bergxu Posted August 24, 2014 Report Share Posted August 24, 2014 Hey all, Next weekend I'm going to check out and potentially buy what seems to be a nice looking 505 wagon. Quick bit about me; I'm a professional mechanic by trade and I work for a main Maserati dealer so twirling wrenches is no biggie for me. I presently own a few quirky machines such as a Citroën DS, a Triumph TR6, a Jag XK120 and a handful of older Mercedes. Never had a Pug before but remember them well from my childhood as a friend's mom had a 505 which I rode in many times. Anyhow, I was wondering if anyone can provide me with a 'quick reference' list of things to check while I'm looking the car over before I hand over any cash. I'd be looking to drive the car home about 5 hours away but will have my wife running backup in my trusty Merc 300TD wagon. I know the basics obviously but I've heard these cars are bad for head gasket leaks. Also, where is the best parts source for these? I assume Europe, but is anyone in the US stocking spares for these cars? I'm guessing the fuel injection and ignition systems are either Bosch, Lucas or Marelli? Thanks all for any insight. Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted August 24, 2014 Report Share Posted August 24, 2014 Welcome to the forum Aaron! My quick list would be to check the coolant reservoir for bubbles - that's the give away for the head being cracked. The single ujoint can be an issue so check for clunking R to D. Rear axle for seals - when they go there's gear oil in the drums. Heater motor can squeal or make odd noises. Other than that its not that bad. As a mechanic you'll know that a rebuilt head from Erikkson is ~$1100 (last time I checked) which isnt bad at all. There's a vendor section on the site and I've used each of them and they're awesome. They dont pay to be there - I asked to feature them as they're great for our community. Bosch L-jet injection, distributor cap is common with VW as are it's internals. So is this 89' the red one for sale? Gorgeous cars, and when in good nick you'll love them. Sadly with these cars the biggest reason for the bad rep are previous owners and crap previous mechanics. Treated and maintained well and they rival any cars longevity. Forgot to add how much I like your current collection - I only recently experienced a DS and fell in love immediately. Ive also loved the '80's MB's but with limited time and space the family haulers are a 2000 and 2006 V70R's. If I had the space and the means I too would enjoy a very eclectic collection. Followed quickly by divorce most likely... Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bergxu Posted August 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2014 Hi Rabin, Thanks for the speedy reply! Yes, it's the red SW8 in Chicago. Very excited about it and even my wife likes it too. I actually checked in with my transporter and they quoted me $290 to put the car on their trailer and bring it to me so as it is, I don't think I'll be going to inspect it in person so I'm kinda rolling the dice but the car has records, books and is owned by an enthusiast so I feel ok plunking down a few grand without seeing it first. Worse comes to worse, I'll fix the bad stuff and have a nice car eventually I'll check the vendor portion of the site--I've been looking at the site from my iphone so I've probably missed some good areas which would have been more obvious on a computer screen. I'll be posting quite a bit I'm sure as I work my way around this baby. I'll need to check eBay and see if there are any shop manuals available. Cheers, Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bergxu Posted August 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2014 P.S. Rabin, Thanks for the kind words regarding my collection. Yes the DS is a great car--so different from anything else as you well know. IMHO just a bit underpowered for US roads, but I don't use mine for anything but weekend cruising and making the occasional appearance at cars & coffee where it draws more attention than any exotic there And indeed, classic Mercs are my favorites. Before I went to work for Maserati, I spent some 15 years with Mercedes-Benz and their cars from the '70s and '80s are my favorites. My daily driver is an '85 300TD wagon with almost 400K on it and still going like hells bells Cheers, Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted August 25, 2014 Report Share Posted August 25, 2014 I know it'd be sacrilegious in most circles, but my first thought with the '71 DS Safari I drove was it needed something with a bit more power. After doing some reading and finding out they originally wanted a boxer engine in it - my mind immediately went to the Subaru H6 engine as a suitable engine replacement. Idea wouldn't be to make it uber fast, but it would be nice to make acceleration as effortless as the car does everything else. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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