CCC - not renewing

[Citroenmad]

I heard on the grapevine that he was looking at one

Chris was quite taken by a Xantia Rob Moss was fixing at Chevronics, slippery slope... I reckon he'll get one at some point if he hangs around me for much longer! Apparently he had no desire to own a Xantia before he met me

Has he even seen you in a Xantia, its a rare occurance now

Well, I happen to know of two pretty late S1 Xantias going, both fairly interesting ones ...

[ren16tx]

you're a bad influence on me Kev!! but in a good way! true, i never gave the xantia much attention before meeting kev, but they are starting to grow on me (thanks kev!!) and can now see a xantia coming my way in the not too long distance future!!! (a yellow one would be nice )although i have just weakend and agreed to buy a k re white BX 17 TZD estate!!!
im actualy xantia spotting now!!
No, i didn't have the saxo! had it been orange or yellow,rarther than silver i may have had it!!

[Citroenmad]

There used to be a few yellow Xantias running around here, years back, they were Taxis

[citronut]

every time he comes to my workshop recently he keeps going all wobbly at the knees looking at the early MK1 im trying to sell that needs an engine ,

he was also tempted by the R reg 1.1 SEXO i have for sale ( if only it were orange or yellow ) it would be his,

i'll get up to B&Q get a can of orange exterior paint and a roller ( no not an RR )

[Spaces]

Any Traction Owners Club or 2CV GB members on here? What do people think of these compared to CCC?

Sorry to hear you are leaving CCC Richard (Macplaxton).

I agree with some of the comments about the CCC forum (the login thing is an inconvenience, the fact it is quiet doesn't bother me in the slightest), but thats only a small benefit for me, as most of the people that are regulars on there can be found on the other forums too.

I really like the magazine, and enjoy receiving it in the post. One of the benefits of the magazine is the classifieds section. Its the first part of the magazine I read after checking out how my column appears. I know e-bay and forums makes it easier to find stuff too, but it is handy.

I get good value from the Citroenian as there are 5 different types of Citroen model in our household. I go to two CCC events in the year as well. The Ireland Rally and the CXM Rally, and enjoy them thoroughly,

I find the Citroenian reads and feels stuffy, no matter how good some articles may be. It deteriorated, for me at least, when the format changed to the 'home publishing' variety with lots of colour pics. Don't get me wrong, I love colour as much as the next man but I've noticed at least one other car club mag’s content drop off in quality when pictures became prominent - perhaps a little too much time on creating style over content.

Part of the problem is the cars themselves - whereas a Citroen was once a car for brighter students/academics and those who didn't want to end the party on Earth prematurely with nuclear war - together with successful architects and lawyers, today the demographic is very different. Upmarket hydraulic suspension models are sold in preference to Mondeos, Passats, A4s and Insignias - rather than as thinking, highly-engineered alternatives to Jaguar and Mercedes. Setright once noted how the person who was intended for an XM would be trained, while those driving what had gone before were more likely to have received an education. Whether he was referring to the company's sales team's agenda or how different people look for different qualities in motor cars, I’m not sure.

The 2cv club rag seems to take itself very seriously now and I find it a little boring - even though I enjoy the cars as much as ever - yet 20 years ago it was the motoring equivalent of Private Eye in some respects. At least, that's a little of how it felt to me. The TOC's bi-monthly read is good and all the better for its stylish layout - without being a slave to style in which it’s written. It takes up less space on shelves too - and there is more reason than most others to hoard them since the tech section seems very thorough and well-written.

I cannot see how an average car club rag can survive in the age of good online forums – no doubt only the best will. It is also interesting to see how it is the independent forums which seem to be the most dynamic and well-thumbed. There are plenty of down-sides of the instant communication age, but a little like at the dawn of printing, there is no going back.

[Spaces]

With a bit of spare time, for once, I'm catching up on unread posts on this forum, and was amazed to read the 'remote' remark regarding Harrogate.

Quite apart from the very narrowness of defining a venue as to whether it is surrounded by high population density (rather than how many live within three or four hours - was there ever a car designed for relaxed and fast travel better than a Citroen?), the 2012 venue was under 90 minutes from Hull - to where most European motoring tourists sail when visiting Britain.

In summer, the busiest A road (York-Harrogate A59) in the country is full of Dutch, German and Belgian-registered cars and bikes heading for Yorkshire, the Lake District, Northumberland, the Borders, to Scotland and Wales.

The choice of venue is surely a complex mix of factors, to imply Yorkshire is remote is beyond belief - as well as being at Britain's geographical centre it is also 90 minutes train ride from the centre of London, not much over a couple of hours from Glasgow by car, fed by two multiple-carriageway arterial routes from both the South-East and West side of the country. It is home to the largest conurbation in the UK, wealthy, vibrant, extremely varied and beautiful in landscape, very well supplied with transport networks and away from the Pennines has significantly lower rainfall than the average in the UK. I would have said the perfect venue for a successful show such as the one laid on this summer.

[Citroenmad]

I think we have to remember that the club mag can only be as good as the members who contribute. You can not expect an excellent magazine and just rely on other people to do it, especially the same columnists, they need readers input. You also have to remember that the columnists do it in their spare time and it can take a long time to find information, pull together emails, and put own articles together.

I actually find it a very easy and good read which is enjoyable and not too serious. Not many car clubs have such an extensive magazine as ours, which in my opinion has came on greatly in the last few years, the old mags appear very old fashioned now. Things have to change, they need to appeal to a different audience and draw in more people. A lot of Citroen owners do not have vast mechanical knowledge as others and so things need to appeal to all.

The forums have taken over and will continue to do so, I feel there is little point in putting in small scale technical sections when really there is usually everything you need online. However, to raise the awareness of a specific problem (such as Xantia battery terminals which could affect many CCC members) and to give the occasional how to guide is sufficient.

It’s a shame that the CCC forums are so quiet, perhaps something should be done to try and encourage people to use it more. There will also be many members who do not have internet access, or at least regular access. So for them the mag is a lifeline into the club.

It is also sometimes nice to sit down and read some text rather than scouring the forums for things too.

Yes, probably the owners of such cars have changed slightly, but on the whole I think it largely remains how it used to be. You do not buy an XM for an old hack about, you buy it because you like them, you appreciate the design, technological benefits and mechanicals of the hydropneumatics etc.

I look forward to the Citroenian arriving every month, to read about the events (most of which I go to anyway) and to read other peoples experiences with their cars and so on. Long may the Citroenian continue

[ren16tx]

i too look forward to the citroenian magazine, although i have to say, just been on the CCC Webite,and its not updated, the events calender is a near blank,classifieds were hard work, untill i gave up! but, with these other good forums,it seems the ccc forum get there too late! im looking for up to date info on the ccc forum, and its not there,and it should be!! But the club itself i have no complaints about,on the whole, i would so love to see a joint national rally along with 2cvgb and toc, no reason why this can't happen!

[Citroening]

You make some good points regarding the Citroenian Chris, and I too find it a very nice read - certainly not stuffy at all IMO.

i too look forward to the citroenian magazine, although i have to say, just been on the CCC Webite,and its not updated, the events calender is a near blank,classifieds were hard work, untill i gave up! but, with these other good forums,it seems the ccc forum get there too late! im looking for up to date info on the ccc forum, and its not there,and it should be!! But the club itself i have no complaints about,on the whole, i would so love to see a joint national rally along with 2cvgb and toc, no reason why this can't happen!

Unfortunately Chris it's the time of year when there's not too many events happening, however looking at the forthcoming events there are six events until the middle of November so hardly blank... When the show season gets underway and people have organised dates then it will fill up...

What information do you want to see on the forums Chris? I spend a fair bit of time going through the site tweaking and adding things however if I'm not told what people want I cannot help and make necessary changes! At the end of the day it is the members club... As (the other!) Chris mentioned it's all member driven so if someone hasn't (eg) posted specific information onto the forum then it's not the site's fault IMO, just someone has got a bit behind and not had chance to post up...

The forums only work with member input so if people do not post then obviously people will not go there... I know that people have their preferences regarding what forums they want to use however I know that there's a lot of members of here that are CCC Member but still don't use it - reason being that there's not a huge amount of activity, but that's a catch twenty two situation if they're not using it either...

[Spaces]

Some confuse lack of informality with stuffiness - it's easy to see why. I suppose by stuffy I mean same old same old with a lack of vibrant debate, which is going to be almost impossible to continue in a monthly publication when there are forums such as these. As I said, there is no going back. In no way am I criticising individuals' contributions - I feel there are enormous efforts going into the writing and layout, but perhaps trying to maintain the status quo when everything else around has changed so completely is an impossible task. Change or die - and as I noted above, it is interesting which forums are the best reads and most free-speaking. Certainly this goes for the Citroen marque and 2cv forums.

By the way, how was it Stan Platts lasted so little time in the CX section when his contributions were of such high quality - from what I remember there wasn't even an explanation as to why he vanished. It's sad to hear DickieG's remarks regarding abuses of power within such a venerable club - how can such things be allowed to happen?

[tim leech]

Abuses of power? really, I dont think so, people just dont disappear over night, its the CCC not the KGB!, has anyone asked Stan Platts why he stopped, or will that spoil the scare mongering if it were found out maybe he just didnt have time or wanted to do it anymore.

Im a memeber of the board, aswell as just as a regular member, I get really frustrated by those who have a go at the lack of content and therefore dont renew, but are quite happy to come along to the organised events. Remember without clubs such as CCC, there would be no ICCCR, CXM, Stratford etc etc, I am also a columnist and hadly ever get any "copy" from others as its too much like hard work, instead I have to "lift" things from forums, or my own experiences, ok it doesnt take days but it takes time, as does the board meetings which involves a 220 mile round trip, with no fuel expenses and you have to supply your own food!, and then the phone calls, just when your about to go out for dinner asking if you can help find a part or rehome an unwanted car, why do I do it?, because I enjoy it, simples.

If you think its a waste of £30 then of course thats your call, but I think its a bargain (yes I pay my subsrciption too just the same) for a good magazine covering the cars I like where as the likes of Practical Classics whos now nearly £5 a pop and had maybe 4 or 5 articles I read (normally about an E type or an MGB).

I refute the stuffy comment, yes there are alot of older members in the club, who have a passion for certain models, but you get that in all car clubs, they probably dont use computers either (heaven forbid) but we are all different, as long as there is passion and enthusiasm then does it matter? You may find if you talked to them that they also like the more modern Citroens too, I did and was surprised.

[aerodynamica]

In my defense of the CX column: I try my best! Life does often take priority though.

[Citroenmad]

In my defense of the CX column: I try my best! Life does often take priority though.

Nothing more is expected Its a great column, you do a grand job!

[red_dwarfers]

It's a very enjoyable column, the sketches you used to do in particular made me chuckle!