Am I sad?

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ItDontGo
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Am I sad?

Post by ItDontGo »

I welcome your opinion regarding this matter.
I drive a wee 0.954L AX and am totally uninterested in upgrading as it were. I think its a lovely drive, costs me nothing, cheap insurance, thrifty on the juice... I'm even begining to like the way it looks! [:I]
True I dont have a girlfriend but we cant blame the car for that, at least not entirely! To me its quick enough and the small size makes it very practical for the town driving I do and even my regular motorway trips are fine if I dont go over 80 (as it gets a bit noisy).
I do like the look of the New C2 but I hear its full of rubbish like push button gear shifts etc... I have the nasty feeling I would be disappointed by an overly light clutch, overly servoed brakes and non-linear throttle response which plagues my mum's Xsara.
I cant see a good reason to get a newer car but am willing to listen if anyone has an opinion.
A friend did just that recently after swearing her Astra was the best thing since sliced bread only to think it was a load of rubbish when she first used her new car.
FDV
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Post by FDV »

My advice - get another AX, only a GT. Go to ebay, buy one that needs an MOT for £50 and I promise you, of all the fun Citroens to drive, this would be in the top five. It is also probably the cheapest and mine gets around 40mpg on the daily commute. However on the way home, if the weathers nice and the motorways are clogged, take the long route down through the country!
All the endearing character of your 1.0, yet with more. They're just as reliable, not quite as thrifty but the extra smiles make up for it.
Think thats my sales pitch done for the night!
jeremy
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Post by jeremy »

Ultimately reliability becomes an issue for many people as does the apparent high cost of maintenance compared to the resale value of the car and so they think the answer is to go and buy something expensive and all their probles will be over.
The problem is that when cars get around 10 years old you might as well throw away manufacturers service schedules as they don't take into account wonky wipers, dashboard bulbs, rotting hoses and all the wierd and wonderful things that crop up on elderly cars. However if you know wht you are doing then you will have few problems as you will investigate that strange knocking noise, loss of water, slow starting and so on before they cause major problems and have the satisfaction of knowing your car is working well and is going to be reliable.
To take an example we purchased an excellent ZX 1.9D a couple of years ago but even that cost about £250 to get going properly by the time we'd changed brake pads and discs, bought tyres, changed cambelt etc and sorted out things like mysterious fuel leaks from the tank, installed the radio properly and so on as well as a driveshhaft. Are these jobs many people are going to do without grumbling?
Keep it! - save your money - you can always buy it later!
Jeremy
DoubleChevron
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Post by DoubleChevron »

Nah,
I reckon flog it off and get the BX16valver on the road ... I'm sure you could find a CX2500 GTi Turbo II if you looked around. Trust me you'll be in for a huge surprise 'cos these "big cit's" are what Citroen is all about[}:)] [:D]
seeya,
Shane L.
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Post by bikeboyz »

Dont buy a C2, after a day test driving lots of small hatches with a m8 who was looking for a car, it was the worst one. Drove Seat Ibiza 1.2, Hyundai Getz 1.5TD (both these cars have 3 cylinder engines!) and the C2. C2 was just dredfull, handling was all over the place didn't feel safe to drive compaired to the Getz. He ended up buying a Polo TDi, not something to Chav up too much I guess. I however thought the Getz turbo diesel for £8500 was a bargain, 5yr warranty, 3 years servicing etc etc
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Post by ralph »

Girls like nice cars. You like cars. You only live once. So why not get something a bit flash? (says me in a 'doom blue' Xsara)
Give the AX to your mum.
gardenpeas
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Post by gardenpeas »

keep the AX mines got 67k on it now done 7k in the last 6 months got 108mph on the clock best 1 litre engine ever, better seats would be good
i never thought i would buy an AX let alone replace the first with a second one it's just such a reliable car.
yesterday i took the sunroof out and just whent out into the countryside doesn't really matter what car your in on a day like that i'd wait till after the summer then get something borrowing for the winter like a 1.1 AX
ItDontGo
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Post by ItDontGo »

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


...i never thought i would buy an AX let alone replace the first with a second one it's just such a reliable car...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Me neither buts thats exactly what I did. I remember telling a mate years ago that I was shocked people were paying more for those crappy little cars than they were for the BXs. A few years later I bought one and when that blew up for the second time I bought another. The first engine failure was the camelt and the second was the cheapo valves that I repaired it with snapping and falling into the cylinder.
After hearing what you say about the C2 I am a bit disappointed but I thought I would be. I do think it would be a waste of money when I have a perfectly good car I like but I also like my BX so maybe I might try run then both.
DLM
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Post by DLM »

I'm considering an AX for my daughter to buy with her hard-earned pennies. The AX appeals as it's a very honest little car - it's not dressed up to appear bigger and better than it is.
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fastandfurryous
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Post by fastandfurryous »

Keep it. Keep it as long as you possibly can, and save a fortune in depreciation on a replacement. After all, you know the car well, know what's wrong with it, and know what needs doing. Even if it costs a few hundred pounds a year in parts to keep going, it's worth it. The C2 will depreciate by a minimum of a thousand pounds every year, (loads more if you buy a new one) and when it goes wrong, the electronics make it far more expensive to repair.
martyhopkirk

Post by martyhopkirk »

I hate my AX.
Its only redeeming factor is its fuel economy(55-60MPG).
Its noisy, harsh to drive, gutless considering its a 1500 diesel engine in something the weight of a bag of sugar, uncomfortable and has had more bits drop off or fail than a rusty Austin 1300.
I probably bought a lemon, but doubt whether i would entertain another AX after this one. Compared to the BX and ZX, I feel the car is poorly nailed together.
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fastandfurryous
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Post by fastandfurryous »

Marty, You evedently haven't driven the earlier peugeot equivalent; a pug 106 1.4 diesel. In comparison to your AX it's heavier, less powerful, slower, less economic and less confortable. I am very glad my mother got rid of hers. It was a bag of poo.
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TomH
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Post by TomH »

The concern I see with the AX is that you wouldn't really want to have an accident in one!
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Post by bxbodger »

Aspiration is not a sad thing!!!
Its your money, and if you can afford one and want one then there's no reason why you shouldn't buy a newer or brand new car.
Me and 'er indoors are in the fortunate position of being able to buy a new car every few years so we do, but as we can only afford one I get to chug around in the 16yr old BX diesel, and she gets the new car ( isn't that always the way.......... )
Theres only one way to find out if you like a C2, and there's no denying that a new car is a lot better to drive than an old one precisely because of things like a light clutch.
We have a Kia Carens diesel....a what?[:I] one of these-
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=71
depreciation is a pain but after 4 or 5 years you don't really notice it. Why a Kia? the dealer is very good only down the road, and I wouldn't entertain its Citroen equvelant, the Picasso, after seeing the state my mates one came in and its numerous trips to the dealers to get basic build faults put right ( it filled with water and the interior mirror fell off just in its first week......)
As I said , its your money, and you takes your choice.......
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Post by Kowalski »

How does the quality of the materials in a Kia compare with a Citroen? How does the engine compare with a Citroen HDI?
I suspect that the Citroen would be vastly superior if they could put it together properly at the factory. I like buying second hand cars because the first owner has the fun of sorting out the quality control issues and by the time I get the car it's nicely run in too.
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