Citroenmads Citroen blog.

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 17 Jul 2011, 21:51

Deanxm wrote: i would say Citroën killed an awesome car with bad marketing and engine setup.

D

Your quite right, Citroen never get their marketing quite right in my opinion. They rarely give the real advantages of the cars, that is if they market them at all. I can't ever remember seeing any decent marketing for the C6 and yet they seem surprised by the little sales volume, given that they have dropped it to one engine and one trim level. It has always been the same with Citroen, which is a real shame. I would bet that 99% of people have no idea what an Activa is, yet alone how it differs to normal Xantias.

Andrew, Today I have been spoilt by a real V6, a 24v in a manual 1990 XM, what a superb engine and what a car!

My Activa has gone very well this weekend, 500 miles at 30.2 MPG, again im impressed with that, especially given my lead foot and high cruising speeds, more than expected really.

May need to get my own XM sometime soon mind, a nice hatch, perhaps a high spec. Engine doesnt matter so much really, I don't want a 3.0 12v mind but anything else would do nicely.

Post by **CitroJim** » 17 Jul 2011, 21:57

After my experience today I feel very much that Citroen really lost an opportunity by not making and marketing a V6 RHD Activa.

Going by Shaun's, the V6 Activa really is an awesome car. Getting out of that and back into mine was a bit of a big change

Most noticeable is how laggy the TCT is after the V6. How you have to wait that split-second for the turbo to spin up and send you on your way.

Another surprise was how whisper quiet a manual V6 is. Although you're not really conscious of it in a V6 auto, the gearbox does make quite a racket...

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 17 Jul 2011, 22:08

Interestingly I wandered past a conversation today of the same thing, how poor Citroen market things. I joined in and it appears a few people thing the same thing, Citroen need to get their act together.
Mind, how they would begin to market the DS4 I dont know "its a bit like our C4, but with door handles we have pinched from a Seat Leon and a very slightly more curvy rear. Oh, we also felt the need to make it sit a bit higher too, so it doesn't look quite as road hugging as the C4"

I can't see the point in the DS4, its nothing different and certainly nothing to look at either. I like three current Citroens, the C1 as it is what a small Citroen should be and its an excellent tiny car. The C5III is quite nice looking but more cramped and smaller than the C5II and the C6, which is nice but to buy a new one is a bit scary - paying £38K for the next year it to be worth £20K.

Hopefully the DS5 will be better .... I can see us in 20 years time at fields around the country surrounded by the same Xms and Xantias we have today and a few C6s looking like a pretty ornament with no working functions.

You did seem to really enjoy the V6 Activa Jim, im looking forward to seeing this appear in your blogs thread

Post by **CitroJim** » 17 Jul 2011, 22:31

I reckon Citroen ought to hire Trainman; he does a damm good job of selling the C6

Citroenmad wrote: You did seem to really enjoy the V6 Activa Jim, im looking forward to seeing this appear in your blogs thread

I know this sounds a bit Chris but today I drove my dream...

They always say you should never meet your heroes but there's always an exception to prove the rule.

I'm busy planning my next move. It's got to happen. I have got to go there...

First up, I'll be on the lookout for a good, tidy late S1 Activa with a duff engine and/or gearbox...

Then a 406 Coupe gearbox, flywheel and clutch... I'm planning so as not to needlessly kill a V6 Xantia for the project...

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 17 Jul 2011, 23:02

He does indeed, I was having a look around inside his, the rear seats with the Lounge pack is so comfortable. One day ... I think actually I have decided, a C6 will be my next daily car, im not planning on when that will be though

I was looking at that green V6 Activa all day thinking how nice a car that must be, possibly the best all rounder.

There was that dark red Activa with CJM on the reg on ebay, where is that now, might be a good base? Though ideally you want a very tidy car in order to make the conversion worthwhile.

As nice as a V6 RHD Activa must be, im in no way skilled to do one myself. I think the rumored figures are about right, if so then it would have to impress me an awful lot to warrant the payout of a true BL conversion. I think the best thing to do is not to experience one

you never know what your missing until you have tried it

Post by **CitroJim** » 17 Jul 2011, 23:06

I could never afford a BL Autos conversion Chris and mine would have to be 'on the cheap' relatively speaking...

Yes, that CJM one would be a potential candidate and has an ideal number plate for me...

Did that one with the singed rear end ever sell?

DickieG · Post by **DickieG** » 17 Jul 2011, 23:17

I think the economc reality of a V6 Activa is that when done the most one will be worth would be £3k, how much would YOU pay for a ready done one taking into account the insurance factor and maybe engineering reports etc.

Citroening · Post by **Citroening** » 17 Jul 2011, 23:31

CitroJim wrote:Did that one with the singed rear end ever sell?

...it did Jim, and went to Ireland. Someone got a cheap car there that's for sure - only 65,000 miles so barely run in!

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 17 Jul 2011, 23:32

Someone asked me today what Activas were going for, I said for a really good on which needs little doing about £500-£700/800, pushing £1000 for the very best. Though there are ones under that they usually require a bit more work, money and time. I thought the green V6 would probably be worth about £2500ish, im pretty confident that would be a good figure for it, it might get more or less depending on demand, though normal Activas struggle to sell for anything above £500 and that is not all to do with the TCT engine, as economy is going to be as close as makes little difference the same. Obviously it has more go and the V6 noise, though that is not £2000 worth in my opinion, never mind the figure to get BL to do one. A diesel Activa, now I think they would sell well and for decent money too. HDi SX and Exclusives can be seen for £1000-£2000 depending on how really nice it is, an Activa HDi/2.1TD would stretch that im sure.

Its a bit like that 'new' DS really, if its something someone really wants then why not, but otherwise you have to consider how much your really gaining from getting a 'new' one over a £20K minter and is it really worth it to you and also will it be worth anywhere near the outlay to have it made.

Im really not one to talk, as our C15 was an expensive special order van which does gain a lot of advantages over a standard small van, but really there are things which would do the same job. No idea what that would be worth now though, it could be 10p or £10K, who knows!

Its a very subjective thing, though I know you can do your own conversion Jim and so that will be quite something in itself

bxzx16v · Post by **bxzx16v** » 18 Jul 2011, 05:22

It would make a nice change to see a pug get robbed of it's guts for a change

Mark

Post by **CitroJim** » 18 Jul 2011, 17:08

bxzx16v wrote:It would make a nice change to see a pug get robbed of it's guts for a change

Poetic justice Mark, for all the BX Valvers that have died over the years just so a 205 GTi can end up in a hedge backwards even faster than before

I've been looking into the insurance situation on a V6 Activa. It's not good. If a V6 Activa was my only car then I could afford it. As it can never be, sadly the V6 Activa project must go on hold for a few years...

DickieG · Post by **DickieG** » 18 Jul 2011, 17:27

CitroJim wrote:I've been looking into the insurance situation on a V6 Activa. It's not good. If a V6 Activa was my only car then I could afford it. As it can never be, sadly the V6 Activa project must go on hold for a few years...

Have you tried Footman James and similar brokers? I paid a pittance for my V12 5.3 litre Cobra using specialist brokers

bxzx16v · Post by **bxzx16v** » 18 Jul 2011, 18:10

Just out of interest what's the cost for a V6 Activa insurance , there's quite a few Mk2 Golfs with the Vr6 motor in driven by chavs so an Activa must be a better bet to insure ? I'm insured with Adrian Flux at the minute and the Zx16v is £220 with mileage restricted to 5k per year , not sure on the cost of an engineers report for a Activa V6 ? Just out of interest what's the cost for one of these conversions including car/donar pug 406 ? I know there's a V6 Zx on the continent , now that would be interesting

Mark

Trainman · Post by **Trainman** » 18 Jul 2011, 18:55

CitroJim wrote:I reckon Citroën ought to hire Trainman; he does a damm good job of selling the C6

Jim, to be honest the car sell's itself, I took a chap, his daughter and Toby out yesterday and they said they were really impressed.

Citroenmad wrote:He does indeed, I was having a look around inside his, the rear seats with the Lounge pack is so comfortable. One day ... I think actually I have decided, a C6 will be my next daily car, im not planning on when that will be though

Chris, I think you and your dad are just trying to get a bigger fleet than Patrick and Franklin

I meant to let you take it for a run, but then I got talking....... again..........

Post by **CitroJim** » 18 Jul 2011, 19:19

bxzx16v wrote:Just out of interest what's the cost for a V6 Activa insurance

I was quoted circa £600 Mark, which on the face of it is not bad at all but when you consider that's what i currently pay for all three of mine it makes it a bit hard to afford just now.

The project is not dead, just postponed...