My PAL Peugeot 309 - A French Connection

[chanu]

Originally Posted by issigonis

>>> I couldn't agree with you more.
I had a 1998 Uno (petrol) which I simply gave away to my driver, because of difficulty of obtaining spares and good mechanics from the authorised Fiat dealers in Mumbai.

Originally bought by my father (on my strong recommendation), it was driven in Delhi, UP and Maharashtra.

I am still nostalgic about its its terrific acceleration, including in gear acceleration and its great comfort. Even today, my family members recall its space and comfort. The first reaction that I got when I test drove the VW Jetta was how much it reminded them of the Uno, w.r.t comfort, space and solidity.

When I gifted it slightly more than a year ago, it had about 42k on the odo and it was driven immediately afterwards all the way from Mumbai through Nasik and MP to UP. A terrific car and my first love.

I remember going to Atul Auto on the Faridabad Road in New Delhi to get the Uno serviced and saw the late JN Dixit ( ex Foreign Secretary, ex National Security Advisor) drive up in his Peugeot 309 ( don't remember as to whether it was a diesel or not, didn't hear any clatter) for a routine check.

The Peugeot 309 was killed by PAL; ditto the Uno. Great products thoroughly mismanaged by management.

Regards

When we brought the UNO petrol she didn't give me a pleasant feel as it was brought by my cousin and later sold to us. We had to fight a big battle to get it re-registed with A.P (the formalities here are so pathetic) atlast it was done somehow. The car started getting my admiration and I fell in love with her I still cant forget the 'Cling' sound she makes when boot is shut.

Absoultely I agree to you sir, good cars brought by PAL and later killed them and making them worth a white elephant in the eyes of common man because lack of parts and we had to face a lot of problems and at times annoyed with the mechanics who are not skilled at all to handle these real machines. I should and will blame PAL for this.

Every time I see a UNO I miss my car, I will buy a healthy one when I get a chance! Ram and other T-BHPans in HYD help me.

Hope Ram's car never should encounter any hassels and I am confident she (309) is in safe hands like the LIC logo.

[hillram]

Bala..Im always in look out for a Uno.Thats another dream car to collect.

[hillram]

Sunday my Peugeot 309 did an awesome drive to Nagarjuna Sagar Dam,a distance of 350 kms return.Since it was my first long haul drive after the acquisition,I was jittery and tensed as how the French beauty would fare.
I had not a single problem through out the drive.Following are the observations i could make:
- I couldnt accelerate beyond 80km as there were few vibrations and i wanted to keep the Engine temperature low.
- Engine temperature was between 70-80 degrees celsius and caused no problem.I expected a rise in Engine temperature when we were scaling few inclines along the drive,but no problem here too.
- Suspension was awesome and even deep potholes and speed breakers were treated with ease by the Peugeot.Hats off to the car and its engineering.
- Aircon system was amazing as it was chilling cabin we had for the whole drive and i was keeping the fan speed at 2nd level (1-5 Levels).

A few pics from my side and more will follow.

[chanu]

Joysemoment Ram!! am I right in French.

[anjan_c2007]

Hillram your car is very well maintained. I am sure very few of these in such an immaculate condition may be surviving. Guess you have a fascination for everything French.
Some pictures of a robust Peugeot 309 GL here, still in regular use.The OVRM is very Euro designed from the 1990's -the Ikon too has similar looking OVRM's.

[hillram]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Hillram your car is very well maintained.

Thanks my friend.
This is a wonderful french car and have seen the same coloured 2 door GTI version in Paris recently still activly driven on French/Parisian roads.
As the pics show the dashboard was the Achilles heel of this car.Torrid Indian temperatures just crack up the lovely dashboards.Mine too has developped few cracks and I need to attend to them before tough summer sets in.

[Nissan1180]

I went to France last week, and I was really happy to see a lot of Peugeot 309's in use. I'm attaching a few pics here. Were the rear lights changed for some models? Please refer to the grey car.

[hillram]

@Nissan1180..Nice find.I reminisice Peugeot 309s everytime Im in Paris as they are abunduntly found in France.Its a fantastic car.Im proud to own one.

[alargeau]

Hello!!!
I'm very happy to find Indian Peugeot 309 owners in here. I own two Peugeot 309s, one Peugeot 309 SL and a Peugeot 309 GTI automatic imported from Japan.
These two cars are fantastic and I really love to drive them. The comfort is not that good but I just love the feeling. These are very good reliable cars, and engines are very tough. It's quite different from cars sold nowadays, which have lots of electronic problems...

My 309 SL:


And my 309 GTI:

[hillram]

Originally Posted by alargeau

Hello!!!
I'm very happy to find Indian Peugeot 309 owners in here. I own two Peugeot 309s, one Peugeot 309 SL and a Peugeot 309 GTI automatic imported from Japan.
These two cars are fantastic and I really love to drive them. The comfort is not that good but I just love the feeling. These are very good reliable cars, and engines are very tough. It's quite different from cars sold nowadays, which have lots of electronic problems...

My 309 SL:


And my 309 GTI:

Im glad you are appreciating the Indian Peugeots.I personally enjoy my 309 and its a flawless car.

[alargeau]

Yes, I love Indian Peugeots because they are very rare! And I love rare things.
in France we also have a Peugeot 309 from India. The car is new and it was one of the last cars to come out of the Indian factory. Note that it is totally original.

[hillram]

I didnt know there were Indian made 309s exported into France.Quel honneur.
This looks like a pristine 309,though the red decaling on the side cladding and bumpers is missing.

[sureshkishore]

Wow alargeau! Your GTI looks Hot!

The Indian 309 looks really nice. Had owned one briefly. It was a 309 GLD, with the superb TUD5 engine.

The ride of the car is superb and well suited to 'indian roads'. The car though compact was quite spacious inside.

The frugal and torquey TUD5 engine was marvellous. The Dashboard developed ugly cracks though! Dont know whether it was due to the tough indian summer or the poor PAL quality.

[alargeau]

The Indian 309 is totally original and is exactly as it left the production line. Nothing was removed or added. It's a GLD model with the TUD5 engine, and it's totally new. The car was imported for the museum.
I really love the Peugeot 309 because it's a very good car. Engines are very reliable and I really like the shape, even if it's a bit old. I like the "old school" style and parts are very cheap too. Plus, it's very easy to repair the car.

[Scarlet_Rider]

My father and I had a chance to see Ram's PAL Peugeot 309 in December last year at one of our FCCH meets. This is one gem of a car! PAL's collaboration with Peugeot benefited the last line of the Premier 118 NEs produced as Viceroys. Our Viceroy's door pads & handles, seats, the 3-layer floor carpet, gear shifter and certain cosmetics around the gear shifter are similar to that of the 309. And not to forget the anti-rust treatment that was given to the Viceroy!! The best part about the 309 is the location of the horn button. Dhoondte Reh Jaoge!! Ram, here is wishing you a lot of happy (s)miles with the PAL Peugeot 309!!

Regards and Keep Revving,

Rahul Waghmare.