Growing up, for reasons unknown to me, my mother liked Peugeots. There was a dealer near us in Maine, McElman Subaru Peugeot, and every once in a while, I remember driving by with my family. Eventually, we got our first one, a red diesel 1978 504 wagon, in the early 80s. It was a manual and fairly gutless, but once up to speed, the French suspension gave it a great ride. Over the years, we had many more: a 505 Turbodiesel wagon, a 505 GL gas sedan, and the last and best, a 505 Turbo (gas, not diesel) that was a blast. Being French cars, they had their quirks. Little things would go wrong and need to be serviced and eventually would irritate. But when they ran, they had a great ride. Lots of travel for a comfy ride but still very sporty. Eventually Mom and Dad fell victim to the SUV sickness and got a Chevy Blazer, but I was always partial to the quirky Peugeots. I think they are what started me on my European car fetish. As finicky as they were, they still drove way better than any American cars. Today, Peugeots are long-gone from these shores, although they still are huge in Europe. I am on my second Audi now, a little black A3 2.0 I got in September. I traded my trusty '02 A4 3.0 quattro for it. Tara hates the sports suspension and the a/c isn't cold enough for her. I love it though.
So today I am driving to the gym and what do my eyes behold? The first running Peugeot 505 wagon I've seen in years. It was very similar to this one. Our 505 wagon this style, but white. The last Peugeot I'd seen was a junker in the weeds near our friends house in Mountain View, CA, a year ago. I'm not sure how much longer it'll stay running, but it's nice to see some are still plugging along.
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