Insurance.

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 23 Mar 2010, 23:05

Seems i replied late, you have posted pictures

Very nice looking cars, the C5 looks tidy, dont see many V6 versions. Must be one of the first too on a Y plate.

Do you plan to get an Xm?

R9UKE · Unread post by **R9UKE** » 23 Mar 2010, 23:05

And finally the Mondeo. Bought for £120 three months ago. A grand total of 154,000 miles and no sign of stopping yet. I reckon it'll outlive the other three!

Got a spot of paint loss and the odd bit of rust but it's like a faithful old labrador.

R9UKE · Unread post by **R9UKE** » 23 Mar 2010, 23:11

Yes they're all mine! My mum drives a Peugeot 206 and dad has a Range Rover.
I've been saving quite a while as I knew that I would want to experience all the french cars I'd lusted after growing up.
My dad bought me the Mégane, but that's it.
I work at a car auction (that's where the Vel and Mondeo came from) which is pretty awesome.

Yes I would love an XM. My XM obsession started when I was about 10. I just love their mysteriousness and how french they are - I have loads of original brochures etc on the XM. I'd also love a BX

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 23 Mar 2010, 23:17

Yep, Xms are one of my favourite cars ever. You certainly have good taste, the Vel Satis is a bit of an odd looking car really but has something about it, they are fantastic in my opinion. Why have you sold yours?

Your obviously very keen on French cars, have you had any major problems with them? Are you mainly Renualt or do you like most Citroens too?

Yes, i have many Xm brochures, early S1 brochures, the large promotional ones, the S2s, even foreign ones. Also have many many for every other Citroen you can think of. Vel Satis and Avantime ones too, though i doubt ill ever own one

R9UKE · Unread post by **R9UKE** » 23 Mar 2010, 23:34

The one and only reason I have sold the Vel Satis is - THE AVANTIME. I really have to have one! They are just so rare and outrageous. Plus, it's my aunt, and we've agreed that when she's bored I'll be buying it back!

Part of my job is driving the cars into the auction hall to be bid on - I ended up in this amazing top of the range Vel Satis. It was the last car of the night, and not too many buyers were left, and even fewer knew what this was! I couldn't let it go... ended up getting it for £1,750! It had just been serviced, six months tax, a full year MOT and the only fault was the tyre pressure sensors. From then, all I've done is get the sat nav working (new GPS aeriel) and I believe she's showroom condition, despite having 88,000 on the clock.

I have to say it's nice to be told I have good taste in cars. I can't stand the ignorance some people have towards french cars. I've lost count of the amount of people who I've given a lift to who have ended up saying "It's actually really nice".

I admit, I'm mainly a Renault man. This is mainly due to Citroen recently losing their identity and just becoming Peugeots! However, cars such as the Citroen CX, XM, BX and Xantia were far more interesting than their Renault equivalents.

As for problems. Nothing major thankfully. ALL ELECTRICAL. Electric window failures (Mégane), the odd key card issue (Vel Satis) and the drivers seat heater in the C5 doesn't work

But apart from that, nothing - fingers crossed it stays that way. Well in saying that, I have to admit I enjoy the niggly problems... gives the car character and there's a great feeling when you solve the problem yourself!

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 24 Mar 2010, 09:40

I see there is one Avantime on autotrader, you might have a job finding one! Very nice cars those, which engine are you wanting, the V6? I wonder where topgears Avantime is now ...

That Vel Satis seems like a bargain, decent mileage and a good spec. Id have bought it for that much

Well your in the right place then, a french car forum! Yes they have their niggles, but they are so much more interesting than most cars, which are very mundane.

Citroens seem to be getting back to being Citroen again, they are making some very nice, individual cars at the moment.

I like most Renaults, not so keen on the new line up, the new Laguna doesnt look as good as the old one, clios have awful fronts and the Koleos is a bit odd. Renaults from 2006 backwards are very nice in my opinion.

My parents have had a few Renaults, an RX4 - still like those and a Sceinc2, again very nice and nice to drive but not without its design faults.

I really badly want a Laguna2, but it would need to be a diesel and ive heard nothing but problems with the 1.9DCi, real shame as id love one.

My parents always had a BX or two and Xantias when i was growing up, i guess thats where i get it from now. We have also had a CX, Activa, and four Xms now. Lovely cars to drive, fantastic looking.

R9UKE · Unread post by **R9UKE** » 24 Mar 2010, 10:41

Yes, it's going to be a bit of task finding the ideal Avantime. I'm sure it'll be worth the wait though. I definetly want the 3.0 V6 but can't decide between manual or automatic... I'm not too sure which would best suit the character of the car.

A Laguna II? Very nice. Yes you're right, the 1.9 dCi can be a right pain. If you were to get one, it would be worth your while hunting out a 2.2 dCi. They have much more pull in them than the 1.9 dCi, and I haven't heard as many horror stories. Plus there's the fact that the 2.2 dCi was quite a bit more to buy new, therefore it's more likely the car has been cherished slightly more. We get loads of Lagunas up at the auction and I've seen how tatty they can get. If you ever need a list of the common problems that affect almost every Laguna, let me know!

I completely agree that Renault are heading downhill in terms of design, but the new Mégane Coupé looks awesome!

Yes my granny had a Xantia 1.8 LX which she traded in 4 years ago. She now has a C4 1.6 HDi but maintains that the Xantia was her favourite car out of them all. It's still on the road as far as I know, I'd love to buy it back. If you ever see a silver Xantia with the reg ICZ 1798 let me know!

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 24 Mar 2010, 11:06

I guess it depends on which model of Avantime you find, manual or auto, rather then choice?

Yes, and ive just been looking there at Lagunas, id love one, they look fantastic, the interiors are very nice, nicely speced, very economical, drive nicely and extrewmely safe, but that 1.9 is awful for reliability. Having just checked on parkers owners reviews almost everyone has had turbo or total engine failure! Which is why i didnt buy one. Petrols would probably be more reliable, but if i were having a petrol id probably choose a different car.

Ive been on the renault forums, even the people on there who own lagunas wouldnt recommend one, thats enough for me, ill have to stop thinking about getting one!

Think ill stick with my C5, it does everything i need from a car, but doesnt look as good as the Lagunas. Im still unsure of C5s, i dont love them, but then i dont know what else i would buy.

If you like the C5 you will love Xms, as i think they are a much nicer car to be in and drive.

Another renault i really like is the Modus, great little car those. I got over 70MPG from the diesel version, mind i was trying very hard. Very innovative design, i cant see why they havent sold better.

What are the Meganes like for reliability? Ive often thought about getting one, but agian id like the diesel ...

C4s are good cars, though not as fun to drive as id have thought. Very good looking cars and the 1.6HDi seems like a good engine.

Im always looking at changing my car, as im not totally convinced, i cant get happy with a car at the moment. So im always looking at what else i can buy, its good to hear of people opinions on their own cars

Ive just bought a Seat TDi, which im not happy with either. God knows what ill get next

You mainly like big cars then?

harryjoe · Unread post by **harryjoe** » 24 Mar 2010, 13:24

Hi vince.

Yes the 131's are getting very rare ! but mine was a puetrid yellow, with a 1.3 totaly knackered engine,

,not so cool !

Now 131 twin cam would have been nice !

R9UKE · Unread post by **R9UKE** » 24 Mar 2010, 13:41

I take it it was the 1.5 dCi Modus you were driving? That engine is fantastic and only costs £35/year to tax, even in the Mégane.

As for Mégane's reliability, it's very much hit or miss. 02 and 03 versions are the worst for problems, but in saying that mine is '03 and it's been great. The issues I've had in my year and 14,000 miles of ownership have been:
Drivers Electric Window failure
Boot lock failure (boot wouldn't shut)
And the odd time recently it's taken around 5 attempts to start (hope this doesn't become more common)

Overall though, nothing major, and I love it.
I bought it with 58,000 miles. It had one lady owner from new. It had been ordered with over £3,000 worth of extras and the biggest engine chosen, so naturally she had looked after it very well. Also I love how rare the 2.0 16v Mégane is... don't see too many here at all. Oh and meganeownersclub.co.uk is a big help at times.

The C4 is very nice. However the build quality is shocking. Bits of trim just fall off, and the drivers door has dropped!

What Seat did you buy? That's one car I hate. My mate bought a 58 plate Ibiza. It's interior is just so plasticky and basic... not to mention the amount of times it's been back to the dealership. And the ride is hellish... I much prefer the hydractive magic carpet ride of the C5!

Yes I love big cars. Mainly because I love in car gadgets. The C5 and Vel Satis are particularly good for that... parking sensors, sat nav, auto lights and wipers etc etc.

Have you had many issues with your C5?

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 24 Mar 2010, 14:20

Yes it was a 1.5DCi, the lower powered one, 68BHP i think?

Ive heard of less problems with the 1.5, and the tax is very cheap, extremely economical too.

2.0s dont seem very common at all, i dont see many either. Reliability does look patchy on the Megane, though much better than Lagunas it seems.

Yes i agree the C4 isnt the best built, its a bit of a pain to work on too. To remove the air filter on the 1.6HDi i think the wipers and scuttle cover need to be removed

Not a great idea really. Infact after driving one i thought it was a little boring and preffered the facelift C5 we have, which drives very nicely. Might change my S1 C5 for a facelift C5 at some point, or a 407.

Well i love the durability of the Seat TDis, i had one, a tiny Arosa, for 2 and a hlaf years. I did loads of miles in that time and it never once went wrong, apart from the rear wiper washer leaking which cost £30. It did 60MPg and cost £35 a year to tax.

However i then moved onto big cars, C5s, and ive just bought another Arosa TDi (got it for a good price so intend to sell it on as they sell like hot cakes) and i cant live with it. Its very very hard going from the comforts of a C5 back to a tiny city car. Even if the Arosa is great to drive, its not refined. Its odd, going to the C5 from the Arosa seemed fine, but once you have somehting better and go to hardly any comforts its very difficult. Still, its a hardy thing and really storms along for a 1.4, so im going to sell that anyway.

I often drive our Xms which are very nice cars, ive considered getting one for my daily car, but i prefer a more modern car for daily duties.

So yes, i think ill be sticking with bigger cars myself, mid sized would probably be the smallest id like now. Though i sometimes want somehting with a younger image than my C5, i can imagine it looks like im driving my parents car, as im 22 but look about 18!

Anyway, thats more than enough of me!

Well ok then, my C5 ...
My 52reg has been nothing but hassle free! Its done 13K miles this last year, i drove it to the south of france in the summer too. It just never goes wrong and is very dependable despite having 121K miles, though thats nothing for a HDI!
My 04reg VTR is much better to drive, feels tighter and handles better. I think the later S1s got some of the facelifed improvements to the suspension/steering, along with the bigger wheels which help the drive in my opinion. However it has had a few faults, had to replace the comms2000 unit/indicator stalks as the right indicator worked the headlamps and not the indicator. It had a suspension leak and then the suspension pump stopped working. Luckily the local citroen indy got it working agian with some new fluid and lexia software. At the moment i need to replace a driveshaft, battery and handbrake cables. But its still going. I do a fair few miles now and its very nice on motorway runs. Actually isnt too bad on the twisty bits either, just doesnt communicate that well.

I prefer the look of the facelifts though, however the 2.0 8v is probably the most reliable engine, which is why i keep getting those. And as im a student and working part time i need something which doesnt cost me the earth to run.

Citroening · Unread post by **Citroening** » 24 Mar 2010, 17:12

If you think the XM is good - you should really have a look at a CX! Different league!

Nice set of cars too.

F

R9UKE · Unread post by **R9UKE** » 24 Mar 2010, 17:49

Though i sometimes want somehting with a younger image than my C5, i can imagine it looks like im driving my parents car, as im 22 but look about 18!

Yes, when I pull into the pupils' car park at school in the C5 it looks suitably out of place, and I have been told that it looks like I've borrowed grandad's car for the day ha ha. And when I take the Vel Satis, they just stare in disbelief as it towers over all the Corsas, Clios and Polos.

And I agree, the facelift C5 looks much better. I'm still not sure whether I like the styling of my C5... it looks a bit too anonymous for my liking.

Oh and a question, when my C5 is left overnight, and I unlock it with the huge plip remote key (did have to be so HUGE?) in the morning, the suspension starts adjusting itself slightly (I notice the sound but the movements aren't too dramatic). Does yours do this?

If you think the XM is good - you should really have a look at a CX! Different league!

Yes I have a few brochures of the CX and it looks mad! But I've noticed that prices are starting to rise for these cars which is bad news if I were to look for a good one!

Ideally, in a few years I'd love to have a CX, a BX and an XM.

Citroening · Unread post by **Citroening** » 24 Mar 2010, 19:40

R9UKE wrote:Yes I have a few brochures of the CX and it looks mad! But I've noticed that prices are starting to rise for these cars which is bad news if I were to look for a good one!

Ideally, in a few years I'd love to have a CX, a BX and an XM.

Your best bet for a CX is to get a half-good example and slowly improve it - keep a look out on eBay as they do come up on the cheap side.

Unread post by **myglaren** » 24 Mar 2010, 19:59

R9UKE wrote:
Oh and a question, when my C5 is left overnight, and I unlock it with the huge plip remote key (did have to be so HUGE?) in the morning, the suspension starts adjusting itself slightly (I notice the sound but the movements aren't too dramatic). Does yours do this?

Mine certainly does, it is quite normal. The car will settle a little over time but the pump is disabled when the doors are locked or it would flatten the battery overnight.