French Car Forum

Good evening all, I have come back to driving French cars, after having two lovely Alfa Romeos for the last 8 years, I have come back to the French car fold! I bought a lovely 2012 C5 Citroen C5 Tourer VTR+ HDI 163FAP, and I am really enjoying it and its brilliant headlights! My only reason to come back to French cars was the poor quality of headlights on the Alfa's - they are awful in the dark! Having tried lots of expensive bulbs and headlight adjustments I gave in and have gone back to French cars with their brilliant headlights and uber comfortable seats!!! I have had several Peugeot 306's and 206's and then an Alfa 147 and then a 156 Sportwagon - and now the C5 Tourer. I am looking forward to being useful and also learning about the quirks of the C5 tourer too! Cheers,

Kenny.

Welcome Kenny

Welcome to the forum. I sometimes wonder if we should have bought a wagon - but then all our junk (now hidden in the boot) would be on display to the world. With 70,000 kms fast approaching I'm still enjoying the drive. Have just been to Perth and back earlier this week and trip computer showed 850km, av speed 87km and fuel usage at 5.1l/100km

The estates have a 'roller blind' cover for stuff in the bootspace, that is larger than the hatch boot, so it isn't on display anyway.

I'm wondering about going for an alfa. I've had a few fiats and liked them, I like the look of the 156 sportwagon and a 2.4 jtd in it. They just appeal to me. Welcome here anyway

Hi Davie, the 156 Sportwagon is a brilliant car - except the headlights are very poor, otherwise they are brilliant cars, I had two Alfas and both of them were ultra reliable in my ownership. I am enjoying the fab headlights of the C5, I can actually see the road at night and during heavy rain too!!

The headlights on my c5 were brilliant. Best lights I ever had. Still didn't help when I got blinded by another car causing me to crash[emoji26]

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daviemck2006 wrote:I'm wondering about going for an alfa. I've had a few fiats and liked them, I like the look of the 156 sportwagon and a 2.4 jtd in it. They just appeal to me. Welcome here anyway

My ex boss has one. He proclaims it to be a nice car when it works. I think it's an 08 or 09 model. Sportwagon. Diesel. I've driven it. It's "ok"

He's has no end of weird electrical problems with it and declares it the most unreliable car he's ever had. At present he also owns...

3 Lotus Esprits.
2 Jag XJR Supercharged
a 1996 Rangie 4.6V8
a Landrover forward control V8 ambulance.
A Caterham 7

So.. For him to say the Alfa is unreliable....

If its unreliable compared to that lot it must need fixing every time he looks out the window at it[emoji54] [emoji2]

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It's a nice motor to drive though I think the seats in that particular model, and the hard ride would do your back no favours. Still, drive one and see..

That would be my biggest fear, after a hydraulic c5 comfy seats, I would be willing to bet I would like driving an alfa for about 10 minutes then would want a c5 again.

I think the trick with having a reliable Alfa is to maintain it yourself or take it to an Alfa specialist if it ever needs anything doing to it. I looked after mine and serviced it myself and did anything else that needed to be done to it. I've already serviced the C5 and it's so easier to service then the Alfa.

Kennyd90 wrote:My only reason to come back to French cars was the poor quality of headlights on the Alfa's - they are awful in the dark!
Kenny.

Brilliant lights that are no good in the dark, love it.
I like Alfas too. A 2.0 147 would sit nicely on my drive next to an LT35 Camper van and the Xantia of course, it could be my daylight car.
If I were doing really well a Volvo Amazon, Activa, Prodrive Impreza and a Range Rover V8 pick up on a bigger drive as well.
Insanely well I'd get a Mclaren, the Mp4-12c type.
Welcome back.