The great French Divide

Xaccers · Unread post by **Xaccers** » 14 Aug 2007, 17:06

Seems like it.
Cars definitely have gone downhill since the Xantia was made.
Although saying that, my Laguna 2 was great, apart from regularly needing rebooting on the motorway leading to numerous flat tyres (@£120 each), headlight washers that sometimes wouldn't come up (but when they did work which was 97% of the time, they were great for getting tailgaters off my bum), and a turbo which blewup (but then I did normally get the car serviced 6-10K later than it should), but it was solidly built and over the 76K/2 years I had her, she was a pleasure to drive.
Then had a Meganne 2 which gave me no troubles.

Comparing that to my parents Citroens, mum's Xsara feels cheaply made, is sluggish to drive and has an on/off clutch right at the top of it's play. Dad's Picasso again is plasticy and cheap, and really uncomfortable (back seats for 10 year olds, and girders for suspension)

I think I'll stick with pre-facelift Xantia's until I can't get another, at least we know what goes wrong with them, and how to fix most of the issues, and apart from the early Laguna 2's looks better than any other car on the road imho.

weety · Unread post by **weety** » 14 Aug 2007, 22:27

my girlfriend just bought a rover 420 diesel (yes yes i know stone her stone her).... (to be fair though p reg 1 owner from new genuine 42000 miles for 600 quid)

blimey does that make french cars feel comfortable and well built

i reckon diesel xantias will be around till about 2025, engine easily does 250k and the body dont rust

rabenson · Unread post by **rabenson** » 17 Sep 2007, 10:24

I see the public view on French cars in the same way as I see the public view on living in Northern England.

I drive two excellent french cars (not simultaneously...) around relatively quiet roads with wonderful scenery and live in a very nice affordable village. I'd like to keep it like that so if anyone asks:

French cars are all rubbish and they fall apart and it's reet grim up North!

Ron

Unread post by **myglaren** » 12 Mar 2008, 18:35

I've had quite a few French cars (even learned to drive in an R8 ) and find them superior to their british equivalents and no worse than the Swedish ones.
I bought a 5 year old Xantia with 130,000 on the clock and apart from the heater matrix all the money spent on it was on wear & tear items -tyres, brake parts, exhaust etc. It was I think about the best car I have had until an idiot of a milkman reversed a Transit flatbed into it at 03:40 one morning and wrote it off - still drove it for a year afterwards but we are still trying to get payment for it four years later.

Replaced it with my one and only 'Japanese' car, a Honda Accord that I hated until I learned how to drive it and found cripplingly uncomfortable until I learned how to sit in it. Only replaced the radiator in that, no other problems with it until that got rear ended and totalled.
I like the current C5 but I think Pugeot are making far too many inroads into Citroen's individuality, the thing that most attracts me to them.
It is always easy to find faults but at least the good points outweigh the bad ones. I have never had any bits fall off any of my cars, French or otherwise.

The C5 probably doesn't qualify as I don't do anything with it myself, only lift the bonnet to fill the screenwash reservoir, but in general I found them easy and logical to work on, once you had worked out that it was French logic that applied, which is a bit different to anyone else's.

Unread post by **myglaren** » 07 May 2008, 17:12

Well, my youngest son has joined the club.
He's bought (with my money

) a 1997 306 D Turbo. All looks very nice and there is a towbar included.
He will be using it mainly to travel to work and to drive to Scotland and indulge in downhill racing, a passtime that causes him a lot of pain both physical and financial (one of his bikes alone was almost 4x the price of the Pug.) so the towbar will be handy.

So no doubt I will be delving into the Pug forum too now.

Nice birthday present for him. 26 today.

ralph · Unread post by **ralph** » 08 May 2008, 17:38

Everyone hates my dark blue Xsara TD. A scrap man recently offered to take it away for me.
My family and friends chirp on about why I should replace it. Even my MoT tester asked me why I didn't treat myself to a German motor as he handed me the pass sheet.

229,000 miles of reliable, quick, cheap travel. Shame about the Lucas pump, but I can''t grumble at 50+mpg. It stays as long as it's doing its job.

And that's what French motors are all about innit?

lexi · Unread post by **lexi** » 10 May 2008, 10:36

Good French cars are maybe like old houses. Loads of individuality but need to be maintained and looked after. Just as some guys like doing work on an old house so it is with Citreons etc. Hondas are like new houses.........more efficient less maintenance etc.

Landrover take the same bashing but the marque still has huge following.

Thing with Yaris is that it`s made in UK. Ancillary parts etc are not up to same standard as Jap built models. When buyindg previous Hondas I always bought Estates or Coupes . They were either built in Japan or Hondas factory in Ohio. All the electrics alternators power pumps etc were all Hitachi Nippon Denso etc. Vey low failure rates on these components. When you start to fit Valeo Magnetti Marelli etc the failure rates go up. They aint bad components...........just not as high quality which usually reflects in the price.

Who cares anyway?

We love French cars. Mmm It wasn`t that when Rolls Royce went cap in hand to buy a licence for Andre Citreons suspension system 8)

Unread post by **myglaren** » 15 May 2008, 17:54

Just collected the 306 as my son works nights and is in bed. Quite impressed with it. Apart from the glow plug nonsense to start it.
(never had to do that after the first start of the day on the Xantia).

I goes very well. The suspension isn't bad compared to the C5. Goes over speed bumps at 30 almost as though they weren't there.
Accellerates fine, kicks out a bit of smoke when pushed hard.

It has new belts including timing belt, new water belt tensioners, pulley and water pump. New radiator, which took a few days as they got the wrong one four times. Just before I went for it they discovered that the CD player was borked and fitted a new Panasonic one.

The engine feels like that Xantia one though, loads of torque and low down grunt and lots of boost when the turbo kicks in.

Unread post by **lolingram** » 16 May 2008, 19:11

i reckon diesel xantias will be around till about 2025, engine easily does 250k and the body dont rust

Given carefull TLC any XUD variant (inc HDi) will do 400K+ - from the horse's mouth

Unread post by **lolingram** » 16 May 2008, 19:21

Just collected the 306 as my son works nights and is in bed. Quite impressed with it. Apart from the glow plug nonsense to start it.
(never had to do that after the first start of the day on the Xantia).

I goes very well. The suspension isn't bad compared to the C5. Goes over speed bumps at 30 almost as though they weren't there.
Accellerates fine, kicks out a bit of smoke when pushed hard.

It has new belts including timing belt, new water belt tensioners, pulley and water pump.

Given it's new mentor, I am sure it prove to have been a good buy Steve.