Citroen C4 VTS 180 in bargain-basement blind bidding frenzy!
Discussion
It's true. I've bought another Citroen, and this time it ISN'T a BX!
For the past two years (with a bit of change), my daily driver has been a Peugeot 407SW HDI, thus:
Now, I can't really knock the Peugeot 407SW HDI much, as truth be told, it's been a very good car. Reliable, capable of 50mpg or more, unassuming and has done the job of carting myself to work and my kids to school every morning. It's been grand.
Time came to change the Peugeot, for a number of reasons. One of the reasons was that I wanted a smaller car, because as good as the bangernomics Pug was, it was the size of a sperm whale. When you live with no off-road parking in cul-de-sac inhabited mostly by people who can't park to save their lives, such a vessel becomes problematic.
A number of cars were added to a shortlist for consideration. I was after something a bit more interesting than the Pug (not difficult), a bit smaller than the Pug (again, a simple request) and something worth no more than the Pug in monetary terms (ah, the stumbling block!)
I had my list down to a few:
Of course, I didn't go to look at it, because I spotted a much less ideal option on eBay. A 3 door VTS 180 (which stands for 180bhp, despite the fact they had 177.) I was familar with these, because S-ten-BHP owned one a while back (here, in fact: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... ) and though at the time I felt it poor as a hot hatch, today as a potential daily-runaround that could both interesting and cheap, it started to make sense:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2006-56-CITROEN-C4-COUP...
As with the most sensible and reasoned car buying choices, it was a trade clearance-sale. All risks, no backup. Riddled with bodily issues, and offered for sale by a dealer with less than glowing feedback. It sat at £560 for days on end, and I waited until Monday evening to snare my prey. Being a believer in 'snipe' bidding (not bidding until the very last second, where you go in all guns blazing) I lost my nerve at 25secs remaining, where it was at £620. I pumped in a colossal number, and saw it sitting at £640 with 5 secs remaining. I rubbed my hands with glee, only to see it briefly flash at £820 and then £840 as others frantically tried to beat me off (not in a good way) at the death. Resigned to my fate at £840, I was still fairly relaxed as I thought it represented pretty good value still, especially as a Focus ST or Civic Type-R of a similar vintage would be 3-5 times more money, despite not being 3-5 times the car.
You can imagine my disappointment that, upon a refresh, I discovered the final price was £920.
At the end of the day, I was still willing to pay that. If someone had asked me earlier in the year "Do you want a C4 VTS for £920, I'd have said....well, no probably. But I should have said yes, because it's still cheaper than most of the others I've seen around, and it's a LOT of car for the money! Besides, I clearly really wanted it, having lost my nerve and gone in at 25secs, which gave everyone else a chance to react. Should have waited til 12secs, but wanted a chance to refresh in the event of a page failing to open, or something.
Anyway, Tuesday was a no-go for collection because, despite the fact the car was in nearby Russian (alledgedly) bio-chemical capital Salisbury, my kids had school sports day, and I had to spend the morning and early afternoon in 30c heat watching everyone else's kids run around (mine competed for a total of around 3 minutes, though they did well!)
Wednesday was another matter. A train ticket was duly purchased (for the first time on the mainline in around 15 years - things have changed a bit, eh?!) from Fareham to Salisbury, and because I'm a sadsack, I chose a route that would require two changes so that I could travel along the lines I used to live near when I was younger, as I'd never actually been down them. First two trains had A/C....third one was broken
All trains were pretty much on time, and the journey was totally painless (except for the GWR line's lack of air-con, combined with funky-smelling lady in seat ahead).
Salisbury was achieved:
(that's my train just pulling out, sans air-con)
A brief walk to the dealership later, and I was confronted with a very dusty and VERY hot Citroen C4 VTS 180:
Upon being asked whether I wanted to look at the car first, I responded that 'Yes, I would like to look at it first'. I enjoyed the fact that this seemed to put the salesman out somewhat, as the showroom was air-conditioned.
I was led to the C4, and handed a single key with a plastic body of questionable integrity. I was already aware that the only door lock on the car (on the passenger door, obviously) didn't work, so went straight for the knackered key (which the advert stated did function.)
Nothing.
Returned to the showroom and made way to salesman's desk. Upon being asked if it was OK, I suggested that the bit I could see was fine, but sadly I couldn't actually get in. Clearly believing me to be some kind of amateur in the realm of remote key fob operation, he went to try for himself, and sure enough was greeted with the same issue. One hot car park, one very hot C4, and one increasingly pissed-off me, though doing my best to keep my s
t together.
A Citroen salesman was collared (obviously a natural talent in the world of remote vehicle electronics) who played with the key until the car suddenly unlocked. He suggested the contact for the battery was dicky, so we taped the key up and left the car unlocked at that point. The car started up, behaved and did everything you'd want, aside from having WORKING AIR-CONDIDDLYDITIONING (OK, possibly hoping for a bit too much there). Funds were exchanged, and I made my way to a petrol station to increase the number of miles remaining on the fuel-trip computer (currently displaying zero).
I also bought a huge baguette, a chocolate bar and a drink. I set about the journey home and looked for a nice place to sit and eat:
It didn't take long to realise this was not a good place to sit and eat:
A short time later, I found a shady spot!
The drive home was uneventful, and the car even managed to average 38mpg without me even considering fuel economy. The ride was also smoother than I remembered. Upon my return to Fareham, I discovered that the 'battery issue' with the keyfob was, in fact, a broken micro-switch on the circuit board. Even better, it had already been superglued as a quick fix. I was now faced with a car that I couldn't lock or unlock. I decided to try and revive the passenger doorlock, which I hoped was seized up due to lack of use:
After 30mins of faffing around, I managed to free off the lock with my remaining key blade! I was now able to lock and unlock the car, at least!
One thing I'd noticed the entirety of the journey home was the amount of rattles and knocks coming from the rear end. Yes, it's French and all that, but so was the 407, and that didn't really rattle at all, despite its 215k miles and past as a taxi in Manchester! This was extreme, so I went hunting before i went home.
I found the spare wheel not fastened down, and a loose jack and mounting foam loose in the back, along with a lot of crud:
And having located the tow-eye (in the front door pocket; a sign of complete confidence in the car....!) I fastened everything down:
While refitting the boot carpet, I noticed another thoughtful design touch, which it was already clear the C4 was overflowing with:
What initially appeared to be a loose piece of trim, turned out to be a retractable boot tidy! I then went round all the tyres, and found one had 10PSI in it. Having re-inflated all of them to the correct pressure, the ride was now stiffer and the boot rattled were than ever. Hmmm...not the spare tyre & jack then!
I finished the day removing the dust and muck from the car in a manner befitting a £920 wreck:
Not too bad!
Issues notable at close of play, Wednesday 27th June:
For the past two years (with a bit of change), my daily driver has been a Peugeot 407SW HDI, thus:
Now, I can't really knock the Peugeot 407SW HDI much, as truth be told, it's been a very good car. Reliable, capable of 50mpg or more, unassuming and has done the job of carting myself to work and my kids to school every morning. It's been grand.
Time came to change the Peugeot, for a number of reasons. One of the reasons was that I wanted a smaller car, because as good as the bangernomics Pug was, it was the size of a sperm whale. When you live with no off-road parking in cul-de-sac inhabited mostly by people who can't park to save their lives, such a vessel becomes problematic.
A number of cars were added to a shortlist for consideration. I was after something a bit more interesting than the Pug (not difficult), a bit smaller than the Pug (again, a simple request) and something worth no more than the Pug in monetary terms (ah, the stumbling block!)
I had my list down to a few:
- Fiat Panda 100HP - always wanted one, but always think I'll chicken out of buying one. Budget meant it'd be a complete wreck, and I was worried my kids would get picked on at school, especially if it was red. I'd have to dress as Postman Pat to make it look like I was in on the joke....
- Audi A2 - always admired them, though never desired one. I like advanced cars, and the A2 was years ahead of its time. Again, not sure I'd have the guts to actually drive one, but the kids vetoed it before I got that far anyway!
- Honda Civic (2006 on) - another long term want, particularly in Type-R trim. Sadly, budget meant average 1.8 5dr - though a nice car - was going to be a total hound. Type-R totally out of reach, and from what I've heard they look better than they drive anyway!
- Citroen C4 - bit of a homecoming, what with the plethora of BXs. The C4 is almost a modern BX; a quirky looking car with more humdrum mechanicals than you'd think. 5dr cars were in budget, though not exactly 'exciting'.
Of course, I didn't go to look at it, because I spotted a much less ideal option on eBay. A 3 door VTS 180 (which stands for 180bhp, despite the fact they had 177.) I was familar with these, because S-ten-BHP owned one a while back (here, in fact: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... ) and though at the time I felt it poor as a hot hatch, today as a potential daily-runaround that could both interesting and cheap, it started to make sense:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2006-56-CITROEN-C4-COUP...
As with the most sensible and reasoned car buying choices, it was a trade clearance-sale. All risks, no backup. Riddled with bodily issues, and offered for sale by a dealer with less than glowing feedback. It sat at £560 for days on end, and I waited until Monday evening to snare my prey. Being a believer in 'snipe' bidding (not bidding until the very last second, where you go in all guns blazing) I lost my nerve at 25secs remaining, where it was at £620. I pumped in a colossal number, and saw it sitting at £640 with 5 secs remaining. I rubbed my hands with glee, only to see it briefly flash at £820 and then £840 as others frantically tried to beat me off (not in a good way) at the death. Resigned to my fate at £840, I was still fairly relaxed as I thought it represented pretty good value still, especially as a Focus ST or Civic Type-R of a similar vintage would be 3-5 times more money, despite not being 3-5 times the car.
You can imagine my disappointment that, upon a refresh, I discovered the final price was £920.
At the end of the day, I was still willing to pay that. If someone had asked me earlier in the year "Do you want a C4 VTS for £920, I'd have said....well, no probably. But I should have said yes, because it's still cheaper than most of the others I've seen around, and it's a LOT of car for the money! Besides, I clearly really wanted it, having lost my nerve and gone in at 25secs, which gave everyone else a chance to react. Should have waited til 12secs, but wanted a chance to refresh in the event of a page failing to open, or something.
Anyway, Tuesday was a no-go for collection because, despite the fact the car was in nearby Russian (alledgedly) bio-chemical capital Salisbury, my kids had school sports day, and I had to spend the morning and early afternoon in 30c heat watching everyone else's kids run around (mine competed for a total of around 3 minutes, though they did well!)
Wednesday was another matter. A train ticket was duly purchased (for the first time on the mainline in around 15 years - things have changed a bit, eh?!) from Fareham to Salisbury, and because I'm a sadsack, I chose a route that would require two changes so that I could travel along the lines I used to live near when I was younger, as I'd never actually been down them. First two trains had A/C....third one was broken
All trains were pretty much on time, and the journey was totally painless (except for the GWR line's lack of air-con, combined with funky-smelling lady in seat ahead).
Salisbury was achieved:
(that's my train just pulling out, sans air-con)
A brief walk to the dealership later, and I was confronted with a very dusty and VERY hot Citroen C4 VTS 180:
Upon being asked whether I wanted to look at the car first, I responded that 'Yes, I would like to look at it first'. I enjoyed the fact that this seemed to put the salesman out somewhat, as the showroom was air-conditioned.
I was led to the C4, and handed a single key with a plastic body of questionable integrity. I was already aware that the only door lock on the car (on the passenger door, obviously) didn't work, so went straight for the knackered key (which the advert stated did function.)
Nothing.
Returned to the showroom and made way to salesman's desk. Upon being asked if it was OK, I suggested that the bit I could see was fine, but sadly I couldn't actually get in. Clearly believing me to be some kind of amateur in the realm of remote key fob operation, he went to try for himself, and sure enough was greeted with the same issue. One hot car park, one very hot C4, and one increasingly pissed-off me, though doing my best to keep my s
t together.A Citroen salesman was collared (obviously a natural talent in the world of remote vehicle electronics) who played with the key until the car suddenly unlocked. He suggested the contact for the battery was dicky, so we taped the key up and left the car unlocked at that point. The car started up, behaved and did everything you'd want, aside from having WORKING AIR-CONDIDDLYDITIONING (OK, possibly hoping for a bit too much there). Funds were exchanged, and I made my way to a petrol station to increase the number of miles remaining on the fuel-trip computer (currently displaying zero).
I also bought a huge baguette, a chocolate bar and a drink. I set about the journey home and looked for a nice place to sit and eat:
It didn't take long to realise this was not a good place to sit and eat:
A short time later, I found a shady spot!
The drive home was uneventful, and the car even managed to average 38mpg without me even considering fuel economy. The ride was also smoother than I remembered. Upon my return to Fareham, I discovered that the 'battery issue' with the keyfob was, in fact, a broken micro-switch on the circuit board. Even better, it had already been superglued as a quick fix. I was now faced with a car that I couldn't lock or unlock. I decided to try and revive the passenger doorlock, which I hoped was seized up due to lack of use:
After 30mins of faffing around, I managed to free off the lock with my remaining key blade! I was now able to lock and unlock the car, at least!
One thing I'd noticed the entirety of the journey home was the amount of rattles and knocks coming from the rear end. Yes, it's French and all that, but so was the 407, and that didn't really rattle at all, despite its 215k miles and past as a taxi in Manchester! This was extreme, so I went hunting before i went home.
I found the spare wheel not fastened down, and a loose jack and mounting foam loose in the back, along with a lot of crud:
And having located the tow-eye (in the front door pocket; a sign of complete confidence in the car....!) I fastened everything down:
While refitting the boot carpet, I noticed another thoughtful design touch, which it was already clear the C4 was overflowing with:
What initially appeared to be a loose piece of trim, turned out to be a retractable boot tidy! I then went round all the tyres, and found one had 10PSI in it. Having re-inflated all of them to the correct pressure, the ride was now stiffer and the boot rattled were than ever. Hmmm...not the spare tyre & jack then!
I finished the day removing the dust and muck from the car in a manner befitting a £920 wreck:
Not too bad!
Issues notable at close of play, Wednesday 27th June:
- Exhaust blowing a-hooly in multiple places.
- Air-con has fked off somewhere.
- Directional headlamps don't work
- Headlamp washers don't seem to work (or I don't know how to operate them)
- All manner of bad noises coming from boot when traversing the roads of Britain
- Lots of dings and dents
- Tyre/wheel bearing rumble from NSR
- Lock shenanigans
- Seats are BRILLIANT. Very comfy.
- Stereo is bangin' choons
- Corners very flat
- Brakes a bit snatchy, gearshift a bit woolly
- Engine seems to rev to near 8k RPM (who needs a Type-R?!)
- Car is not quick (oh....I need a Type-R)
- Gearing very short (4k rpm at 80mph)
- Very likable car. Lots of clever touches and quirks. Feels interesting and special compared with Focus' and Astras et al
Edited by Kitchski on Friday 29th June 01:16
I had one of these in about 2007, bought for 8200 quid, so you're at just over 10% of that value back then.
I had no issues at all and took it from 44k to 87k over 2 years. I loved it because it was so left field compared to the norm (ST, Type R etc..) Also loved the steering wheel and general levels of tech for its age.
Great write up as well, enjoyed that.
I had no issues at all and took it from 44k to 87k over 2 years. I loved it because it was so left field compared to the norm (ST, Type R etc..) Also loved the steering wheel and general levels of tech for its age.
Great write up as well, enjoyed that.
That spec at that price and I too would be very happy. I’ve had my C4 for a couple of years now and it does everything I could reasonably ask of it and, while it’s the 88bhp 1.4 engine, the gearing sounds very similar to yours, hovering at 3500rpm or so at 70mph. Sounds like the woolly gear change is just a model feature, although the actual shift throw isn’t too long.
Keep an eye on the window switches if you’re not already aware, for they have their idiosyncrasies. Sometimes pulling the switch up means the window will go down. Other times pushing it down will.
I see also that you have the higher spec display, as befits a VTS. I don’t know if that does anything differently to the lower end display fitted in a 5-door LX.
Best of luck with it! They really are a decent little car.
Keep an eye on the window switches if you’re not already aware, for they have their idiosyncrasies. Sometimes pulling the switch up means the window will go down. Other times pushing it down will.
I see also that you have the higher spec display, as befits a VTS. I don’t know if that does anything differently to the lower end display fitted in a 5-door LX.
Best of luck with it! They really are a decent little car.
Headlight washers only work when the lights are on. As said above, if the level is very low they will get temperamental as well. One additional thing to try is to manually pull each one upwards, sometimes they bind due to non-usage and need some freeing up Can you hear the pump running after the windshield has been sprayed?
Re. directional headlights: check in the vehicle settings menu if they are enabled. If they are, do they perform their selftest at key on (vertical movement)? If you have a Lexia, there is a test routine you can run that takes them through their horizontal movement like so:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0qDR2mRzAw
(video is from my 308 but it's the same system)
Re. directional headlights: check in the vehicle settings menu if they are enabled. If they are, do they perform their selftest at key on (vertical movement)? If you have a Lexia, there is a test routine you can run that takes them through their horizontal movement like so:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0qDR2mRzAw
(video is from my 308 but it's the same system)
Yesterday's antics yielded some positive results. Of the 1,054 rattles emanating from the rear end, it transpired that some broken trim and a loose rear spoiler were the main culprits, if not the sole offenders.
Having removed said broken trim, I was delirious when I discovered that the spoiler was not only simply bolted on; it was also loose! Fears of broken captive fixings, broken tailgates and shattered glass had been in my mind all night. One 10mm socket later, and the spoiler was solid
Rattles haven't disappeared completely, but they're much reduced now.
Another job which had been nagging me was the exhaust. It was puffing and blowing quite badly, and though it wasn't too bad when started cold, it got much worse within 15mins of driving - up to the point I was worried it was going to snap in half and polevolt the rear end of the car into the top of a lampost!
I was keen to sort the exhaust out, for two reasons. Firstly, genuine replacements are £1500 from Citroen, because the exhaust is unique to the VTS 180, and in the event you do manage to fit an aftermarket one, it will be for a 138bhp cooking 2.0 model, and therefore not as good. Secondly, because the genuine exhausts are soooooo much better than the aftermarket ones (look at the mandrel bends for a start), I wanted to try and preserve the system. It's difficult to explain it, but there's a certain 'sound' French hot hatches make when they're factory spec, and upon replacing the exhaust you lose that particular character. Plus the tailpipe is uber cool, and I don't want to lose it!
So I got it onto a ramp and had a nose underneath:
By and large it's in pretty good shape. Little in the way of surface rust, and apart from a few smashed bits of trim and a missing undertray, it's looking decent enough.
I went exhaust hole hunting (assuming there is supposed to be at least one...), and straight away found an issue:
Fracture around the weld on the centre section. A right royal result, that, because it's easy to weld over and beef it up.
Correct protocol would have been to remove the exhaust entirely, thoroughly clean and prep the metal and seam weld all the way around. Due to time constraints and a lack of spares, I had to make a call; I didn't want to leave it much longer as the noise was getting much worse as the car warmed up, suggesting to me that heat plus the 'push-me/pull-me' motion of the engine acting on the exhaust could cause it to split at any point, and then I'd lose the alignment. So, I tried to clean it up and weld it in-situ, just for now, to keep it in one piece
I don't have a picture of the weld to show you, because trust me, you don't want to see how badly a weld looks on carbon-laced, rusty 12 yr old exhaust silencers! Luckily, exhaust paste was handy to cover it up!:
I do plan to take it all off in the coming weeks anyway, so I can grind it all back and re-weld it all around. It's got to come off anyway, because I found the second blow:
The original backbox is built-up inside, and then the casing is crimped together. That entire crimp is rusted, and on the brink of splitting! So, the exhaust will have to come off anyway, and then I can flip it upside-down, clean it all up and seam-weld it shut. I'll fit new rubbers while I'm there.
I did manage to clean up the tailpipe while I was down there though, and happily it's not rusty:
This is all a result, because it suggests that the rattles and noises, and busted exhaust are probably the reasons the last owner chopped it in. Hopefully it's a good car underneath all that.
Reckon I'll be doing some brakes soon too:
That's no big deal, as I expected to have to do something like that anyway. I have some modifications planned concerning the suspension and brakes, so I'll be in there again soon anyway.
The bodged exhaust made a BIG difference, and the leak is now a minor puff as opposed to a blatant baffly-type rasp. 24hrs in, and the C4 was driving much better, so I stopped for some pics:
The more I'm around it, the more I love the design. I'm not into conventionally-pretty cars, I like interesting-looking cars. Citroen SM and Lexus LFA are on the dream list; neither are classically handsome, yet I could look at either for hours on end! The C4 is the same. There are so many areas where they just went a different route, and it really stands out. It was parked next to an Astra earlier, and the Vauxhall just looked so ordinary compared with it.
I mean, how many cars have a boot profile like this?!:
The nuttiness continues inside. A centrally-mounted, translucent speedo cluster:
(this is actually really cool when you drive down a road with shadows from trees or buildings, as the shadows show through it as you pass them)
The rev counter is equally.....well, yeah:
And then there's the steering wheel, which my kids are still amused by!
Wheel straight:
Wheel turned:
One issue I do have is the fact it's absolutely roasting here at the moment. Outside temperature down in Hampshire while these pics were taken:
To that end, it's currently in a garage over the road seeing if it'll take any gas in the air-con. I'm hoping to whatever deity you believe in that it does!
Having removed said broken trim, I was delirious when I discovered that the spoiler was not only simply bolted on; it was also loose! Fears of broken captive fixings, broken tailgates and shattered glass had been in my mind all night. One 10mm socket later, and the spoiler was solid
Rattles haven't disappeared completely, but they're much reduced now.
Another job which had been nagging me was the exhaust. It was puffing and blowing quite badly, and though it wasn't too bad when started cold, it got much worse within 15mins of driving - up to the point I was worried it was going to snap in half and polevolt the rear end of the car into the top of a lampost!
I was keen to sort the exhaust out, for two reasons. Firstly, genuine replacements are £1500 from Citroen, because the exhaust is unique to the VTS 180, and in the event you do manage to fit an aftermarket one, it will be for a 138bhp cooking 2.0 model, and therefore not as good. Secondly, because the genuine exhausts are soooooo much better than the aftermarket ones (look at the mandrel bends for a start), I wanted to try and preserve the system. It's difficult to explain it, but there's a certain 'sound' French hot hatches make when they're factory spec, and upon replacing the exhaust you lose that particular character. Plus the tailpipe is uber cool, and I don't want to lose it!
So I got it onto a ramp and had a nose underneath:
By and large it's in pretty good shape. Little in the way of surface rust, and apart from a few smashed bits of trim and a missing undertray, it's looking decent enough.
I went exhaust hole hunting (assuming there is supposed to be at least one...), and straight away found an issue:
Fracture around the weld on the centre section. A right royal result, that, because it's easy to weld over and beef it up.
Correct protocol would have been to remove the exhaust entirely, thoroughly clean and prep the metal and seam weld all the way around. Due to time constraints and a lack of spares, I had to make a call; I didn't want to leave it much longer as the noise was getting much worse as the car warmed up, suggesting to me that heat plus the 'push-me/pull-me' motion of the engine acting on the exhaust could cause it to split at any point, and then I'd lose the alignment. So, I tried to clean it up and weld it in-situ, just for now, to keep it in one piece
I don't have a picture of the weld to show you, because trust me, you don't want to see how badly a weld looks on carbon-laced, rusty 12 yr old exhaust silencers! Luckily, exhaust paste was handy to cover it up!:
I do plan to take it all off in the coming weeks anyway, so I can grind it all back and re-weld it all around. It's got to come off anyway, because I found the second blow:
The original backbox is built-up inside, and then the casing is crimped together. That entire crimp is rusted, and on the brink of splitting! So, the exhaust will have to come off anyway, and then I can flip it upside-down, clean it all up and seam-weld it shut. I'll fit new rubbers while I'm there.
I did manage to clean up the tailpipe while I was down there though, and happily it's not rusty:
This is all a result, because it suggests that the rattles and noises, and busted exhaust are probably the reasons the last owner chopped it in. Hopefully it's a good car underneath all that.
Reckon I'll be doing some brakes soon too:
That's no big deal, as I expected to have to do something like that anyway. I have some modifications planned concerning the suspension and brakes, so I'll be in there again soon anyway.
The bodged exhaust made a BIG difference, and the leak is now a minor puff as opposed to a blatant baffly-type rasp. 24hrs in, and the C4 was driving much better, so I stopped for some pics:
The more I'm around it, the more I love the design. I'm not into conventionally-pretty cars, I like interesting-looking cars. Citroen SM and Lexus LFA are on the dream list; neither are classically handsome, yet I could look at either for hours on end! The C4 is the same. There are so many areas where they just went a different route, and it really stands out. It was parked next to an Astra earlier, and the Vauxhall just looked so ordinary compared with it.
I mean, how many cars have a boot profile like this?!:
The nuttiness continues inside. A centrally-mounted, translucent speedo cluster:
(this is actually really cool when you drive down a road with shadows from trees or buildings, as the shadows show through it as you pass them)
The rev counter is equally.....well, yeah:
And then there's the steering wheel, which my kids are still amused by!
Wheel straight:
Wheel turned:
One issue I do have is the fact it's absolutely roasting here at the moment. Outside temperature down in Hampshire while these pics were taken:
To that end, it's currently in a garage over the road seeing if it'll take any gas in the air-con. I'm hoping to whatever deity you believe in that it does!
Nickp82 said:
Sorry but I have to take issue with this, why on earth would you buy a chocolate bar on such a hot day?
Otherwise, a very entertaining thread!
If I was prone to make a poor decision on a day I bought a car, I'll happily take it as the chocolate bar, rather than the choice of car! Otherwise, a very entertaining thread!
On some of these (and the Pug 307/308) the Condensor is quite easy to do. You'll probably need the front bumper off to get access to the connectors and maybe the top retaining bolt but if there is room in the engine bay the radiator can just be pushed backwards and the condensor pulls straight out. It isn't actually held in by anything at all other than the radiator its self.
Great read, I have to say I never knew of the car until this post, but after conquering my disbelief that you've bought a Citroen without an 'X' in the model name, this looks to be a good hack. The Civic Type R resemblances are plentiful but it has definite charm. Good luck with the AC hunt - sure these are primer breaker territory given their age?
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