Another random unseen auction purchase...this time French
Discussion
Having disposed of last year’s winter barge (see https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... if you are interested) I have been on the hunt for a replacement.
Deciding what I needed was a bargain diesel auto estate I found one – a BMW 520d and it is doing a fine job.
What I didn’t need to do then was randomly purchase another diesel auto estate completely blind from auction with all the alert signs it should be avoided from a French manufacturer which I have absolutely no need of or use for whatsoever.
Now, for some reason, call it madness, blindness or I simply hit my head when young I have a thing for French cars. I particularly have thing for old Citroens ideally of the wibbly wobbly suspension type. Back in the day (i.e. 1990s) I had various BX, XM and Xantias. This weird thing still manifests its self today whenever I come across a C5 Exclusive.
I have had C5s and probably the one I have favourite memories of is a 2008 C5 2.0 Exclusive Auto. When writing this I looked up what I paid for it. I bought that at auction in June 2016 for £1500 with 140515 miles on the clock. At the time it was eight years old and it is probably worth as much now – used car prices are a different world. Apart from a lack of willingness to change into 6th on its own (an issue I eventually solved the week before selling it) it was a wonderful long-distance car I remember some great journeys in. I think I eventually sold it to someone exporting it to Poland so no idea what happened to it. AO08TEY where are you now.
Anyway, back in the present day whilst quickly stopping off to check out another random car I was interested in which turned out to be a dog from 5 meters away on wandering back to the car park the corner of my eye catches a very beige C5 Estate. What makes me go and look is the wheels. I am sad and know the Exclusive wheels when I see them so had to go and look. Here it is in all its hearing aid metallic:
It wasn’t yet stickered up so no details known. All I can see it is beige, not in terrible condition, had the full leather and satnav options. I can also see the driver’s window is taped up (windows often fail on these) but it is at least sitting square. Walking away however I notice this:
The dual exhausts. That means this is a very, very rare car as it has as V6 of some sort. Anyway, it being 39 degrees I have no intention of waiting 3 hours to see this go through a sale so head back home to look it up.
It also has lots of leather like stuff:
That’s when it goes downhill. Mileage? About 145k. A bit high. Service history? None whatsoever. Owners? 4 the last of which has had it for a grand total of 2 months 19 days. Any sort of proper inspection? No, too old, too high mileage. Purely sold as seen. It is, however, confirmed as a 3.0 HDI and it has a MOT to October. Oh and it has an ugly towbar. Always good to see on a high mileage auto.
It is also being sold by a car buying company. Every bone in my body tells me this is a complete dog which a desperate owner has got shot of after less than 3 months because it has a series of horrendous faults not limited to a broken gearbox, engine or suspension.
However, being at home and by now on the wine I bid anyway. There are virtually no hall bids. In fact, I think the highest hall bid is something like £600. This is either because no one knows what it is or they’ve spotted the array of warning lights and knocking engine. Some online do know what it is and I join in. I won’t reveal the price, it was more than it was worth in the circumstances, but I end up buying it.
I have either bought a bargain example of a car I’ve always been curious to try but I don’t need and have nowhere to park. Or I have bought 1700Kgs of scrap I don’t need and have nowhere to park.
Today I went and retrieved it. After finding it looking sad under a tree in the compound I note the key fob doesn’t unlock it. That’s because it has been left unlocked. Also, it’s been left with the passenger window right down through last night’s rain. Anyway whilst swearing about how auction companies utterly fail to look after their cars I open the door, put they key in and turn it……
Deciding what I needed was a bargain diesel auto estate I found one – a BMW 520d and it is doing a fine job.
What I didn’t need to do then was randomly purchase another diesel auto estate completely blind from auction with all the alert signs it should be avoided from a French manufacturer which I have absolutely no need of or use for whatsoever.
Now, for some reason, call it madness, blindness or I simply hit my head when young I have a thing for French cars. I particularly have thing for old Citroens ideally of the wibbly wobbly suspension type. Back in the day (i.e. 1990s) I had various BX, XM and Xantias. This weird thing still manifests its self today whenever I come across a C5 Exclusive.
I have had C5s and probably the one I have favourite memories of is a 2008 C5 2.0 Exclusive Auto. When writing this I looked up what I paid for it. I bought that at auction in June 2016 for £1500 with 140515 miles on the clock. At the time it was eight years old and it is probably worth as much now – used car prices are a different world. Apart from a lack of willingness to change into 6th on its own (an issue I eventually solved the week before selling it) it was a wonderful long-distance car I remember some great journeys in. I think I eventually sold it to someone exporting it to Poland so no idea what happened to it. AO08TEY where are you now.
Anyway, back in the present day whilst quickly stopping off to check out another random car I was interested in which turned out to be a dog from 5 meters away on wandering back to the car park the corner of my eye catches a very beige C5 Estate. What makes me go and look is the wheels. I am sad and know the Exclusive wheels when I see them so had to go and look. Here it is in all its hearing aid metallic:
It wasn’t yet stickered up so no details known. All I can see it is beige, not in terrible condition, had the full leather and satnav options. I can also see the driver’s window is taped up (windows often fail on these) but it is at least sitting square. Walking away however I notice this:
The dual exhausts. That means this is a very, very rare car as it has as V6 of some sort. Anyway, it being 39 degrees I have no intention of waiting 3 hours to see this go through a sale so head back home to look it up.
It also has lots of leather like stuff:
That’s when it goes downhill. Mileage? About 145k. A bit high. Service history? None whatsoever. Owners? 4 the last of which has had it for a grand total of 2 months 19 days. Any sort of proper inspection? No, too old, too high mileage. Purely sold as seen. It is, however, confirmed as a 3.0 HDI and it has a MOT to October. Oh and it has an ugly towbar. Always good to see on a high mileage auto.
It is also being sold by a car buying company. Every bone in my body tells me this is a complete dog which a desperate owner has got shot of after less than 3 months because it has a series of horrendous faults not limited to a broken gearbox, engine or suspension.
However, being at home and by now on the wine I bid anyway. There are virtually no hall bids. In fact, I think the highest hall bid is something like £600. This is either because no one knows what it is or they’ve spotted the array of warning lights and knocking engine. Some online do know what it is and I join in. I won’t reveal the price, it was more than it was worth in the circumstances, but I end up buying it.
I have either bought a bargain example of a car I’ve always been curious to try but I don’t need and have nowhere to park. Or I have bought 1700Kgs of scrap I don’t need and have nowhere to park.
Today I went and retrieved it. After finding it looking sad under a tree in the compound I note the key fob doesn’t unlock it. That’s because it has been left unlocked. Also, it’s been left with the passenger window right down through last night’s rain. Anyway whilst swearing about how auction companies utterly fail to look after their cars I open the door, put they key in and turn it……
…and the ignition comes on and immediately the message “Gearbox Fault” comes up. Oh dear. Still, let’s try the engine. Click. Flat battery. Now a load of other messages come up……parking brake fault, brake fault etc. I am mildly encouraged by this as the gearbox message might be due to low voltage. It might also be why the last owner sold quickly.
Anyway, after eventually finding a jump pack and a lot of faffing I get it into life. The engine is a bit noisy for the first 10-20 seconds or so but this is common on these engines and seems much the same in Jags and Land Rovers. The messages also seem to have all gone.
I back it out and it goes into gear OK. It also seems to go in to drive and joy of joy I notice the aircon is actually coming cold. Result.
I am always stunned with people jumping into unknown cars and instantly pulling out onto a main road in front of an oncoming lorry with no idea if the gearbox will change, the clutch slips or it’ll go into limp mode at the slightest sign of acceleration. Lots of drivers do it. I like to at least try and get as far as 3rd before doing that.
I gingerly try and get it through the gears on the access road and then think sod it, let’s see if it gets home. It does. In fact, it does so very easily. Gearbox seems fine, suspension seems fine, engine pulls well. Aircon remains cold. The only warning light which comes on is for low tyre pressure. C5s do this a lot to remind you they are still alive.
I haven’t yet pushed it at all but on first drive I seem to have accidentally purchased what seems to be a mostly functioning example of what at the time was touted as Citroen’s most powerful car ever made (apart from the other car with an identical output they made at the same time anyway).
I actually had to do some work this afternoon so will look again at it in detail tomorrow and see what needs doing. I was pleasantly surprised by the mpg on mixed driving back. I suspect it is optimistic.
It also has one of these in the boot which is handy because I need one for a camping trip later this month. The car is trying to endear its self to me. How French.
More updates as I discover the inevitable issues…..
Anyway, after eventually finding a jump pack and a lot of faffing I get it into life. The engine is a bit noisy for the first 10-20 seconds or so but this is common on these engines and seems much the same in Jags and Land Rovers. The messages also seem to have all gone.
I back it out and it goes into gear OK. It also seems to go in to drive and joy of joy I notice the aircon is actually coming cold. Result.
I am always stunned with people jumping into unknown cars and instantly pulling out onto a main road in front of an oncoming lorry with no idea if the gearbox will change, the clutch slips or it’ll go into limp mode at the slightest sign of acceleration. Lots of drivers do it. I like to at least try and get as far as 3rd before doing that.
I gingerly try and get it through the gears on the access road and then think sod it, let’s see if it gets home. It does. In fact, it does so very easily. Gearbox seems fine, suspension seems fine, engine pulls well. Aircon remains cold. The only warning light which comes on is for low tyre pressure. C5s do this a lot to remind you they are still alive.
I haven’t yet pushed it at all but on first drive I seem to have accidentally purchased what seems to be a mostly functioning example of what at the time was touted as Citroen’s most powerful car ever made (apart from the other car with an identical output they made at the same time anyway).
I actually had to do some work this afternoon so will look again at it in detail tomorrow and see what needs doing. I was pleasantly surprised by the mpg on mixed driving back. I suspect it is optimistic.
It also has one of these in the boot which is handy because I need one for a camping trip later this month. The car is trying to endear its self to me. How French.
More updates as I discover the inevitable issues…..
Loved these when I was a Citroen service manager. Citroen at their slightly eccentric, wafty, Gallic shrugging best-comfy seats, unconventional but handsome styling and effortless ride quality.
The 1.6 HDI always felt not enough and slightly poverty spec for the car, the 2.0 HDI adequate, the 2.2 decent but the 3.0 V6…now we’re talking.
Unfortunately, being as this was firmly into the territory of a reasonably specced 3-Series, every bugger with £30k odd couldn’t see past the badge and wouldn’t summon the stones to stomach the quite horrific depreciation and buy one. Shame, as for pounding the motorways moving a significant amount of many things, the C5 was arguably the better car for the job.
Following with interest, OP!
The 1.6 HDI always felt not enough and slightly poverty spec for the car, the 2.0 HDI adequate, the 2.2 decent but the 3.0 V6…now we’re talking.
Unfortunately, being as this was firmly into the territory of a reasonably specced 3-Series, every bugger with £30k odd couldn’t see past the badge and wouldn’t summon the stones to stomach the quite horrific depreciation and buy one. Shame, as for pounding the motorways moving a significant amount of many things, the C5 was arguably the better car for the job.
Following with interest, OP!
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