Is "Citroen" always the wrong anser for 'what car'?
Discussion
I used to think it was, but I have been seeing some Citroen C4 VTRs coming up dead cheap, and they are great looking little things. Just the job for replacing my current banger with something a little more modern and stylish.
Are C4 VTRs any good? I just always think of my brother's burnt-out Laguna stranded at the side of the A1 when I think of French cars...
Are C4 VTRs any good? I just always think of my brother's burnt-out Laguna stranded at the side of the A1 when I think of French cars...
If the question is:
1. What car can I buy to look cool in while pootling around Paris? - a DS is the answer
2. I don't want a German Exec saloon, I care little about depreciation, but I want a mega-comfortable saloon that looks great and has a concave rear screen - what can I buy? - a C6 is the answer
3. I'd like to buy 2 old cars that look great, but are fiendishly complex to repair and rust a fair bit, and then sell them on when you realise your wife is going to kill you? - consecutive CX Turbos are the answer!
In fairness, these questions are quite specific. If your question is:
1. I'd like a good warm hatch thats a bit different - what can I buy?, the answer is definitely not a C4
1. What car can I buy to look cool in while pootling around Paris? - a DS is the answer
2. I don't want a German Exec saloon, I care little about depreciation, but I want a mega-comfortable saloon that looks great and has a concave rear screen - what can I buy? - a C6 is the answer
3. I'd like to buy 2 old cars that look great, but are fiendishly complex to repair and rust a fair bit, and then sell them on when you realise your wife is going to kill you? - consecutive CX Turbos are the answer!
In fairness, these questions are quite specific. If your question is:
1. I'd like a good warm hatch thats a bit different - what can I buy?, the answer is definitely not a C4
i have had a Citreon C2 from new.........to 130k miles in 5 years. It's been awesome for what it was intended. Cheap snotter to do everything that my 'other' car(s), bikes couldn't do.
I've changed everything else over the 5 years, several times.......and I still have that.
Cheap to fix, insure, tax, run.....
only complaint is the brake discs are not man enough. I probably have to change my discs every 15k miles......but they are warped from less than 10k.
I should probably have uprated them, but never bothered
I've changed everything else over the 5 years, several times.......and I still have that.
Cheap to fix, insure, tax, run.....
only complaint is the brake discs are not man enough. I probably have to change my discs every 15k miles......but they are warped from less than 10k.
I should probably have uprated them, but never bothered
Mr Gear said:
I used to think it was, but I have been seeing some Citroen C4 VTRs coming up dead cheap, and they are great looking little things. Just the job for replacing my current banger with something a little more modern and stylish.
Are C4 VTRs any good? I just always think of my brother's burnt-out Laguna stranded at the side of the A1 when I think of French cars...
So when thinking of a Citroen, you picture a Renault Are C4 VTRs any good? I just always think of my brother's burnt-out Laguna stranded at the side of the A1 when I think of French cars...
I don't know a huge amount about the C4, not sure it's the best bang per buck though, nor the most comfort or spec per buck either. But I'm sure it can do the job, in much the same way a washing machine does. Perfectly satisfactory, but nothing exciting to write home about.
My only gripe with Pugs/Citreons is when things go wrong. There's always 20 million part numbers for the same item, which becomes trial and error ordering the right one. The more recent Pugs I've been in have disappointed dynamically and in build quality.
Any time they've popped up on the radar, or in the discussion, the response is always the same.
"Yes, but…"
I'd prefer them over their equivalent Peugeot. C5 an excellent bangernomics/barge/shed prospect.
The new DS range is genuinely interesting, but you'd want to be either a fan or brave to buy one with your own money.
The "C4 by Loeb" was a horrible cash in.
"Yes, but…"
I'd prefer them over their equivalent Peugeot. C5 an excellent bangernomics/barge/shed prospect.
The new DS range is genuinely interesting, but you'd want to be either a fan or brave to buy one with your own money.
The "C4 by Loeb" was a horrible cash in.
300bhp/ton said:
So when thinking of a Citroen, you picture a Renault
I don't know a huge amount about the C4, not sure it's the best bang per buck though, nor the most comfort or spec per buck either. But I'm sure it can do the job, in much the same way a washing machine does. Perfectly satisfactory, but nothing exciting to write home about.
My only gripe with Pugs/Citreons is when things go wrong. There's always 20 million part numbers for the same item, which becomes trial and error ordering the right one. The more recent Pugs I've been in have disappointed dynamically and in build quality.
Eh? It should be linking to this image, so I don't know what's happening if it's not:I don't know a huge amount about the C4, not sure it's the best bang per buck though, nor the most comfort or spec per buck either. But I'm sure it can do the job, in much the same way a washing machine does. Perfectly satisfactory, but nothing exciting to write home about.
My only gripe with Pugs/Citreons is when things go wrong. There's always 20 million part numbers for the same item, which becomes trial and error ordering the right one. The more recent Pugs I've been in have disappointed dynamically and in build quality.
http://www.autoweb.co.uk/dealer_sites/car_pix/59_2...
Bang for buck is not ultimately my aim. I just want a practical car for doing wheelbarrow work, but one that won't make me weep with boredom every time I look at it.
These C4s have depreciated horribly for some poor mugs, so as a second-hand buy, there are some great low-mileage cars out there at silly prices.
I just want to know if it is likely to be reliable really.
mates got a C4 Loeb edition. Only things that went wrong (so far) have been odd bubbling of the paint on the rear spoiler, a quite rattly reverse gear and some wobbly heat shielding on the underside of the car. Nothing major in otherwords, though I have heard that the VTS with all its bells and whistles plays host to some electrical gremlins. So best aim for a car thats not got too many toys. He's had his from new in 06.
Other than that, the 5 speed box is a bit wooly, but the 6 speeder is good. No feel in the steering, comfy seats, very refined on the move (very quiet in the cabin on the motorway), decent engines (shared some with ford) and decent build quality. All in all, a decent steer I think.
Other than that, the 5 speed box is a bit wooly, but the 6 speeder is good. No feel in the steering, comfy seats, very refined on the move (very quiet in the cabin on the motorway), decent engines (shared some with ford) and decent build quality. All in all, a decent steer I think.
Citroens are great. Between my father and I, we've had 19 of them over the last 35 years.
The persistent 'French cars are s
t' tale is very Renault-centric, IMHO. Citroens are no less reliable than any other European mass-market, shopping-trolley manufacturer. But they set themselves apart by their design quirkiness (apart from Mk1 C5s).
In response to the initial question, unless the 'what car' is particularly speed/high performance related, the answer can often be Citroen.
The persistent 'French cars are s
t' tale is very Renault-centric, IMHO. Citroens are no less reliable than any other European mass-market, shopping-trolley manufacturer. But they set themselves apart by their design quirkiness (apart from Mk1 C5s).In response to the initial question, unless the 'what car' is particularly speed/high performance related, the answer can often be Citroen.
Mr Gear said:
Eh? It should be linking to this image, so I don't know what's happening if it's not
lol sorry. I was referring to your comment:Mr Gear said:
Are C4 VTRs any good? I just always think of my brother's burnt-out Laguna....
As in how is thinking of a Renault Laguna any relevance to buying a Citroen?? 
It'd be like saying I'm looking at a BMW, but I just always think of rear engined 911's when talking German cars....
Mr Gear said:
I just want to know if it is likely to be reliable really.
Yes I should think so. I don't think any cars are particularly unreliable these days. If you look at the reliability and owner surveys, ignore the ranking, but look at the actual figures for each grade, and you'll see there's a tiny gap from 1st to last place as a rule. Or at least 75% of all cars surveyed are very close.However ranking them forces an order to place cars higher or lower in a list.
Otispunkmeyer said:
mates got a C4 Loeb edition. Only things that went wrong (so far) have been odd bubbling of the paint on the rear spoiler, a quite rattly reverse gear and some wobbly heat shielding on the underside of the car. Nothing major in otherwords, though I have heard that the VTS with all its bells and whistles plays host to some electrical gremlins. So best aim for a car thats not got too many toys. He's had his from new in 06.
Other than that, the 5 speed box is a bit wooly, but the 6 speeder is good. No feel in the steering, comfy seats, very refined on the move (very quiet in the cabin on the motorway), decent engines (shared some with ford) and decent build quality. All in all, a decent steer I think.
Cheers. I am not expecting dynamic excellence, I just want to know if they are a reliability black-hole.Other than that, the 5 speed box is a bit wooly, but the 6 speeder is good. No feel in the steering, comfy seats, very refined on the move (very quiet in the cabin on the motorway), decent engines (shared some with ford) and decent build quality. All in all, a decent steer I think.
Mr Gear said:
Bang for buck is not ultimately my aim. I just want a practical car for doing wheelbarrow work, but one that won't make me weep with boredom every time I look at it.....
I just want to know if it is likely to be reliable really.
I had one (VTS) for three years.I just want to know if it is likely to be reliable really.
Plus points:
1) Great looking car and you don't see many others on the road
2) Comfortable enough and quick enough (in VTS form, HDi or petrol. I'd imagine the 1.6 engines are a bit asthmatic)
3) Lovey (if a bit creaky) interior. Steering wheel with fixed hub always a talking point with passengers.
4) Mechanically completely reliable.
Minus points:
1) Creaky interior (see above)
2) Electrically completely unreliable. Literally every optional extra went AWOL at some point, auto leveling xenon headlights, parking sensors etc etc.... but I suppose it's not a problem if you get a basic model with nothing like that to go wrong on it.
If you're after cheap transport that's a bit different you could do a lot worse. And there is a great community on C4owners.org who can help you fix a lot of the common problems cheaply yourself without going to the main dealer.
300bhp/ton said:
stuff.
Yeah, I think there is a blanket assumption that all French cars have bad reliability. To the point that some people will buy an Aygo instead of a C1 because "Toyota is more reliable, right?"My brother was told not to buy anything French, but he bought a Laguna because it was a good price and it caught fire. Now he won't buy anything French... as you'd expect to a certain extent.
But of course this blanket assumption doesn't stand up to scrutiny. Each car has to be taken on its merits, not dismissed based on what country it was designed in.
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