Is the Citroen C2 underrated?
Discussion
I suppose I've seen PH change a lot over the years, since the original days when it was really a TVR site. I absolutely respect the OP's right to buy and run whatever car he likes; it isn't about deriding that choice. I just think that discussing things like Aygos, Peugeot 107s and the like is not really in the Pistonheads ethos. I agree that you can have fun driving almost anything, but I struggle to get enthusiastic about cars that are the diametric opposite to what most 'Petrolheads' would aspire to.
Jabosoc said:
HustleRussell said:
I pretty much enjoy driving regardless of what car I'm in
You've clearly never driven a C2, nor a 307 for that matter. Hands down the two worst cars I've ever had the misfortune of driving, and I've owned a lot of "s
t" cars.Having covered well over 100,000 miles in recent years in C2s I dont get it. Never managed to break any trim, ,only a window switch which the dog trod on,never had any reliabilty issues, cheap to run, easy to service, look great in that quirky Citroen way.
Car is regularly serviced with good quality parts.
In my experience nearly every issue is caused by hamfisted owners, neglect or using cheap parts.
My friend had a vts, was great fun to drive and handled really well. Made a really good noise too to be fair. His had a full exhaust system with decat + an induction kit, made lots of pops and bangs, even spat some flames out once when I chased him in my mx5 on a spirited drive.
Just keep your expectations realistic build quality wise and even for a supermini the boot is ridiculously tiny, although I liked the mini range rover style tail gate!
Just keep your expectations realistic build quality wise and even for a supermini the boot is ridiculously tiny, although I liked the mini range rover style tail gate!
I had one - a 1.4hdi, for about 4 years and 50k miles.
Pro
Exterior looked good - nothing else like it
Interior - most people seemed to think the translucent plastics looked tacky, guess I like tacky. And the plastics has an 'ostrich leather' effect
Reliable - for me it was anyway
'Black dash' - like a Saab - all dash lights except the speed could be turned off
Con
Rear seats - legroom was awful. I had the version with separate rear seats which could be slid forward/back - somehow sliding them back seemed to make the boot smaller but not give any more legroom
Boot - small. Very. And the split tailgate seems like a great idea but it had a load limit of about 50kg I think - so no sitting on it.
Fuel Gauge - it just had 6 lights - and the reserve light came on while the last light was still on, so when it got to that stage the only way to figure out how much fuel you had was the range estimate, which could be anywhere from 20 miles in traffic to 200 miles if you glanced at it while going downhill
Handling - might have just been the heavy engine but it never felt great - it didn't try to kill me but just never gave me any confidence
'Black dash' - the radio wasn't included, so if you really wanted a black dash it has to be silent as well
Overall I much preferred the Saxo I had before it. Not a bad car, just not a good one.
Pro
Exterior looked good - nothing else like it
Interior - most people seemed to think the translucent plastics looked tacky, guess I like tacky. And the plastics has an 'ostrich leather' effect
Reliable - for me it was anyway
'Black dash' - like a Saab - all dash lights except the speed could be turned off
Con
Rear seats - legroom was awful. I had the version with separate rear seats which could be slid forward/back - somehow sliding them back seemed to make the boot smaller but not give any more legroom
Boot - small. Very. And the split tailgate seems like a great idea but it had a load limit of about 50kg I think - so no sitting on it.
Fuel Gauge - it just had 6 lights - and the reserve light came on while the last light was still on, so when it got to that stage the only way to figure out how much fuel you had was the range estimate, which could be anywhere from 20 miles in traffic to 200 miles if you glanced at it while going downhill
Handling - might have just been the heavy engine but it never felt great - it didn't try to kill me but just never gave me any confidence
'Black dash' - the radio wasn't included, so if you really wanted a black dash it has to be silent as well
Overall I much preferred the Saxo I had before it. Not a bad car, just not a good one.
God there's some helmets on here. Just because somebody likes a C2 does not mean they should be banished or they are an idiot who doesn't care about cars? A car is a car and any interest, however remote or subjectively crap the car may be, that interest is what Pistonheads is supposed to be about. I regularly enjoy driving an old Peugeot 607 for example, a car that was torn apart by the motoring press/top gear/people with Audis.
Having said that, I did drive a C2 with the paddle things once and the gearbox was horrible. Flick paddle, put kettle on, make cup of tea, have a biscuit, then sometime later a gear change happens. Not brilliant. It is an example of 1 though so maybe it was just broken or you have to drive it differently.
Didn't the Renault Modus have a clutch-less box of some sort? Definitely had a funky boot option so you could just open the bottom bit. Personally I'd just get an auto as the fuel use really isn't going to be all that different in the real world with a 1.2 engine and it's less likely to go wrong.
Having said that, I did drive a C2 with the paddle things once and the gearbox was horrible. Flick paddle, put kettle on, make cup of tea, have a biscuit, then sometime later a gear change happens. Not brilliant. It is an example of 1 though so maybe it was just broken or you have to drive it differently.
Didn't the Renault Modus have a clutch-less box of some sort? Definitely had a funky boot option so you could just open the bottom bit. Personally I'd just get an auto as the fuel use really isn't going to be all that different in the real world with a 1.2 engine and it's less likely to go wrong.
StoatInACoat said:
God there's some helmets on here. Just because somebody likes a C2 does not mean they should be banished or they are an idiot who doesn't care about cars? A car is a car and any interest, however remote or subjectively crap the car may be, that interest is what Pistonheads is supposed to be about.
Yes, but perhaps you missed the Op's follow up post where he said"Not everyone cares about sporty. Most people I know care more about looks and fuel economy. I know I couldn't care less about a car being sporty, I want something economical like the 1.4 HDI."
Tbh I read the first few posts from said Op and chortled at what appeared to be 'obvious troll is obvious'.
TB Rich said:
StoatInACoat said:
God there's some helmets on here. Just because somebody likes a C2 does not mean they should be banished or they are an idiot who doesn't care about cars? A car is a car and any interest, however remote or subjectively crap the car may be, that interest is what Pistonheads is supposed to be about.
Yes, but perhaps you missed the Op's follow up post where he said"Not everyone cares about sporty. Most people I know care more about looks and fuel economy. I know I couldn't care less about a car being sporty, I want something economical like the 1.4 HDI."
Tbh I read the first few posts from said Op and chortled at what appeared to be 'obvious troll is obvious'.
TB Rich said:
Yes, but perhaps you missed the Op's follow up post where he said
"Not everyone cares about sporty. Most people I know care more about looks and fuel economy. I know I couldn't care less about a car being sporty, I want something economical like the 1.4 HDI."
Tbh I read the first few posts from said Op and chortled at what appeared to be 'obvious troll is obvious'.
That's exactly the reason why I got a C2, a new job and an 80 mile commute made a small diesel a sensible choice. In my defence after I moved closer to work I did trade the C2 in for an Exige."Not everyone cares about sporty. Most people I know care more about looks and fuel economy. I know I couldn't care less about a car being sporty, I want something economical like the 1.4 HDI."
Tbh I read the first few posts from said Op and chortled at what appeared to be 'obvious troll is obvious'.
StottyEvo said:
My Ex-Gf had one and it was shocking. She inherited it from her parents with about 20,000 on the clock and it fell to pieces. Exhaust corroded, thermostat broke amongst many other niggly things. They have no pedigree and they aren't sporty, I can't see their values or popularity going anywhere except down.
If a corroded exhaust and £15 thermostat breaking consitutes a shocking 20,000 mile car falling to pieces, then I am a Dutchman. And Citroen having no pedigree and not sporty?? Have you ever heard of a French chap called Sebastien Loeb??
The succesor to the C2 was the DS3, this one celebrating Loebs' 9 world championships for drivers victories, their 8 manufacturers titles and their 94 WRC victories.
Oh and last years WTCC championship, Paris - Dakar 1993 anyone? Citroen no sporting heritage, sorry but read the facts & weep.
Oh and last years WTCC championship, Paris - Dakar 1993 anyone? Citroen no sporting heritage, sorry but read the facts & weep.
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