Anyone have any experience of the Citroen C5?
Discussion
becauseitmatters said:
No.
French and diesel.
As in don't get it because it's French and diesel?French and diesel.
I'm aware the pneumatic suspension can have its problems, but I'm told warranty claims were lower than the comparable VW Passat ... not a bad record.
The leather option looks suitably comfortable for wafting along the M40 too.
megamaniac said:
I've had a 3.0 petrol,and now have a 2.0hdi exclusive,everything works,it averages 45mpg smoothly,comfortably and quietly enough for me. Oh and it was £1200
Is the Exclusive the posh one with leather etc? Going to be covering a lot of motorway miles so contemplating something at the more wafty end of the spectrum.Had a C5 V6-02 a couple of years ago,exclusive spec.good car that served me well
for 2 years.Things to look out for: Rear brake calipers,Rear axle bushes(2 big ones,can't remember what they are called)
The suspension is nothing to be afraid of,just make sure that the ride is really soft and smooth.There shouldn't be any bouncy tendencies,on older Citroen models
you could refill the spheres,but sadly that's not an option on a C5,so if the ride
is poor:new spheres,about the same cost as new springs and shock absorbers for a
"normal"car. Go for it
No electrical problems at all!!
for 2 years.Things to look out for: Rear brake calipers,Rear axle bushes(2 big ones,can't remember what they are called)
The suspension is nothing to be afraid of,just make sure that the ride is really soft and smooth.There shouldn't be any bouncy tendencies,on older Citroen models
you could refill the spheres,but sadly that's not an option on a C5,so if the ride
is poor:new spheres,about the same cost as new springs and shock absorbers for a
"normal"car. Go for it
No electrical problems at all!!
Edited by ClaesB on Friday 18th January 00:15
Dave Brand said:
mybrainhurts said:
French electricity does not work. The End...
The only electrical problems I've had on French cars have been caused by the failure of German components.What happens in French cars is that one electrical fault is masked by another electrical fault, thus making you think nothing is wrong. This happens on a huge scale and, one day, the whole thing will screw up, leaving you with a pair of badly singed knackers as you cruise to a halt, warbling Sacre Bleu, Zut Alors, Charles de Gaulle et 'Allo Allo...
Read and learn, you have been warned...
mybrainhurts said:
Dave Brand said:
mybrainhurts said:
French electricity does not work. The End...
The only electrical problems I've had on French cars have been caused by the failure of German components.What happens in French cars is that one electrical fault is masked by another electrical fault, thus making you think nothing is wrong. This happens on a huge scale and, one day, the whole thing will screw up, leaving you with a pair of badly singed knackers as you cruise to a halt, warbling Sacre Bleu, Zut Alors, Charles de Gaulle et 'Allo Allo...
Read and learn, you have been warned...
I run loads of French stuff as taxis. Why? Because they build a bloody good diesel engine.
We have 3 407 2.0hdi with between 270000 and 230000 on them. We have a 2.2hdi C5 which to be fair has had it's moments and a 2.2hdi C8. Two Renault Lagunas, one diesel the other petrol and a Fiat Scudo with the 2.0hdi engine in.
As long as you change the oils and filters regularly, and don't put off maintenance, then they are as good as anything else out there.
Tyre Smoke said:
mybrainhurts said:
Dave Brand said:
mybrainhurts said:
French electricity does not work. The End...
The only electrical problems I've had on French cars have been caused by the failure of German components.What happens in French cars is that one electrical fault is masked by another electrical fault, thus making you think nothing is wrong. This happens on a huge scale and, one day, the whole thing will screw up, leaving you with a pair of badly singed knackers as you cruise to a halt, warbling Sacre Bleu, Zut Alors, Charles de Gaulle et 'Allo Allo...
Read and learn, you have been warned...
I run loads of French stuff as taxis. Why? Because they build a bloody good diesel engine.
We have 3 407 2.0hdi with between 270000 and 230000 on them. We have a 2.2hdi C5 which to be fair has had it's moments and a 2.2hdi C8. Two Renault Lagunas, one diesel the other petrol and a Fiat Scudo with the 2.0hdi engine in.
As long as you change the oils and filters regularly, and don't put off maintenance, then they are as good as anything else out there.
A lot of cars nowadays are to complicated and rely heavily on electrics, french diesel cars really aren`t as bad as people make out. A common fault with the C5 however is the indicator stalk, it fails and costs over 400 pounds 
. A lot of taxi companies use french diesels as they last so long, oh and they seem to resist the tin worm quite well.
. A lot of taxi companies use french diesels as they last so long, oh and they seem to resist the tin worm quite well.Chris71 said:
I need a comfy, cheap-to-run motorway barge on a budget and I'm thinking of a mk1 Citroen C5 HDi.
Does anyone on here have any experience of them? Can you recommend anything to look out for?
(And, yes, I'll dig out the buyer's guide in last week's Autocar!)
I have had one of these in 2.0 HDi guise for 8 years so I hope I know a bit about them. Mine had 40k in it when I bought it and now has 80 odd.Does anyone on here have any experience of them? Can you recommend anything to look out for?
(And, yes, I'll dig out the buyer's guide in last week's Autocar!)
I'm racking my brains to think of the biggest bill I've had and I think it was the alternator. I think the rear drums had to be replaced a couple of years ago
due to rust build up. Thats it. All the rest was consumables. I have it serviced every year at a local independent and it comes to a couple of hundred.
In terms of reliability it has been faultless and it is very comfortable. I'm surrounded by speed bumps and potholes and the suspension is silent and compliant where my other barge has constant suspension issues and bangs and clonks over the same roads.
If you can find one that has had a good life then I dont think you can go wrong. They must be worth 2 bob these days as well.
I looked at one rather overpriced HDi estate that had a few issues and was overdue a cambelt change. Believe it or not, I couldn't find anything else locally in the time I had.
I bought a Rover 75 CDT in the end. Really comfy old barge and quite charismatic for what it is, but based on first impressions those French electrics mentioned above would be a step up from the Brummie equivalent.
I bought a Rover 75 CDT in the end. Really comfy old barge and quite charismatic for what it is, but based on first impressions those French electrics mentioned above would be a step up from the Brummie equivalent.
Gassing Station | French Bred | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff