1990 Peugeot 505 GTi Estate – Project Profile

Big, French, luxury cars have never really sold all that well here in the UK. This is odd, because ask one of the handful of people that did buy one, and they’ll no doubt tell you how utterly wonderful they are. The French know how to build a big, comfortable car. But despite this, we have always defaulted to the Germans for our luxury needs. But why? Take a look, for example, at the back catalogue of Peugeot, and you’ll be treated to a sea of cars that are the wheeled embodiment of luxury. Yet we bought a 5 Series instead. This of course means that classic luxury French cars are now somewhat thin on the ground. Imagine our joy then, when we stumbled upon the advert for this frankly glorious 1990 Peugeot 505 GTi estate. Eight seats, rear wheel-drive, unending levels of comfort and a handsome face to boot. Keep your old Mercs. This is where it’s at.

The 505 was introduced in 1979, and was unsurprisingly a replacement for the 504. In fact, it shared many of its underpinnings with the 504, which was fine, because the 504 was supremely comfortable. By bringing the mechanical bits over, it also meant the 505 would be rear wheel-drive. It would be Peugeot’s last car to adopt rear wheel propulsion, though. After this, it was all front-wheel drive. As such, this 505 drives in a different way to any other Peugeot since. Designed by both Peugeot and Pininfarina, the 505 was an angry-looking thing, with its frowning headlights. But it was also beautifully proportioned, offering ample space and comfort for those within. It was a great, great car. But despite this, we didn’t rush dealerships to buy one. Shame.

What is it? 

What we have here is an exceptionally rare 1990 Peugeot 505 GTi estate. Unlike other estates, the 505 version was significantly different to the saloon. The main difference was the wheelbase, which was stretched out to 114 inches, 6 inches more than the saloon. This meant, as this car so ably demonstrates, that it could be fitted with three rows of forward-facing seats. Eight in total. But, because it was so long, you still got a decent boot, even with the third row in use. Fold the third row down, and you could use the 505 estate to transport things like Huddersfield, or the Exxon Valdez. This 505 boasts not only more seats than the London Palladium and the load capacity of Pickfords, but also the coveted GTi badge. That means air-conditioning, central locking, power steering, alloy wheels and of course, a fruity 2.2 fuel-injected engine. Okay, so it’s not a GTi in the same sense that a 205 GTi is, but it’s still pretty cool.

Why is it a project? 

Unlike most of the other projects we post here, this one actually has an MOT and thus, you can drive it away. The current test runs until March next year, though it should be noted that while it seemed to scrape through on tyres, the seller states it has since had new ones fitted. The MOT history looks pretty good for a car that has covered some 202,000 miles over the course of its life. The shocks might need to be changed, and the power steering pump has a leak, and there may be some other bits and bobs along the way too. But remember, this car has the benefit of having been in constant use. Furthermore, it’s only had one owner over the course of its life, and that owner has spared no expense on the upkeep. This is more of a project on the visual front. The paint is a little tired, a wing needs replacing (comes with the car), there are some dents and dings here and there, and the interior needs a freshen up. But that seems to be about it. It’s not a big project, and you should be able to use the car throughout.

Five things to look for? 

1) Rust

Looking through the MOT history, it seems this handsome old 505 had some welding carried out in 2010 and again in 2017 and 2018. You’re going to want to have a look and see how these repairs are holding up. It’s understandable that it happened given the mileage. As these repairs were in different areas, it looks like it was quality job. But still check.

2) Trim

Parts for the 505 are going to be hard to find. If you do manage to find them, they will almost certainly need to be bought from overseas. As such, have a good look around the car at the fixtures and fittings, get an idea of anything that might need replacing. This should apply to all the glass, too, as that’s going to be very hard to find.

3) Engine

The engine is robust, and has obviously been looked after if it’s made it to 202,000 miles. However, it might be getting tired. Look for smoke on start up, which could be a sign of valve stem seals, check for any smoke when driving, and check the temperature. We’re sure it’ll all be fine given the history, but it never hurts to check first.

4) Transmission

Being the last rear wheel-drive Peugeot ever made, finding a new gearbox is going to be difficult. Happily, the seller reports that it changes through all five gears without issue, and the clutch feels healthy too. Hopefully it will be fine, and have many years of life left in it (it was replaced in 2010). But as ever, satisfy yourself it functions as it should.

5) Electrics

Old French cars and electrics, the most joyous of combinations. Happily, this 505 looks to be completely original, meaning nothing has been chopped about or spliced into. Still though, take a moment to work through all the switches and functions to make sure there is nothing untoward.

What should you do with it? 

If it were our money buying this glorious old 505, we would go down the route of giving it a complete visual restoration. Of course, things like the shocks need to be done, and a good service wouldn’t hurt, but from what we can see this car is pretty good mechanically. As such, we’d get the body straight again, and treat it to a fresh coat of paint. Tidy up any trim that needs it, refurbish the alloy wheels and then give the interior a deep clean. It would look excellent all shiny and new, and after 202,000 miles of faithful service, it’s deserving of such treatment. Plus, with the ever increasing rarity of this model, said work would only serve to build value back into this 1990 Peugeot 505 GTi.