Citroen C3 Picasso Shed
Discussion
For those who've been on this forum for some time might know that I'm rather fond of Citroen. I like their quirky out of the box thinking and the history behind the company, and it tends to be my default start place when looking at cars. I've also been rather intrigued by the C3 Picasso since I first saw them back in 2009. I was intrigued enough to try and buy my ex-girlfriend one back in 2010 only for us to split up beforehand. I suspect not many will share my enthusiasm but I like writing these things up.
To start we need to rewind 3 years. We purchased her a "57 Plate" 207SW with the 1.4 petrol engine in November 2016, but despite having only covered 50k it became apparent pretty quickly that it was burning oil, pretty rapidly. 1ltr would be gone in around 800/1000 miles. Despite this, it just kept on going until the middle of 2018 when it came up with an "antipolution" fault. PSA talk for "could be anything". I eventually narrowed it down to the spark plugs failing, so I swapped them and replaced a faulty coil. This kept it going for another year until earlier this summer, when just before it's MOT, it once again came up with the same fault. This time I narrowed it down to an 02 sensor, which I replaced. This cured the fault, but it failed the MOT due to emissions. We were a month away from getting married and she was car-less, so I got the garage to fix it, which required another 02 sensor and a new cat, and cost quite a bit. Fast forward a few months and it now has random electrical gremlins and it was still burning oil. I had been looking on and off for the last few weeks for a replacement but was massively torn whether to fix the gremlins or just replace it. The final straw was a message I received whilst out on Saturday evening...
I spent Sunday morning under the car (rather than going for a run
), hooking the exhaust back to the mounts with a wire coat hanger because two of the welds had failed. My decision had been made for me. Sunday afternoon I jumped on eBay and started having a look at what was around locally for shed money and a C3 Picasso VTR+ caught my eye. Frankly, the ad was excellent. All the info you need, pictures were taken at a lovely looking house and he also had some other nice stuff for sale including an F430 challenge, so I gave the guy a call. I asked if he was a trader which he skirted, but he advised he'd purchased for his partner but they'd just split up shortly afterwards and was happy to let me come and view later in the afternoon. I googled his number and it came up with quite a few adds here and there and linked back to a company called "German Car Specialists". I figured he'd either taken it in part ex, or the story about his girlfriend was true. Whichever it was, it was mostly irrelevant as it was a 114k, £1500 shed and looked in superb conditions so I jumped on the train from Beaulieu Road Station and arrived in Bournemouth 33 minutes later where Greg kindly collected me from in his "19 plate" 335d - which was remapped (yes, really) 
Greg clearly liked his cars, did track days etc so I asked him about the Ferrari for sale. He said he was selling it for a friend, but he had an F12 and a 992 (I think). I actually asked if he was on here, but he said not really but knew of it. I have a feeling Greg might be, so if you happen to stumble on this thread
Anyway, regardless of how or why Greg came to own this Picasso or what he did for a living, the car was as immaculate as he said in the advert and on the phone. It had clearly been looked after, so much so I wasn't even bothered about driving it. Frankly, I find going over a £1500 car with a fine-tooth comb slightly offensive. Equally, I wasn't going to try and chip a few quid off for much the same reason. Greg took me down the road and back, and we then swapped money and I drove away.
So, the exciting bit you've all been waiting for....
Okay, it's not the most exciting car in the world, but it really is immaculate. As mentioned, it has done 114k. It's the 1.6hdi which has a cambelt and water pump a few thousand miles ago, along with new discs and pads. It has full-service history (7K, 22K, 36K, 50K, 67K, 90K, 112K) with the last in July, and an MOT till October 2020. All this for £1500. I then drove the 27 miles home along the A31/M27 to show my wife her new car. I was out for a grand total of 2hrs.
What I can say after this short drive is that the car feels massive, and I drive an XC70! It must be the expanse of glass around the front and sides, coupled with the high roofline, but it feels very van-like. It also drives really quite nicely. It's clearly been cherished by the previous two owners.
I think the review I read elsewhere sums this car up really well:
With this kind of car, the driving experience is likely to be unremarkable but the travelling experience can often feel rather special. So it proves with the C3 Picasso. Yes, the steering's a little light before higher speeds firm it up, the long-throw gearbox isn't the slickest you'll ever use and of course, there's notable body roll on really tight corners but that isn't what you remember after driving this Citroen. No, what sticks in your mind are the things that are really important in this class of car: stuff that makes it a pleasure to drive while you're engaged with the boring things of life - nipping down the shops or picking the kids up from school. Let me give you a few examples of this. Apart, perhaps, from the digital speedometer, the first thing that you'll probably notice behind the wheel is the exceptionally light and airy cabin, courtesy of one of the largest glazed areas in the segment, with up to up to four and a half square metres of glass used around the side and the top of the car if you opt for the panoramic glass roof. Then there's the high-set seating position, with its excellent range of steering and seat-height adjustment, which gives you a commanding view of the road. And the three-part panoramic windscreen with its slim pillars which makes urban driving much easier courtesy of an unusually wide side vision angle. Manoeuvrability and a tight turning circle are also a boon around town, while the car's vertical rear end makes parking easy. The soft suspension soaks up poor road surfaces in proper Citroen style too, which can make you feel rather smug as you watch other road users crash from one pothole to another.
I was pretty chuffed with my purchase when I got home, although I was concerned that my wife would be less keen, but had already decided if she didn't want it I would keep it and sell my current car, smitten as I was by this point. Thankfully she seemed reasonably chuffed with it, and was surprised by how nippy it felt whilst still returning 53mpg. I even suggested taking it on holiday next week rather than my car.
This is the only other image I have currently, I had hoped to post some interior shots too, just to show how clever and well packaged it all is, but when I followed the URL to the advert it has been replaced with an Auris. Make of that what you will.
The more I think about it now, the surer I am that Greg is a trader but regardless, I'm happy with my purchase and the wife can stop moaning about her car for a bit.
To start we need to rewind 3 years. We purchased her a "57 Plate" 207SW with the 1.4 petrol engine in November 2016, but despite having only covered 50k it became apparent pretty quickly that it was burning oil, pretty rapidly. 1ltr would be gone in around 800/1000 miles. Despite this, it just kept on going until the middle of 2018 when it came up with an "antipolution" fault. PSA talk for "could be anything". I eventually narrowed it down to the spark plugs failing, so I swapped them and replaced a faulty coil. This kept it going for another year until earlier this summer, when just before it's MOT, it once again came up with the same fault. This time I narrowed it down to an 02 sensor, which I replaced. This cured the fault, but it failed the MOT due to emissions. We were a month away from getting married and she was car-less, so I got the garage to fix it, which required another 02 sensor and a new cat, and cost quite a bit. Fast forward a few months and it now has random electrical gremlins and it was still burning oil. I had been looking on and off for the last few weeks for a replacement but was massively torn whether to fix the gremlins or just replace it. The final straw was a message I received whilst out on Saturday evening...
I spent Sunday morning under the car (rather than going for a run
), hooking the exhaust back to the mounts with a wire coat hanger because two of the welds had failed. My decision had been made for me. Sunday afternoon I jumped on eBay and started having a look at what was around locally for shed money and a C3 Picasso VTR+ caught my eye. Frankly, the ad was excellent. All the info you need, pictures were taken at a lovely looking house and he also had some other nice stuff for sale including an F430 challenge, so I gave the guy a call. I asked if he was a trader which he skirted, but he advised he'd purchased for his partner but they'd just split up shortly afterwards and was happy to let me come and view later in the afternoon. I googled his number and it came up with quite a few adds here and there and linked back to a company called "German Car Specialists". I figured he'd either taken it in part ex, or the story about his girlfriend was true. Whichever it was, it was mostly irrelevant as it was a 114k, £1500 shed and looked in superb conditions so I jumped on the train from Beaulieu Road Station and arrived in Bournemouth 33 minutes later where Greg kindly collected me from in his "19 plate" 335d - which was remapped (yes, really) Greg clearly liked his cars, did track days etc so I asked him about the Ferrari for sale. He said he was selling it for a friend, but he had an F12 and a 992 (I think). I actually asked if he was on here, but he said not really but knew of it. I have a feeling Greg might be, so if you happen to stumble on this thread
Anyway, regardless of how or why Greg came to own this Picasso or what he did for a living, the car was as immaculate as he said in the advert and on the phone. It had clearly been looked after, so much so I wasn't even bothered about driving it. Frankly, I find going over a £1500 car with a fine-tooth comb slightly offensive. Equally, I wasn't going to try and chip a few quid off for much the same reason. Greg took me down the road and back, and we then swapped money and I drove away.
So, the exciting bit you've all been waiting for....
Okay, it's not the most exciting car in the world, but it really is immaculate. As mentioned, it has done 114k. It's the 1.6hdi which has a cambelt and water pump a few thousand miles ago, along with new discs and pads. It has full-service history (7K, 22K, 36K, 50K, 67K, 90K, 112K) with the last in July, and an MOT till October 2020. All this for £1500. I then drove the 27 miles home along the A31/M27 to show my wife her new car. I was out for a grand total of 2hrs.
What I can say after this short drive is that the car feels massive, and I drive an XC70! It must be the expanse of glass around the front and sides, coupled with the high roofline, but it feels very van-like. It also drives really quite nicely. It's clearly been cherished by the previous two owners.
I think the review I read elsewhere sums this car up really well:
With this kind of car, the driving experience is likely to be unremarkable but the travelling experience can often feel rather special. So it proves with the C3 Picasso. Yes, the steering's a little light before higher speeds firm it up, the long-throw gearbox isn't the slickest you'll ever use and of course, there's notable body roll on really tight corners but that isn't what you remember after driving this Citroen. No, what sticks in your mind are the things that are really important in this class of car: stuff that makes it a pleasure to drive while you're engaged with the boring things of life - nipping down the shops or picking the kids up from school. Let me give you a few examples of this. Apart, perhaps, from the digital speedometer, the first thing that you'll probably notice behind the wheel is the exceptionally light and airy cabin, courtesy of one of the largest glazed areas in the segment, with up to up to four and a half square metres of glass used around the side and the top of the car if you opt for the panoramic glass roof. Then there's the high-set seating position, with its excellent range of steering and seat-height adjustment, which gives you a commanding view of the road. And the three-part panoramic windscreen with its slim pillars which makes urban driving much easier courtesy of an unusually wide side vision angle. Manoeuvrability and a tight turning circle are also a boon around town, while the car's vertical rear end makes parking easy. The soft suspension soaks up poor road surfaces in proper Citroen style too, which can make you feel rather smug as you watch other road users crash from one pothole to another.
I was pretty chuffed with my purchase when I got home, although I was concerned that my wife would be less keen, but had already decided if she didn't want it I would keep it and sell my current car, smitten as I was by this point. Thankfully she seemed reasonably chuffed with it, and was surprised by how nippy it felt whilst still returning 53mpg. I even suggested taking it on holiday next week rather than my car.
This is the only other image I have currently, I had hoped to post some interior shots too, just to show how clever and well packaged it all is, but when I followed the URL to the advert it has been replaced with an Auris. Make of that what you will.
The more I think about it now, the surer I am that Greg is a trader but regardless, I'm happy with my purchase and the wife can stop moaning about her car for a bit.
Edited by S100HP on Monday 21st October 19:12
miken2k8 said:
Interesting read for an uninteresting car. Looks brand new tbf, I wouldn't have know if you didn't tell me
Thanks. Yes, certainly not a car most on PH would approve of. It really is in great condition.TheJimi said:
That looks and sounds like a cracking buy! Interior photos?
Yeah man, Sherlock's got nothing on you
I know, I know Yeah man, Sherlock's got nothing on you
What I mean is I'm not 100% convinced the story of the ex is rubbish, but I'm mostly there. I guess he didn't want to sell as a trader due to come back, it's at that end of the market, but everything pointed to it being a good example. Couldn't be bothered to call him out on it, as to me it really wasn't relevant.
I've found a cached version of the add, so a couple of pictures from that. I've just found out the rear seats slide backwards and forwards independently so will slide them back a bit later.
Just been to the shop in it this evening, and grabbed some fuel. I really like the dash layout, feels really modern. The vents are a particular highlight.
I'm still baffled as to how it can feel so big inside. It certainty feels much bigger, as you can tell by my attempt at parking tonight. Managed to get that wrong!
I'm still baffled as to how it can feel so big inside. It certainty feels much bigger, as you can tell by my attempt at parking tonight. Managed to get that wrong!
My mum owns one of these in France, an auto version.
Whilst it should only be mentioned in hushed tones on PH, I too think it's a cracking bit of kit. She's had hers for a few years now and it's been totally reliable plus cheap as chips to maintain.
The only negative for me is the driving position, I always feel like I'm on it rather than in it.
Top purchase, well done!
Whilst it should only be mentioned in hushed tones on PH, I too think it's a cracking bit of kit. She's had hers for a few years now and it's been totally reliable plus cheap as chips to maintain.
The only negative for me is the driving position, I always feel like I'm on it rather than in it.
Top purchase, well done!
LFB531 said:
Whilst it should only be mentioned in hushed tones on PH, I too think it's a cracking bit of kit.
I think it's actually quite a PH sort of car. Like an Ignis Sport or a Duster or a Yeti. They're not performance cars, but with apologies to Gertrude Stein, there's a "there" there.In a similar vein to my XC70 thread, I've had to have a puncture repaired on the Picasso Shed. The original seller in his defence told me the off side rear lost pressure, needed topping up every few weeks. When I got it home I checked all the pressures to find them all around 15-20psi.
Thankfully 3 of the 4 held their pressure once pumped back up, but the offside rear was deflating at a reasonable rate. Getting bored of topping it up every few days I whipped the wheel off this morning and found the head of a screw embedded in the tyre. I popped the comical space saver on and took the wheel to my friendly tyre guy. £10 later and it was repaired, and I popped it back on the car this evening. I noted the wheel bolts had copper grease on tonight which furthers my opinion that this car has been well looked after.
Little else to report. I managed to nab a boot protector locally for £10, and then spent A further £25 on this boot tray from carbox.co.uk which fits really well in the boot and the two combined should stop the worst of the dogs.
That's it really. Don't think we've added more fuel since purchase yet, it's sitting around 50mpg despite school runs etc. Headlights are exceptional too.
Really am fond of the little box.
Thankfully 3 of the 4 held their pressure once pumped back up, but the offside rear was deflating at a reasonable rate. Getting bored of topping it up every few days I whipped the wheel off this morning and found the head of a screw embedded in the tyre. I popped the comical space saver on and took the wheel to my friendly tyre guy. £10 later and it was repaired, and I popped it back on the car this evening. I noted the wheel bolts had copper grease on tonight which furthers my opinion that this car has been well looked after.
Little else to report. I managed to nab a boot protector locally for £10, and then spent A further £25 on this boot tray from carbox.co.uk which fits really well in the boot and the two combined should stop the worst of the dogs.
That's it really. Don't think we've added more fuel since purchase yet, it's sitting around 50mpg despite school runs etc. Headlights are exceptional too.
Really am fond of the little box.
About 6 months ago MrsC urgently needed a reliable (read: brand new) car and I was tasked with leasing "the cheapest thing you can find that is immediately available and isn't a Fiat 500". Despite a Kia Picanto meeting the absolute brief, I pushed the boat out to the tune of a few quid more per month and a Citroen C3 Aircross, the Picasso's spiritual successor, appeared on the drive one Wednesday morning.
6 months and 4000 miles later we're both genuinely very pleased with it. In fact, the other part of MrsC's brief was "...and not a long lease in case I hate it", so I went for 18 months. Inevitably, last week I got the "remind me why I've got to give this back after 18 months?" question.
The only issue with the Aircross is that this one has the puniest version of the new 3-pot petrol. It will sit happily at motorway speeds but there's no oomph. It could probably be chipped, because Citroen (and presumably the rest of PSA) offer the same capacity and configuration with an extra 100bhp.
As you say OP, it's all the little details which make it interesting. For instance, the sliding rear seats. I'm sure Citroen aren't the only people to have done this (in fact I know for certain they aren't), but there are only the two of us and sliding the seats forwards gives the dogs lots more room in the back.
When this goes back I'll seriously consider a C5 Aircross as a replacement if there are any stonking lease deals around (there have been recently!).
6 months and 4000 miles later we're both genuinely very pleased with it. In fact, the other part of MrsC's brief was "...and not a long lease in case I hate it", so I went for 18 months. Inevitably, last week I got the "remind me why I've got to give this back after 18 months?" question.
The only issue with the Aircross is that this one has the puniest version of the new 3-pot petrol. It will sit happily at motorway speeds but there's no oomph. It could probably be chipped, because Citroen (and presumably the rest of PSA) offer the same capacity and configuration with an extra 100bhp.
As you say OP, it's all the little details which make it interesting. For instance, the sliding rear seats. I'm sure Citroen aren't the only people to have done this (in fact I know for certain they aren't), but there are only the two of us and sliding the seats forwards gives the dogs lots more room in the back.
When this goes back I'll seriously consider a C5 Aircross as a replacement if there are any stonking lease deals around (there have been recently!).
Thesprucegoose said:
Always a bit dubious of the 1.6 hdi engine, are they really reliable?
Correctly serviced they are bulletproof, way better than most of the German junk. Genuine oil and oil filter every 10k miles or less - Total Ineo C2 spec oil.I'm approaching 80k miles in a C3 Picasso ( owned from new ) and its been virtually faultless. Tardis like room inside vs compact outside, will cruise all day long at decent speeds sitting in chairs as comfortable as anything I've ever sat in. As hard as I try it always gives around 55mpg, a few mpg less if its really cold with the a/c on all the time. Genuinely cant find anything to replace it with so I might keep it forever !
The other half’s parents had one of these until recently, from new until 8 years old and 80k. 1.6 HDI. They are not car people and so a cam belt change didn’t even occur to them. It was boringly reliable, the only issues were headlights would blow very often and one of the seat belt pre-tensioners was dodgy.
For something just to get the commute out of the way and lob kids in without a worry, it was perfect for the job. I approve of such vehicles, particularly if it allows a more special one to be kept fresh for weekends!
For something just to get the commute out of the way and lob kids in without a worry, it was perfect for the job. I approve of such vehicles, particularly if it allows a more special one to be kept fresh for weekends!
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