C5 - (too) cheap?

[Northern_Mike]

Sounds like an opportunity for a bit of profitable right to left hand drive conversion and export work.

To do it properly and get the car approved would likely cost about 20 times what it would cost to buy an LHD model.

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[Northern_Mike]

As ever when the MOT looms (ok, it's 3 months yet!) and the car is broken (exhaust again, and drop links, possible ABS sensor, accumulator to change, needs new tyres!) my mind turns to replacement. Saw this C5 on Autotrader. Suspiciously cheap?

Overpriced if you ask me! I bought a 95k mile 03 plate hatchback with 10 months MOT, 8 tax, a full history, recent cambelt and service, newish clutch this time last year for £800 from a dealer.

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[lexi]

Most stuff is dearer in Scotland though than Centre or North of England.
Mass market, supply and demand I suppose.

[Northern_Mike]

Yes but you could still train or fly south for much less than the price difference and grab a bargain.

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[micky707]

I generally only buy cars nowadays with a full history and recent cambelt change, if thats been done and all looks good then you got a cracking motor

[Peter.N.]

I buy cars for less than £500 if I can, don't have to worry about anything serious going wrong or scratching them

Peter

[isisalar]

Sounds like an opportunity for a bit of profitable right to left hand drive conversion and export work.


To do it properly and get the car approved would likely cost about 20 times what it would cost to buy an LHD model.

It may well be prohibitively expensive and/ or difficult to do, I'm no mechanic, all these new electrical systems would make it a lot harder or easier than it used to be I'm sure.
What prompted me to think of it was the experience of an Uncle of mine. He was a bit of a wheeler dealer and was based in Folkstone..
He once had for sale an old Merc, a 200 or 300 diesel. It sold very quickly to a guy who was going take it to Europe to use as a donor vehicle to convert a readily available LHD car to RHD which would then be taken to Cyprus to be sold as a taxi at a nice profit. This guy would buy as many as he could, as long as the dash was intact, mot, tax, mechanical faults didn't matter. They did quite a trade over the years.
Cheers
Paul

[Peter.N.]

I would agree. In the '70s I converted a Morris Oxford estate to RHD, got all the bits from a Wolsely 15/60 including a nice walnut dashboard, that was then - this is now. Simple layout, plenty of room and interchangeable parts, not any more.

Peter

[RichardW]

Interesting comments - I hadn't realised that C5s had got that cheap! Prices seem to be a bit all over the place, looking on Autotrader / e-bay similar cars range from £1k - £2k. Mind you place down the road from my parents where we bought the C4 had a 06 HDi 138 Exclusive SE in a few weeks back - 65k, looked immaculate, and didn't hang round for very long at £4k - that looked a lot of car for the money. Certainly food for thought, but then the Xantia fits like a glove, and still does its job admirably - if the MOT man doesn't condemn the pipes at test time, then I will probably keep it going another year. Or 3! Would be nice to get it to 200k, but that requires another 3 MOTs (157k, 171k, 185k) - then a few extra trips in the final year, to get the 2 up

I hear what you're saying Peter, and in the past I have bought v cheap cars - but I do 15k a year getting to work, so I need a car that will go, and I haven't got ages to go chasing after another one every 6 months! I paid £3k for the Xantia, and have put 110k on it in 6.5 years, which is a lot less hassle than half a dozen near scrappers would have been (maybe!). Mind you, I find myself having to repair the exhaust again - but then that's what happens when you keep them a long time!

[Hell Razor5543]

Well, you could consider getting a stainless steel exhaust for the Xantia. They are not cheap, but (normally) come with a lifetime guarantee (but I don't know how long they mean by lifetime).

[Northern_Mike]

My friend Pete got a twin-pipe cat back stainless system made for his 24v Carlton a couple of months ago. Kwik fit wanted over £800 for a standard mild steel one, our favoured local lads wanted £499.

Stainless, hand made to fit.. £390.

[Peter.N.]

I only paid £300 for my first C5 and it was quite a nice car but had a few faults, nothing I couldn't fix though and it was taxed and MOT'd, but it was a 2.2 and although a nice smooth engine the fuel consumption was rubbish so I changed it for the 2.0. which is about 30% better.

I bought a 406 Hdi estate cheap three years ago at about 188k miles, I have done another 30k+ and its never let me down, the only work I have had to do has been routine maintenance. My last XM I bought for £150 about four years ago and that's still running fine. I bought an XM estate at about 240k and sold it at 296k still running although the clutch could be made to slip it was still perfectly driveable, in fact I have never scrapped one.

All the cars I buy have some faults but nothing I have so far been unable to repair, so to get one really cheap you do need to be able to do some work yourself but that has the added advantage that you get to know the cars so you are unlikely to buy a dud. I have seen some really good ones on ebay lately go for £600-700.

Peter

[Citroenmad]

Its about right I would say, estates always fetch more than the hatchbacks and it looks quite tidy.

Checp about on here for what to look for with the C5. Its bound to have a few niggles.

Good car for the money really, the estate is the one to get too.

[Peter.N.]

I always run estates, needed them when I was working but they are very useful now, especially something the size of the C5, the CX was better still.

Peter

[isisalar]

Mind you, I find myself having to repair the exhaust again - but then that's what happens when you keep them a long time!

Don't know where in the U.K. you are Richard but I've found the best place to get an exhaust is Jaystock. Certainly in England. Here's their website :- http://www.jaystock.net/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
They offer free delivery and the prices are very reasonable. Just replaced the Saxo's, complete including the cat and all fixings came to £142. I doubt the HDI would cost much more.
New exhaust would get you a good few more years before you have to start driving a computer. 150k is just run in after all.
Cheers
Paul