Citroen C5 - au revoir rental car!
Discussion
A couple of summers ago I decided that I would 'shed' my way out of holiday car rentals. This is facilitated by holidaying in the same place which allows me to keep a car abroad. The task was set to find a car with four passenger doors, a large boot, air conditioning and a relatively economical engine that would handle beach duties and the odd island/ferry boat trip.
Now, I don't have a great understanding of the Greek used car market but from various quick searches old 'shed' money doesn't get you far but managed to get hold of a 2001 Citroen C5 1.8 i 16v finished in Gris Orageux (Stormy Gray).
The bad bits are mostly cosmetic with almost every body panel bearing some sort of dent, scuff and/or scratch. There is also the odd electrical gremlin which includes passenger windows reclining when the windscreen wipers are set to auto and perhaps, due to the heat causing glue to fail, some of the door fabrics to come loose.
The good bit is that it is mechanically sound which is reflected in it's mileage.
As a car generally, it is very comfortable to drive and without the body roll that I was expecting. This is down to the Hydractive suspension which adapts itself based on the road surface and the speed you're travelling at; very impressive stuff. It is very spacious inside and the boot is large enough for all the beach towels, buckets, spades and you can even leave various inflatables, inflated.
I am not a fan of the looks overall but the rear end - flat on - does remind me of the Citroen CX so can see some of the Citroen DNA transferring through:
Grandad, is that you?
The car has covered over 309,860km (192,538 miles) and spent most of it's life in Athens with the scars to prove it:
'Jaeger' dials just like a 1930's Bentley Blower:
The spacious interior is finished in the 'Lio' (SX) upholstery:
The car has definitely ticked all boxes and with this year being the second summer it has meant a return on our investment opposed to renting - woohoo!
Thanks, Harry
Now, I don't have a great understanding of the Greek used car market but from various quick searches old 'shed' money doesn't get you far but managed to get hold of a 2001 Citroen C5 1.8 i 16v finished in Gris Orageux (Stormy Gray).
The bad bits are mostly cosmetic with almost every body panel bearing some sort of dent, scuff and/or scratch. There is also the odd electrical gremlin which includes passenger windows reclining when the windscreen wipers are set to auto and perhaps, due to the heat causing glue to fail, some of the door fabrics to come loose.
The good bit is that it is mechanically sound which is reflected in it's mileage.
As a car generally, it is very comfortable to drive and without the body roll that I was expecting. This is down to the Hydractive suspension which adapts itself based on the road surface and the speed you're travelling at; very impressive stuff. It is very spacious inside and the boot is large enough for all the beach towels, buckets, spades and you can even leave various inflatables, inflated.
I am not a fan of the looks overall but the rear end - flat on - does remind me of the Citroen CX so can see some of the Citroen DNA transferring through:
Grandad, is that you?
The car has covered over 309,860km (192,538 miles) and spent most of it's life in Athens with the scars to prove it:
'Jaeger' dials just like a 1930's Bentley Blower:
The spacious interior is finished in the 'Lio' (SX) upholstery:
The car has definitely ticked all boxes and with this year being the second summer it has meant a return on our investment opposed to renting - woohoo!
Thanks, Harry
I had an XM as a shedder get me through car years ago. It was the most comfortable car I've ever owned. Speed humps got smoother the faster you went 
What's with the speedo showing 150k's @ 0 revs? Mine used to randomly turn itself off which was "interesting" I had to use the emergency brake pedal to stop
What's with the speedo showing 150k's @ 0 revs? Mine used to randomly turn itself off which was "interesting" I had to use the emergency brake pedal to stop
eybic said:
I had an XM as a shedder get me through car years ago. It was the most comfortable car I've ever owned. Speed humps got smoother the faster you went
What's with the speedo showing 150k's @ 0 revs? Mine used to randomly turn itself off which was "interesting" I had to use the emergency brake pedal to stop
Haha I’ll bear that in mind although speed bumps are seldom seen here in Greece. What's with the speedo showing 150k's @ 0 revs? Mine used to randomly turn itself off which was "interesting" I had to use the emergency brake pedal to stop
Yes, comfort levels are amazing. Not surprising to see Le ex President using a modest C5:
As for the speedo, you recall the gremlins I mentioned?
Edited by HarryD on Saturday 22 June 10:04
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