Midlife crisis car craving - 2002 Citroen C5 3.0 petrol
Discussion
Ex is not a problem - she got better car during divorce. The C5 is cheap, its the 3.0i V6 engine I am worried about. I can spend more on petrol and maintenance, as I know I am getting excellend quality car (bit dated, true). But if I would need to spend lot of maintenance, its not a good deal as I am planning to use the car everyday.
casualdriver said:
Ex is not a problem - she got better car during divorce. The C5 is cheap, its the 3.0i V6 engine I am worried about. I can spend more on petrol and maintenance, as I know I am getting excellend quality car (bit dated, true). But if I would need to spend lot of maintenance, its not a good deal as I am planning to use the car everyday.
Budget for the worst, hope for the best. Stay within your means. I suspect that the actual petrol engine, with no turbos etc, would not be the main cause of costs. But as well as checking its reputation, I'd want to know about the (presumably) automatic gearbox (including if/when it has been serviced) and the reliability of any Citroen specials like hydraulic suspension systems.
trevalvole said:
I suspect that the actual petrol engine, with no turbos etc, would not be the main cause of costs. But as well as checking its reputation, I'd want to know about the (presumably) automatic gearbox (including if/when it has been serviced) and the reliability of any Citroen specials like hydraulic suspension systems.
Hydraulics are usually reliable. I had big citroens for years, and apart from periodic replacement of the pressurised spheres there was no maintenance required. The thing that usually cause issues is electronics - either poor earths, dodgy connectors or broken wires inside the insulation. Trouble is, you'll never know if they are about to go wrong, only when they do. And that would be pretty much the same on a newer car.That's the ES9 engine, provided it gets a decent home service occasionally and it's belts are changed on time, it'll do you good. It's surprisingly rev happy and makes a nice noise too (particularly with the mid cats cut out).
My 406 track car had this engine, and it was excellent. I owned it from 2016 to 2021 and it never had an easy life, current owner still does track days in it, must be on 100k by now.
My 406 track car had this engine, and it was excellent. I owned it from 2016 to 2021 and it never had an easy life, current owner still does track days in it, must be on 100k by now.
Edited by Pebbles167 on Tuesday 12th December 13:31
casualdriver said:
Hi,
I got recently divorced and finally settled. There is this lovely Citroen C5 (I already had 2 of those) for sale. But it's a 3.0 V6 petrol engine - I am afraid it's very complicated and very expensive to do anything. What do you think?
My experience of 4, 6 & 8 cylinder engines has been that maintenance costs don't increase that much with more cylinders. Your regular oil and filter change doesn't go up particularly, so it's a small increase to a minority of tasks. Larger normally aspirated engines are also relatively less stressed.I got recently divorced and finally settled. There is this lovely Citroen C5 (I already had 2 of those) for sale. But it's a 3.0 V6 petrol engine - I am afraid it's very complicated and very expensive to do anything. What do you think?
The larger difference is between 'good' and 'bad' engines, some engines are money pits, others are typically robust and you'd be unlucky to get a big bill.
For example, I'd far rather own a car with a typical small-block Chevy V8 than a JLR turbodiesel four or six.
Therefore I would suggest setting aside any concerns about the number of cylinders in the 3.0 petrol, and instead consider the typical reliability record of that specific engine, whether any specific model years are better to own, realistic cambelt change intervals, things to look for when buying etc.
From the sound of the above poster with experience, the 3.0 petrol might be quite a solid choice.
samoht said:
My experience of 4, 6 & 8 cylinder engines has been that maintenance costs don't increase that much with more cylinders. Your regular oil and filter change doesn't go up particularly, so it's a small increase to a minority of tasks. Larger normally aspirated engines are also relatively less stressed.
The larger difference is between 'good' and 'bad' engines, some engines are money pits, others are typically robust and you'd be unlucky to get a big bill.
For example, I'd far rather own a car with a typical small-block Chevy V8 than a JLR turbodiesel four or six.
Therefore I would suggest setting aside any concerns about the number of cylinders in the 3.0 petrol, and instead consider the typical reliability record of that specific engine, whether any specific model years are better to own, realistic cambelt change intervals, things to look for when buying etc.
From the sound of the above poster with experience, the 3.0 petrol might be quite a solid choice.
yes and noThe larger difference is between 'good' and 'bad' engines, some engines are money pits, others are typically robust and you'd be unlucky to get a big bill.
For example, I'd far rather own a car with a typical small-block Chevy V8 than a JLR turbodiesel four or six.
Therefore I would suggest setting aside any concerns about the number of cylinders in the 3.0 petrol, and instead consider the typical reliability record of that specific engine, whether any specific model years are better to own, realistic cambelt change intervals, things to look for when buying etc.
From the sound of the above poster with experience, the 3.0 petrol might be quite a solid choice.
I4 vs I6 - basically the same just two extra spark plugs and a bit more oil
I4 vs V6- two cylinder heads so two head gaskets, more complicated timing system, more camshafts, more places for oil to leak, intake and exhaust systems more complex.
Another issue is the bigger engines take up more of the engine bay which can make access an issue.
mac96 said:
NDNDNDND said:
I think you should buy a Corvette C5 instead.
I mean, if you're gonna have a midlife crisis...
That would be my answer too, but each to their own!I mean, if you're gonna have a midlife crisis...
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