Stuck in 2 minds

bxbodger · Post by **bxbodger** » 26 Feb 2004, 19:27

I like my Citroen; its weird and its comfortable, but its also labour intensive. I would suggest if you want totally trouble free motoring dont even think about anything built in Europe; go far eastern. Even the most die-hard fan of odd-ball motors, which older hydraulic citroens are, would, I think, admit to this.The GS nearly destroyed Citroen, it was so apallingly designed. I know; I had one years ago and it put me off cits for years; It was an absolute load of rubbish,great ride,but no thought put into the rest of the design whatever.
My wife currently has a Kia; its cheap, even when new, its crude, and its uncomfortable, but its absolutely dog reliable and does the job ( they are sold in the USA with a 100,000 mile/10 year warranty,but you only get 3 yrs here ) and there are never any arguments over warranty work, etc; the dealer just does whatever needs doing, which isn't much, no problem, unlike the C3/C5 fiascos we hear about.
It is , however, extremely boring, so I think it depends on what you want.

Jez · Post by **Jez** » 26 Feb 2004, 20:13

I just want to get from A to B. Not fussed
about what I drive. I was told "citroens run for ever". This is a phrase that has sadly stuck in my throat after my experiences.

tomsheppard · Post by **tomsheppard** » 26 Feb 2004, 21:18

BXbodger has a point. It is only the French insistence on driving French cars that has allowed Citroen to survive. The tide is starting to turn, though. The word is getting around that there are cheaper cars to run.
Citroen UK don't care. They are shifting metal and even allowing for the big discounts, they seem to be doing ok
(Warranty money from France?). My local one has, however taken a Skoda franchise and I bet they are making more money from that.
Let's face it- in this century, the Citroen is a diabolically poorly thrown together car and it is only we who enjoy tinkering who get any fun from them. Would I buy a new one? I didn't!
I honestly do not think that the brand is likely to survive the next ten years. Customers have higher standards these days and so do manufacturers.
Wake up citroen; Fords are better made. They aren't as comfortable but they are better made.

guzzidom · Post by **guzzidom** » 27 Feb 2004, 04:05

Carpets wet, flog it! the only way the carpets get wet is if the matrix is rotten, the only way the matrix rots is not having the coolant changed, the only way that happens is if it hasn,t been serviced properly or regularly so you end up with two problems, one, the rest of the car probably hasn't been looked after, and two, every time the heater has been put on your citroen has turned into a mobile sauna eminating mainly from beneath the dash giving all of the sensitive electrical bits a good steaming on a daily basis, In my last job we took a fleet of six Xantias to 250,000 miles plus each, without any unusual problems at all, but they were thoroughly serviced at the recommended intervals, Don't be put off by citroens as a Marque, but do bear in mind that they are probably the most service sensitive "regular" cars out there

Stempy · Post by **Stempy** » 27 Feb 2004, 04:43

I'm on my third Xantia, started with a 1.9TD SX, then a 2.0L VSX Auto and now I'm the proud owner of a V6 exclusive. Never had any major problems with any of them. My wife also had a 1.9 ZX Volcane which was also a superb car. All had been well looked after and the first two Xantias were on 120k miles when I upgraded them and are still going strong.

Paulxmski · Post by **Paulxmski** » 27 Feb 2004, 06:51

Yes I agree with Shane I bought a XMV6si and what that car had done to it was anybodies business. A pile of receipts for everything and you can see it all looks brand new, but I believe they were changing these things just to get the cash through put, and after a 945 quid receipt for a head job where you can see the blue hylomar gasket squiding out from under the camhousing like cream from an eclair there's a final bill for block treatment - same garage - very professional! Then all the stuff that's been put on obviously has been shoved on and not tested or tweaked just bang it on and out of the garage door. The fact is the punter is a sitting duck for these guys to fleece and in my experience the dealers are in there big time especially those with multiple dealership businesses. Mind you I owned 2 VW Golfs and it wasn't any better just a bit more smarmy and gadgets like a pager to tell you when to go and pay the outrageous bill.

DoubleChevron · Post by **DoubleChevron** » 27 Feb 2004, 08:26

Hang on,
I won't hear of people picking on GS's. They are the most unbreakable car ... The motors get tired after a few trips around the odometer. You just re-build there top end & there away again. The hydraulics are indestructable, the interiors on them are quite strong, and last the aussie summers much better than any Citroen built since them. There weakest point without doubt is there driveshafts, not that there weaker than there competitors cars, just very weak if compared to CX and DS driveshafts (which seem to last forever).
I'm still trying to think what could possibly cause someone to say a GS was badly screwed together. They are the type of car you can run on a shoestring budget and do next to nothing to. No cooling system to go wrong, 1 fanbelt, that drives only the alternator (big deal) no water pump to die, etc, etc, etc....
I had a friend buy one several years ago (you out there Peter?), apparantly it's owner sold it because it was costing a bloody fortune to keep running. The 'specialists' that were servicing it were changing the clutch every year or two and doing MASSIVE jobs on it regually that weren't at all required (and probably weren't done, only charged for [:0] ). If any Citroen is costing you a fortune, I still say it's entirely due to the way it's serviced (or hasn't been serviced in the past). Possibly an SM could be an exception (after all it's a Maserati engine in it, not a citroen engine).
seeya,
Shane L.

uhn113x · Post by **uhn113x** » 27 Feb 2004, 13:00

Spot on, Shane
I ran my GSA as an everyday car for quite a few years, and apart from servicing, hardly touched it. Build quality is excellent - much better than its replacement, the BX. No creaks or rattles, proper fibre door cards, wonderful dashboard, and a turbine-smooth engine that never seems to wear out
Mike

JohnD · Post by **JohnD** » 27 Feb 2004, 16:41

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Jez</i>

Engine seized 4 weeks after buying car, heater matrix went just after Xmas, dodgy remote ( no suprise!), countless little electrical faults.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
All of these faults point to neglect in the car´s early life. Had the engine oil and filter been changed every 6K, it would, no doubt be still on the top line. Likewise, had the coolant been flushed out and changed every other year, the rad and matrix would be OK. Where I´m currently staying in Spain, the most popular cars on the road are Citroens. Mostly diesel Xsaras; quite a lot of Berlingos but hardly any Xantias. Even the local police cars are Xsaras.

mark_sp · Post by **mark_sp** » 27 Feb 2004, 17:36

? cit specialist I use describes 1.9TD Xantia as bullit proof.
He drives as one as his own car and has one as a courtesy car.
He did advise against me buying an HDI though.
Mark