Citroenmads Citroen blog.

[Citroenmad]

The arrival of the C1 was delayed as it didnt arrrive at the dealer on time. We collected the car on Satruday morning with 6 miles on the clock.

I then took it for a scenic drive, there was 4 of us in the car and the air con was used when needed. Im really impressed with the space, i did 90 miles on a mixture of roads, motorway, town and mostly country roads. Everyone had enough room and commented on how good it was to be in. I brimmed the fuel tank before setting off, i did so again after the 90 mile drive and i was shocked at the MPG results. It had done 62MPG. That is truely amasing given the weight it had, the use of air con, the demanding hills and me using the revs at times.

So im very impressed with the economy of the C1, its great. However i like the rest of the car even more. It has real character, something missing from a lot of modern cars. The 3 cylinder 1.0 engine really does make the car. Its very willing and flexible, revs really well and sounds great. There is a distinctive exhaust note when pulling away and driving hard but all other times the engine remains quiet. There is road noise but that is the only thing to be heard as speeds increase. At motorway speeds the engine is silent and there is no wind noise, just road noise - i might look into a dynamat kit. I was crusing along the motrway with the 4 of us in at 'good' motorway speeds, while being totally impressed with the refinment and pull of the engine (it felt like it had more to give but i didnt want to work it too hard on its first run out.)

The ride is a bit jittery with one or two people on board, but with 4 peopls its actually very soft and comfortable. The steering is great, its very light at parking speed but weights up really nicely when going along, its very accurate and the car is quite a joy to dart around country roads. The turning circle is tighter than a supermarket trolly, it really does turn on a sixpence. The gearbox is really nice, very slick. The gearing is impressive, its a little over 3100rpm at 70mph, which for a 1.0 car is impressive. Our Seat is almost 4000 RMP at 70 and the engine can be heard buzzing away, unlike the C1s.

The 1.0 3 cylinder 68bhp engine does a great job, its lively, characterful, economical and nippy. There is a steep long hill leading out of town from a roundabout which is dual carrigeway, i was very embarassed while going up there at full chat in a C5 110 that i couldnt catch a C1! I feel it is going to fee up nicely once the miles pile on our C1, but at the moment i think its a brilliant little car, i can really see why there are so many Aygos, 107s and C1s around now, they do bring fun into driving, ive not been out of ours!

So, despite my earlier comments about new cars (yes there are some new cars i like) and previous comments about not liking a 107 which i had as a loan car back in 2005, i really do like this C1. If its taken for what it is and not too seriously, a small cheap, functional and fun car its a brilliant thing. Obviously it doesnt compare to the C5 very well, but it does offer a fun drive and character, something the C5 has none of.

Im driving down to Hull to go to The Deep one day this week, so im planning on taking the C1 and seeing how it goes on a longer trip, 200 miles or so.

My C5 has been behaving yet again, im trying not to get used to it. I was quite surprised the other day while i was sitting in my car which i had just parked when someone reversed quite hard into the back of my C5, moving it forwards slighty. I truned around to see a Fiesta jammed up against the back of my car. After she had pulled her Fiesta from slightly under my C5 we assessed the damage. Her bumper was cracked and the numper plate lights were hanging by their wires. Luckily mine sustained only a few minor scuffs which have polished off and are now not noticable. I have checked in the pannel in the boot and under the car but its all fine. C5 bumpers are pretty good for withstanding knocks it seems.

It was the annual National Traction Owners Club event this weekend. A full weekend event but we only went for the Sunday as Saturday was spent collecting and driving the C1. I did have chance to give the traction a good polish for the event (unlike the CCC national where it was in need of one). We had a run up to join the 32 other tractions (an amasing number, i didnt expect so many), we then had a convoy scenic drive to Anwick Castle where we parked in the grounds of the Castle on a huge lawn dedicated to the event. There was some really stunning tractions, a lovely roadster, pristine examples and a good display of the many combinations of traction avants which were avilable, eveything from the smallest 11Bs to the Commercials - worlds first hatchback? I think 35 tractions ended up at the end of the event, with people coming from all over the Uk and even some from europe to be at the event. It was only a 70 mile drive for us, which was nice.

The event ended with an awards giving, amasingly our traction won the best new entry award cup and also the best car of the show award cup. We were delighted with that.

Some pictures of the funky C1 to follow ....

Thats all for now

[red_dwarfers]

Come on! If the traction was polished any more at the National you would need sunglasses to look at it
Glad to hear the C1 is a good'un!

[Citroenmad]

Haha, it was in need of a polish Kev, it had not been done since it was put back on the road. So 4 years ago! Though it had been sat in the garage, it had got a lot of swirl marks (who would have a black car!!!), but ive got them out now.

I just need to get the Xm sprused up ready for the CXM now

Here it is, after its polish. I took this picture as it shows the differences in the front between the big6 and light15. Notice how the grill its much further forward and not in like it is on the smaller car. The front wings are a different shape too, in fact not one pannel from the smaller and narrower traction fits the big6. Its amasing to see them together, they look like different cars ... they are!.



And one from the drive ...



Here is a quick picture of the C1 from my trip out at the weekend.



We wanted either a white or a silver C1, as the splash is not avilable in silver we went for the white. Which i think suits its funky looks quite well. White is only avilable on the special edition Splash so you dont see too many white ones around either. The Splash comes in met blue also, but it has horrid white mirrors, the white car comes with gloss black mirrors.

Ive got some mudflaps on order for the C1, a glove box lid cover too. Hopefully they will be here soon.

Im looking forward to using the C1 more, they are great little car. Certainly not to be overlooked if a cheap to run but fun car is needed.

[Citroenmad]

Well its been a busy few weeks, though im going away to Scotland for a week on Saturday so im looking forward to that. Tanking two cars, bikes and dogs - a bit of a walking cycling holiday as usual.

The C5 SX has developed an annoying problem this week, the speedo has stopped working. I took it into the Citroen indy i use yesterday who diagnosed it to be the speedo head - so the who speedo unit. I was warned about fitting a used unit that if i find a higher mileage unit the car will learn and keep the higher mileage. So i wasnt wanting to go for a used one if possible. However i priced the part at Citroen today and its £518!!. However in a total stroke of luck today, as i visited a PSA trade parts supplier about 20 miles away who had one in stock, only one and the correct unit for this car. A customer had ordered it and left a £50 deposit, that was 4 years ago however. So it was still sat on the shelf, he said ill take £75 for it. Im very pleased, can't get much more lucky than that, a bargain. Though i wont get round to fitting it for a week or so after our Scotland holiday.

I had planned on taking the C5 SX to Scotland, as its had a towbar fitted so it takes our bike rack. Though with it having the speedo fail and it also had a bit of an poil leak from the intercooler area ive decided to take my C5 instead.

So today ive had it fitted with a towbar, which will be more use as i can use the bie rack on my own car. It had been at the back of my mind that the cambelt will be nearing due. I know 100K is recommended or 80K under survere use but i have seen HDi cars on ebay for breaking with less miles than that due to cambelt failure. As its on 75000 miles i thought id get it done before i go. So my VTR is now in for a cambelt kit and water pump. Should have it back tomorrow evening ready for the off to Scotland on Saturday.

We should be taking the C5 estate on holiday too, however its been a bit poor at starting these last few day, it turns over a lot more than usual. Im not sure twhat that is yet, i think its somehting to do witht he fuel prime bulb or valve letting fuel drain back when parked. As priming the bulb makes the car start as normal. Might take the Xm instead.

The C1 is still impressing, ive been using that quite a bit myself, usually with 3 or 4 people in the car and performs well with the weight inside. Its great on fuel and certainly a nice addition to the fleet.

I still need to get the little Seat advertised, that will be another job for when we get back. Though its lucky we have it as my sis is using it while her C5 is parked without a working speedo. Ive been using the Xm quite a bit recently, ive had a few comments from people at work about it. Though even after driving the Xm i still like driving the C5s.

Well thats all from me for now, catch you all in a week.

[Citroenmad]

Just getting packed ready to set off for Scotland.

I got my car back yesterday from having the cambelt kit, water pup and gearbox oil changed. The water pump was leaking badly and the bearing has gone, so its very lucky ive got it changed now. How they are supposed to last 100K when mine is like that at 75 ive no idea.

Anyway, its all set now, towbar on ready to hook up the bike rack. I better go finish packing!

Chris.

[red_dwarfers]

One thing after another on this C5 Chris! I think you probably need to have quiet words with her/it/him.

Do let us know if Scotland is still there and enjoy your time in the sun/rain (delete as appropriate)

[Citroenmad]

Hi Kev,

Well this time the faulty C5 is the SX not my VTR, but its not a big job and has cost little to repair (still need to repair it but have the next speedo clocks) compared to what it should have.

Anyway, im just back from a very sunny, apart from one very rainy day, Scotland. What a lovely place we went to, our cottage overlooked the Sea on the west cost, excellent views, lots of garden and very secluded from other people - its always nice to get away from everything.

We spent most of the week walking and mountain biking, i feel as though i need a holiday to recover now! There are some great and challenging mountain bike routes on the 7 Stains routes, 5 of which were within easy reach of our cottage.

Both C5s have gone brilliantly, mine has done 850 miles during the week at 46MPG and no faults to report. The MPG is great considering it hauled lots of luggage inside and three bikes on the tow bar mounted rack. SOmetimes it had 4 of us, 2 dogs, luggage and the bikes, as usual it drove as if it was empty.

However, we did pick up a little something as a holiday momento, in the form of yet another car! You can guess its a bit of an odd ball, as we like things which are a bit different, however im impressed with it so far, i drove it back today, 170 miles and its great. So we had a three car convoy back from Scotland. We walked past it in a little village near to where we were staying, it seemed a tidy car, very low mileage and a very good price. So the plan is to tidy it up as there is one or two things which need doing, get a bit of use from it and move it on.

It is French but not a Citroen, its a bit odd, not quite 5 years old and it was never a huge seller but they are great value now. Any ideas?

Ill post some pics and info later ...

[Dommo]

I'm thinking of a Renault Avantime, but they were stopped in 03??

[andmcit]

Twingo?

[Citroenmad]

I wish it was an Avantime! However no, sadly it isnt, its not that interesting. Nor is it a Twingo, only the originals are any good and they are older than 05.

It is a Peugeot ... 1007 - sorry to get anyone too excited ...

Now, i dont know much about these at all, i know they use the same engine and box as the C3 and that they can be problematic, but apart from that, ive no idea. Still, everything on this car works and it drives as new, it should do with only 18K miles.

So then, the car ... As i said, we were walking through a very nice little village in Scotland and spotted this Peugeot parked in one of the side streets with a brief advert posted on the windows. 1007 1.4 Dolce semi-auto, 18000 miles, MOT November, Tax Jan and to contact the address opposite. It seemed like a very good price too.

Later on we got thinking about it and decided to go for a better look. We called at the house to ask for some more info. The very nice elderly lady owner was selling it as she has had to give her driving licence up due to medical reasons, she had it since it was a year old, before then it was a Peugeot UK car. It has good service history and apart from a small scrape on the back bumper and a dink on the O/S pannel its in very good condition. We took the car for a test drive and both me and my dad were very impressed with how it drove. We said we would think about it over night and the next day we went back and settled on a figure to buy it. So for the last few days of the holiday we had the 1007 to use too.

It needs a very good clean, mainly the interior, so ill get on with that.

However, after getting it back to the cottage i discovered that i had missed a vital thing when checking the car over. Not knowing anything about these cars i took the advert for what it was. I had found a sticker on the door shut which said it was not a Dolce 1.4 but a 1.6 16v Dolce. Which is a bit of a bonus, as i had read a review on the 1007 which said the 1.4 is very slow. So as this is a 1.6 its not the 1.4 75BHP lump which would be a little underpowered, but its the 1.6 16v with 110BHP! Which gives it strong performance and going by book figures its actually slightly better on fuel than the 1.4 petrol.

I was dubious about the tip-tronic auto box, as i have heard of these giving issues on the C3s. However ive now got used to its changes and have got to like the box more than i thought i would. Its a doddle in traffic and i seem to just leave it in auto mode most of the time. However ive used the manual mode quite a bit now and its good, the flappy padels work well and the changes are smooth as long as you lift off when changing, i think it suits the nature of this 1007 very well. Sometimes the gearchanges are a bit slow, depending on how fast your going or how hard the accelerator is pressed, though ive gotten used to it and know how to make the changes better. Parking requires both feet i find, one on the brake and the other on the accelerator, as it does not creep as normal autos do. I think im right in saying its a manual gearbox with an auto clutch. Its a doddle the park and thanks to the gearbox its a great town car.

The engine is a revy one and when left in 3rd it has a lot of urge to overtake with the revs rising high it does get a move on very nicely. Infact i seems to be on par with the 138BHP C5 HDI.

The ride is firm but not overly so, but there is next to no body roll, it seems to love corners, very sharp to turn in and gripp too.

The Dolce is the entry spec, there was only ever two spec levels on the earlier 1007s, the Dolce and the Sport. However the Dolce still has Air Con, CD player, trip computer, electric windows/mirrors/doors, front fogs, traction control, ESP etc. So its nicely specced, though misses alloy wheels, but on a city car i like trims anyway.

Im not sure on the doors as yet, i thought the sliding doors would be a gimmick, but they make the car a bit different and actually provide excellent access into the car. Its quite nice (if a bit lazy!) to have a car which opens and closes its doors at the touch of a button!

I pulled into a small supermarket the other day, as i got out i heard some teenagers say somehting like "look at this car, watch the doors", Another said "thats not very cool, oh, actually thats quite cool, i like that". It does really get a lot of looks, especially when the doors are operating.

I can't think when the last time i saw another 1007 was, they are very scarce it would seem. Still, i quite like that.

Ive just driven it back from Scotland today, the seats are very comfortable and its refined too. The high driving position is a nice change and the auto box too. Even though i hade it loaded down with the heaviest holiday items and i was driving it at the limits with a good dose of acceleration to pass things its returned over 46mpg, impresssive i think for a 1.6 auto.

Its grown on me, a very funky car which drives well, can seat 4 in comfort and has very felxible rear seating configurations, as the seats slide, recline, sold and can be removed. Ill see how it goes. The plan is to get a bit of use from it while tidying it up and sell it on, though if they are not big sellers it might be here a while!







I was amased at how much stuff actually went in, given that we always take far too much stuff and had both C5s piled high with stuff going, the 1007 took a lot of the weight from the C5s on the way back. My C5 Saloon had the bikes on the back and the estate had the dogs in the boot, so i thought id load the peugeot with most of the weight.



Back to 9 cars again, i better go and make a start parking them all!

[red_dwarfers]

You know, I thought it might be a 1007
I've only ever seen a couple, one of which was used by a driving school. Quite a useful concept, something I think more cars will have in the future.

Glad the holiday was good Chris, I suppose Scotland isn't all that far away for you! I'm planning to do something similar with a few friends when they are up at uni in the Midlands. Looking on Google Street view there are some very good driving roads

[Citroenmad]

Yes, i think ive only ever seen a couple. The Caretaker at the school where my mum teaches has one, he loves it apparently. Im growing to like this one, its certainly an easy thing to live with. I like the fact its bit different too.

No, Scotland is just a few hours really, not far at all. I usually try and go a couple of times a year, to the more remote and quieter areas but with things to do around and about.

I was amased that the most popular Citroen near to where we stayed seemed to be Xantias, ive not seen so many of them since i was last in France. Very popular still, as are ZXs.

There are some great roads in Scotland, as long as you dont get stuck behind the inevitable sunday motorist, of which there are many, then there are lots of chances for a bit of fun! Given that most main roads in Scotland are similar to our A and B roads the going can be slow, so it pays to get your foot down if you want to be somewhere

I got to give the Thule bike rack a good testing, so much better than the others we have which clip to the back of the car, they dont appear to be safe at all. They also dont fit on C5 saloons.

Heres mine:



It just clamps to the towball and can be tilted down so the boot can still be opened. Its very secure and as it locks onto the ball it cant be stollen when left on the car.

[Citroenmad]

Well, little has changed on the car front recently, my C5 is providing me with something to do in my limited spare time - yet more problems. I started back at uni this week so its doing a fair few miles again. I could ideally do with the handbrake working again, so that will be my job for this Sunday.

The C15 just flew through its MOT today, not a fault mentioned and the garage commented its one of the cleanest diesels they have tested. Though it has only done 57 miles since its last test! Must use that more Another Citroen which has never ailed anything. Its been plain sailing, never even needed the clutch adjusting in its 108K miles.

Ive been using the Peugeot 1007 and Xm while my C5 has been having issues. The Peugeot is a doddle for my commute, as its got the sensodrive gearbox, sometimes infuriating but its not bad and does good MPG. Thats now in to get the slight dink repaired which it had when we bought it. Ive given it a good tidy and its now looking much more presentable.

My C5s front brake is sticking again, despite it having had new handbrake cables, cable guide tubes, discs and pads and the handbrake levers free'd off many times it still is persisting in sticking on. So for the time being im having to remember to park it without the brake on so it wont stick on. The gears are still crunching a bit and im yet to have a better look into that, though with careful changes it can be avoided.

This has lead me to have been looking around for a replacement, so ive been looking at quite a few cars but i can't decide on what yet. Possibly a C4 but maybe something. Maybe ill keep my C5 as its a tidy car but just a tad problematic at times. Still, its never let me down and always gets me to where i want to be in comfort.

The C1 is getting better and better as its miles slowly pile on. Just over 1100 miles now, the engine is starting to free up nicely and the ride is much better than it was when it was new. I seem to be driving it at every opportunity, its much better than i thought it would be and the running costs are minimal. Its had quite a few comments on the interior room, it does take 4 adults very easily, even for tall people.

Every thing else is going very well, we have been using the traction quite a bit, there is another traction meeting this sunday which we plan on going to. Its running very well now, i think the long weekend down to the National really did it some good.

Well, thats the update for now.

[tim leech]

You are a busy boy, makes me feel lazy in comparison!

[Citroenmad]

Yes, i seem to be at times. Currently im at uni 3 days week and work 3 days a week for 10 hour days, one day off to catch up on things and do assignments

Hence me thinking about swapping my problem child C5 for something a bit less time demanding, as i dont have much time to fix it.