Any 2CV owners on here ?
Discussion
I joined a little while ago and actually found my car in the magazine, it wasn't advertised online. There's not that many around really although it depends on what your budget is of course. Blue Celeste was the colour I wanted although I wanted an orange or yellow one originally but they are quite rare. This one has dings, bumps, scratches, surface rust and paint fade but is solid underneath. It looks lived in which was just the way I wanted it.
I've been on this forum who-knows-how-long and have only just wandered into the sub-sub-forums and found this thread!
Had my 1988 French-built 2CV6 Dolly for nearly exactly 10 years now. It had 54,000 miles on it when I bought it in October 2010, from its second owner, and it's now on 71,500. It was my daily driver for the first three years of ownership, was in regular use for another two then I fell into the pit of 'too many cars, not enough time to drive or look after them all' and it languished in a shed getting very little use between MoTs and then spent a year sat in the bottom of someone else's garden getting no use whatsoever.
After that it was - unsurprisingly - very rusty. So last spring (after lots of high-minded ideas about eventually getting around to doing it myself...) I had it rebuilt on a galvanised chassis and the lower half of the body all repared. Chucked some new seat covers on it too and now it's back in regular use - I basically swap it each month with my other Citroen (Xantia TD estate) as my daily.
It had the kingpins replaced in 2012, I put a set of Burton dampers on it this summer (which transformed the ride and handling - I hadn't realised how much it had slowly degraded over the decade!) and apart from regular servicing and maintenance that's really about it. I've done long 200/300 mile journeys to Cornwall and Wales in it, moved house with it, it's been on a track day at Rockingham (in the wet!) and while it has needed the odd replacement part here and there (starter motor, clutch, fuel pump, engine breather unit, alternator spring to mind) it's never failed to complete a journey or ever let me down (other than a flat battery, cured by judicious use of the starting handle).
My long-term plan (both before and after the galvanised chassis) was to get it into a decent condition and sell it to finance the much-needed restoration of my early Mk1 Mini, on the basis that while I like them both the Mini would be impossible to replace while there is no shortage of 2CV Dollys in the world. But I'm really, really not sure and I'm coming around to the idea of just scrimping and saving so I can keep both because I'm pretty sure I would deeply regret getting rid of this particular 2CV.
Had my 1988 French-built 2CV6 Dolly for nearly exactly 10 years now. It had 54,000 miles on it when I bought it in October 2010, from its second owner, and it's now on 71,500. It was my daily driver for the first three years of ownership, was in regular use for another two then I fell into the pit of 'too many cars, not enough time to drive or look after them all' and it languished in a shed getting very little use between MoTs and then spent a year sat in the bottom of someone else's garden getting no use whatsoever.
After that it was - unsurprisingly - very rusty. So last spring (after lots of high-minded ideas about eventually getting around to doing it myself...) I had it rebuilt on a galvanised chassis and the lower half of the body all repared. Chucked some new seat covers on it too and now it's back in regular use - I basically swap it each month with my other Citroen (Xantia TD estate) as my daily.
It had the kingpins replaced in 2012, I put a set of Burton dampers on it this summer (which transformed the ride and handling - I hadn't realised how much it had slowly degraded over the decade!) and apart from regular servicing and maintenance that's really about it. I've done long 200/300 mile journeys to Cornwall and Wales in it, moved house with it, it's been on a track day at Rockingham (in the wet!) and while it has needed the odd replacement part here and there (starter motor, clutch, fuel pump, engine breather unit, alternator spring to mind) it's never failed to complete a journey or ever let me down (other than a flat battery, cured by judicious use of the starting handle).
My long-term plan (both before and after the galvanised chassis) was to get it into a decent condition and sell it to finance the much-needed restoration of my early Mk1 Mini, on the basis that while I like them both the Mini would be impossible to replace while there is no shortage of 2CV Dollys in the world. But I'm really, really not sure and I'm coming around to the idea of just scrimping and saving so I can keep both because I'm pretty sure I would deeply regret getting rid of this particular 2CV.
2xChevrons said:
My long-term plan (both before and after the galvanised chassis) was to get it into a decent condition and sell it to finance the much-needed restoration of my early Mk1 Mini, on the basis that while I like them both the Mini would be impossible to replace while there is no shortage of 2CV Dollys in the world. But I'm really, really not sure and I'm coming around to the idea of just scrimping and saving so I can keep both because I'm pretty sure I would deeply regret getting rid of this particular 2CV.
You'd be surprised, decent and sorted 2cvs are getting quick few and fair between. There are a lot of bodged cars out there with shiny paintwork but rotten panels and lots of filler. Your car sounds a decent car and a known quantity.
chopper602 said:
2xChevrons said:
My long-term plan (both before and after the galvanised chassis) was to get it into a decent condition and sell it to finance the much-needed restoration of my early Mk1 Mini, on the basis that while I like them both the Mini would be impossible to replace while there is no shortage of 2CV Dollys in the world. But I'm really, really not sure and I'm coming around to the idea of just scrimping and saving so I can keep both because I'm pretty sure I would deeply regret getting rid of this particular 2CV.
You'd be surprised, decent and sorted 2cvs are getting quick few and fair between. There are a lot of bodged cars out there with shiny paintwork but rotten panels and lots of filler. Your car sounds a decent car and a known quantity.At the moment it's rather academic because the Mini is in a barn in Cornwall and I haven't even laid eyes on it for over a year, but I'm thinking that if I do keep both cars it's more feasible to do bits of work here and there on the Mini while the 2CV's still in full working order.
chopper602 said:
Keep it, then come along to the World Meeting in Switzerland next summer . . .
In all seriousness, this is one of the things making me keep it around - in the 10 years I've had it I have not managed to fulfill my two ambitions of a) taking it to France and b) going to one of the big international 2CV meets. Done local and national ones, but they're not the same. Bill said:
Ok, having a vague look at getting one again... But I'm struggling with the prices. Are they actually selling at the £5k+ point??
For anything that's not a bodged spray over filler job then 'Yes'. Often have the chassis replaced with the floors (and or) sills holed and corroded, or with plates over the top. Engines not normally a problem.This is a good place to look - https://retrospecparts.com/114-cars-for-sale
No worries. I agree with what you're saying though, some prices being asked are just daft but reflective of their rarity and desirability I guess. I looked last getting one about five years ago and you could pick a reasonable one up for around £1500 or so but now? No chance. When I started looking this year the same sort of thing was up for around £5k which really surprised me, I got a little lucky and found a sound runner up for 4k that needed work so got it down to 3k. Needed about 900 worth of work to get right and now it's just sat outside, hardly used. 
Aye, I was ok - just, with 4k but did wonder if I was doing the right thing or not spending that amount on a whim. I think the idea was sound, I just may have bought the wrong car as it's not being used as much as I'd like, probably should have bought something a bit more usable if you know what I mean.
Yours does look great though.Gassing Station | French Bred | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff