned looking. My first ride in a 404 was one day towards the end of high school the head English teacher gave me a lift home in his 1964 Peugeot and I was amazed by its comfort and quietness, more comfortable than my father’s 1965 Buick Skylark. I remember reading an article in a major USA car magazine in the early 1960s where they tested Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Cadillac, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz etc to ascertain which car was the most quiet to travel in. The most quiet was the Peugeot 404. Interestingly the 404 cars had no underbonnet nor interior sound deadening materials. Unlike Holden cars and utes the Peugs had superb rack and pinion steering, brakes were drums but with the largest swept area of any cars on the Australian market, local or imported. My Peugs, utes and sedans always returned 30 miles per gallon and sometimes better than that. An Australian gallon is 4.5 litres, so 9 litres per 100 kilometres. Peugs had greater ground clearance than local cars. The 1600 engine was a crossflow design with hemispherical head. The cars were mechanically very simple and easy to service, even for a novice like me. The cars leaned in corners but would hang onto the road remarkably well and the ride was so smooth on bitumen or rough Aussie bush gravel roads. They are a very good car.