New Peugeot 405. Less than £8,000

[surveyor]

These were the best handling saloon cars of their time, and definitely had the best ads.

I find it strangely tempting...

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/peugeot-is-sellin...

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foggy said:

I had the pleasure of driving one of the Iranian built Pug 405s on UK soil recently for a local TV program (think Iranian safety Stig) - the mighty Ikco Samand. This very silver car in fact before it bit the wall in the style like a ~25 year old car generally does https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QPOm_NiyfnQ

You’ll be pleased to know the lovely velour interiors live on and this particular example even spoke to you Kitt stylee if driving away with the handbrake on and also when selecting reverse IIRC.

That have quelled my thirst...

[surveyor]

I also think the Sierra and 405 were both far bigger than a 3 series. More comparable in size to a 5 series

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RobM77 said:

Kawasicki said:

AC43 said:

daveco said:

AC43 said:

Sheepshanks said:

Really - says who? Better than Sierra or 3 Series?? I had a 405GTX company car - main thing I remember is it was the first rep-mobile with a/c as standard!

In rep spec rhe Sierra was a slightly less st Cortina. And the 3 series was an underpowered Cortina with no kit and st damping.

The 405 was streets ahead chassis-wise.

The E30 was released in '82 and by the time the 405 came out in early '88, BMW had replaced all the engines with fuel injected motors so they weren't down on power at that point. Peugeot ran with carburetors for a few years after this, parallel to the fuel injected motors in the more powerful engines.

You also had the bonus/additional cost of a 6 cylinder, rear wheel drive layout with a LSD if you wanted it. A base 320 was £11,000 and capable of the same performance as the Mi16, despite being heavier and down on power on paper.

I guess I was talking about the lower end of things where a rep-spec 405 would be up against a 316 or 318. I drove a pretty basic version of the latter and was totally underwhelmed by performance and handling. To my sensibilities it was oversprung and underdamped. I was expecting the "ultimate driving machine" and felt that it was really a bit of a well-made Cortina in that spec.

I'm sure the engine in the 320 would make a huge difference. Still not sure how it would cope with mid-corner bumps, through.

As someone who drove a basic/standard 318i on the raggedy edge for thousands of miles I can honestly say you are talking crap.

Bigger engines actually make most cars handle worse due to the weight. In all other respects, the chassis is identical between an E30 325i and a 318i. The optional LSD is debatable - personally I consider them a necessary evil (both my racing cars have them, so I'm used to them). So, if we're talking purely about handling, the 316i and 318i would actually be the peak of the range. All the 325i does better is concerning straight lines - the extra weight of the 6 cyl engine actually detracts from the handling.

But the 3 series was a far smaller car. Not comparable to a rep saloon with rather good handling.

[surveyor]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZqHH-SMdmU