Descrizione
For sale: My 1972 Peugeot 304 coupe. Originally supplied to a lady in Scotland, the car was bought by a family on the South Coast in the 1970's and was owned by them until I bought the car last summer. They used the car mainly for touring holidays around Europe, which explains the low mileage. The car has always been well maintained. It currently has an MOT until May 10, 2011. If you wish, I can sort out a fresh MOT before collection. For those of you who are familiar with these cars, this is a non-S model (i. e. it has a single carb) and as such is very rare, as most remaining models are the S model (twin carb). It is finished in a very pleasant pale metallic blue with a beige interior. I bought it as I have had a 10-year urge for a 304 estate and couldn't find one, so when this turned up for sale locally I had to buy it. Typically, an estate became available only a few months later, so I bought that too! Now one has to go, so unfortunately the coupe drew the short straw. I also have a 205 and my eye on a 309 and I am a Club Peugeot UK member, so am a confirmed Peugeotphile!
First the good bits:
Underbody is very sound and interior is like new, save for the covers on the driver's and passenger's seats. The car has a low mileage of 82000 and the engine is in fantastic condition. When I bought it the radiator was shot, so I had it professionally recored, brazed and finished. I also took the opportunity to change the thermostat. Now the engine warms up quickly and then the temperature gauge remains rock steady in the middle of its range. The car starts first time, every time and runs perfectly. The clutch is smooth and the gearbox easy to use. It has 4 gears plus reverse. I changed the oil, plugs and air filter. The body is generally good (see bad bits below) and the paintwork and chrome are shiny, save for the front wings where the paint is flat. I have three keys, the owners manual and an excellent workshop manual (from Peugeot which includes exploded diagrams of the whole car along with reference numbers for all parts). The glass is all perfect as is the chrome trim. The dash is like new and the headlining is perfect. The car has front seat belts and a very comfy rear bench seat. The engine (XL3) is 1. 3L (65 HP) and pulls the car along at a great pace - it is easily capable of keeping up with modern traffic around town. The light clusters are all perfect and it has a new pair of the all important rear lights, which are unique to the coupe and cabriolet models. After I bought it the nearside front brake caliper seized up, so I had both front calipers professionally rebuilt by Bigg Red and electroplated in gold (see photo).
Then the bad bits:
Not much really, which is good news for a near 40 year old Peugeot! There are NO electrical faults, which is unusual. The paint on the front wings has faded and there are some rust bubbles appearing. The worst is around the aerial on the front wing and on the inside of the passenger doors. None of it is structural, but I think it would be worth sanding it back and repainting those bits. I have included photos of the worst bits and note that it is a near 40 year old car so there are bound to be a few rust spots. There is no rust underneath and there are no dents or scratches on the paint either. The window rubbers are all perfect, although the door rubbers look a little tired. And that's it for the bad news!
So in summary a rare coupe in useable and very nice condition. It runs on leaded fuel, so needs a fuel additive, but I can direct you to a specialist who can do an unleaded head conversion. Personally, as I do so few miles with it I just use the additive. It features in Francois Allain's book Album 204/ 304 (colour plate XVI if you have a copy). Perhaps its best feature is that, being a 1972 model, it is TAX FREE!
You are welcome to come and view the car. I live in Ashford, Kent. If you have any queries, drop me an email.
