Citroen Drivers Anonymous.

This is the Forum for all your Citroen Technical Questions, Problems or Advice.

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colinxm
Posts: 79
Joined: 12 Apr 2009, 19:33
Location: Jørpeland Norway
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Post by colinxm »

French cars are instantly recognisable as french, They stand out from any of the lookalike euroboxes on the roads, they're very stylish (to my mind) and extremely comfortable.

Quote: "and the XM not that I’ve ever owned an XM, but from pictures you can see it looks sooo cool"

Go, treat yourself to one - you won't regret it, I'm on my third now. The 2.1td in estate form with a manual box is the way to go and as the general public are afraid of s**t the prices are very cheap.
I've also previously owned a 1.9 td BX (very slow) and a 1.9 gti BX (very quick) I really miss the gti...

I have to say though that my wife's pug 307 is godawful on snow and ice even with studded winter tyres fitted, my xm by comparison is fantastic and goes just where I point it and up hills while the BM's and Mercs are going nowhere fast.

Froggie cars for me, Colin.P
Last edited by colinxm on 05 Jan 2010, 18:27, edited 1 time in total.
1995 Cit XM 2,1 TD Silver Estate
2004 Pug 307 SW
1989 Pug 205 Cabriolet
1998 Ford Puma
1979 Triumph TR7
HDI
Posts: 1468
Joined: 22 Sep 2009, 15:46
Location: West Mids
My Cars:
x 7

Post by HDI »

Featch wrote:
HDI wrote:The stigma is a good thing , keeps the prices low :wink:
Exactly. Long may it continue..... so I can afford a C6 ;)
Me too :wink:

The scrappage scheme is one of the most poorly thought out things this government has ever conjured up !!
Take a car that would happily provide good service for probably another 10 years and perhaps a good few owners and scrap it in part ex for a new car !! Good for the environment they claimed !! really ??!! The energy needed to make that car has been lost and will now consume more energy to scrap and recycle in addition to the megawatts required to produce the new car !! The sooner Brown and Labour is binned off the better :evil:
Now using '00 Xantia LX HDI, pov spec :(
My past Citroens :-
'00 Xantia SX HDI, now dead due to accident :(
'99 Xantia HDI 110 Exclusive, RIP :(
'97 Xantia TD SX
'96 Xantia TD LX
'96 ZX TD
'89 BX TD
'88 AX GT
'79 CX2400 Pallas (scrapped :( )
& a couple of Peugeots !
Chlorate
Posts: 612
Joined: 25 Sep 2009, 00:55
Location: Wiltshire
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Post by Chlorate »

The idea was to help out the car industry...neatly forgetting that there is no british car industry...

And think about all the used car dealers that are missing out, and parts suppliers becoming obselete because nobody is maintaining their old cars and replacing them with new ones that have to get parts from dealerships or else the warrenty will be voided..

Trying to convince my mum that getting a Kia Rio with £8000 was silly, when you could get a perfectly good (and indeed much better) used car for less than half that.
Oh well.
Citroen Xantia Exclusive HDi

previously:
Citroen ZX Volcane - RIP
Peugeot 106 XN... stolen and destroyed by Kent Police :evil:
HDI
Posts: 1468
Joined: 22 Sep 2009, 15:46
Location: West Mids
My Cars:
x 7

Post by HDI »

deian wrote:Oh and today... same idea with getting a new boiler.
Thats actually a better idea , old domestic heating boilers are horrendously inefficient. However , the government aren't being as benevolent as it might appear , subsidising boiler replacement is cheaper than the fines from the EU for not meeting carbon reduction targets !!
Now using '00 Xantia LX HDI, pov spec :(
My past Citroens :-
'00 Xantia SX HDI, now dead due to accident :(
'99 Xantia HDI 110 Exclusive, RIP :(
'97 Xantia TD SX
'96 Xantia TD LX
'96 ZX TD
'89 BX TD
'88 AX GT
'79 CX2400 Pallas (scrapped :( )
& a couple of Peugeots !
deian
Posts: 1729
Joined: 26 Feb 2006, 10:53
Location:
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Post by deian »

But cost wise, offering £400 off when a new boiler may cost £1600 means the old people still need to scrape the barrel and come up with £1200.

The boiler may pay for itself over time, but how long?
Chlorate
Posts: 612
Joined: 25 Sep 2009, 00:55
Location: Wiltshire
My Cars:

Post by Chlorate »

deian wrote:But cost wise, offering £400 off when a new boiler may cost £1600 means the old people still need to scrape the barrel and come up with £1200.

The boiler may pay for itself over time, but how long?
Depends on the cost of gas and how inefficient your old boiler was.
Citroen Xantia Exclusive HDi

previously:
Citroen ZX Volcane - RIP
Peugeot 106 XN... stolen and destroyed by Kent Police :evil:
HDI
Posts: 1468
Joined: 22 Sep 2009, 15:46
Location: West Mids
My Cars:
x 7

Post by HDI »

People over retirement age , or people on income support , disability benefit etc qualify for the warmfront scheme which pays almost totally for a new boiler , room stat , electronic programmer , thermo rad valves.

A new boiler , condensing or combi will be typically 30% more efficient at least than an old type boiler. Thats a big difference , especially as domestic heating costs are set to increase even further.
Now using '00 Xantia LX HDI, pov spec :(
My past Citroens :-
'00 Xantia SX HDI, now dead due to accident :(
'99 Xantia HDI 110 Exclusive, RIP :(
'97 Xantia TD SX
'96 Xantia TD LX
'96 ZX TD
'89 BX TD
'88 AX GT
'79 CX2400 Pallas (scrapped :( )
& a couple of Peugeots !
Xantidote
Posts: 1146
Joined: 03 May 2009, 22:07
Location: Merseyside
My Cars:
x 5

Post by Xantidote »

But the problem with new boilers is the same as with new cars - they're loaded with technology, which the DIY man can't sort out.

My boiler's 30 years old, and I hope it keeps going for many years yet! Yes, it's not so efficient, so my bills are higher, but I don't have to keep paying someone else to keep charging me for boiler repairs.
Martin

1995 Xantia TDLX (deceased :( )
AshJam
Posts: 9
Joined: 04 Jan 2010, 21:15
Location: Midlands, UK
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Re: Citroen Drivers Anonymous.

Post by AshJam »

Chlorate wrote:It seems whenever I tell anyone that I drive a Citroen their reply is almost exclusively:
"Eurgh, why would you want one of those?"
Even my little brother calls it a s**t :(

But the only reasons anyone can ever give me why Citroen are bad is:
"They're French, innit"
And "Plasticy and naff, all the electrics fail"

But my ZX has less nasty plastic bits in it than a lot of cars. And even my electric door mirror still works and it's only 5 years younger than me :D
(note: or at least it was working until that lorrey got in the way on the icy road)

And I know it's not exactly fast and it's not the prettiest car ever made. But it's comfortable, fun to drive, easy to fix and incredibly economic...and I like it :D

Seems to be so much of a stigma that goes with owning a French car nowdays. I even had a bit of an argument with someone who had just bought a Toyota Aygo, when I asked him why he didn't go with the cheaper C1 "because it's a Citroen" he replied.
:(
At least there's places like FCF where we can band together and keep them going.

What makes you lot drive French cars?

-Alex
I come up against this alot. The most annoying thing for me is (get ready you've all heard it....) "Oooo they have that complicated suspension, bet that's a nightmare when it goes wrong!"

Complicated? Clever and complicated are two different things. I always say something along the lines of it's similar to the system used for breaks to which people are surprised.

My family has over 30 years of experience with Citroens (as owners) from the GS (excellent in snow and ice according to my Dad) to a Couple of CXs, BXs, AXs, Xsaras, a Picasso, a C5 V6 Exclusive (an excellent car when it worked... still not as good as the CX 25 GTI T2 but I won't get started on that!) & Couple of Xantias - all have been ridiculously reliable (apart from the C5 but it was an ex fleet car so probably abused in it's past life?) and we've never had trouble with that there funny suspension....

People have a lot of ignorance about French cars and especially Citroen but it is truely there loss. :lol:
AshJam
Posts: 9
Joined: 04 Jan 2010, 21:15
Location: Midlands, UK
My Cars:

Post by AshJam »

HDI wrote:People over retirement age , or people on income support , disability benefit etc qualify for the warmfront scheme which pays almost totally for a new boiler , room stat , electronic programmer , thermo rad valves.

A new boiler , condensing or combi will be typically 30% more efficient at least than an old type boiler. Thats a big difference , especially as domestic heating costs are set to increase even further.
Now I know how to get a new boiler....... once again penalised for being young and working...... looks like the gloves are staying on.
HDI
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Joined: 22 Sep 2009, 15:46
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Post by HDI »

Well I wholeheartedly support the elderly getting a break or 6 , they've done their bit and deserve some help and support. Likewise the genuinely disabled and unfortunate. Some scammers will benefit , but hopefully they will get theirs !!

Your not being penalised , your young , strong and have years of earning ability in you , don't get down about that !!
Now using '00 Xantia LX HDI, pov spec :(
My past Citroens :-
'00 Xantia SX HDI, now dead due to accident :(
'99 Xantia HDI 110 Exclusive, RIP :(
'97 Xantia TD SX
'96 Xantia TD LX
'96 ZX TD
'89 BX TD
'88 AX GT
'79 CX2400 Pallas (scrapped :( )
& a couple of Peugeots !
AshJam
Posts: 9
Joined: 04 Jan 2010, 21:15
Location: Midlands, UK
My Cars:

Post by AshJam »

HDI wrote:Well I wholeheartedly support the elderly getting a break or 6 , they've done their bit and deserve some help and support. Likewise the genuinely disabled and unfortunate. Some scammers will benefit , but hopefully they will get theirs !!

Your not being penalised , your young , strong and have years of earning ability in you , don't get down about that !!
hehe have to agree with you. But sadly there are a lot of scammers round here that'll do very well from this scheme :lol:
HDI
Posts: 1468
Joined: 22 Sep 2009, 15:46
Location: West Mids
My Cars:
x 7

Post by HDI »

Sad but true :(
Fact of life though.
Now using '00 Xantia LX HDI, pov spec :(
My past Citroens :-
'00 Xantia SX HDI, now dead due to accident :(
'99 Xantia HDI 110 Exclusive, RIP :(
'97 Xantia TD SX
'96 Xantia TD LX
'96 ZX TD
'89 BX TD
'88 AX GT
'79 CX2400 Pallas (scrapped :( )
& a couple of Peugeots !
Peter.N.
Moderating Team
Posts: 11558
Joined: 02 Apr 2005, 16:11
Location: Charmouth,Dorset
My Cars: Currently:

C5 X7 VTR + Satnav Hdi estate Silver
C5 X7 VTR + Hdi Estate 2008 Red

In the past: 3, CX td Safaris and about 7, XM td estates. Lovely cars.
x 1197

Post by Peter.N. »

They are some of the most reliable cars on the road now, and the 'Citroen' logo is better than any alarm system. :D

Peter
Citroenmad
Posts: 8125
Joined: 04 Dec 2008, 22:08
Location: Northeast
My Cars: 07 Citroen C6 V6 HDi Exclusive - Red
07 Citroen C5 HDi VTR - Red
09 Citroen C3 1.4i VTR - Silver
01 Citroen Saxo 1.1i Forte - Mango Orange
93 Ford Mondeo 2.0i GLX
19 Hyundai i10
x 110

Post by Citroenmad »

The people who dont understand why others run Citroens obviously have no experience of them, have no idea how they work and just think they are cheap nasty cars which go wrong all too often. But then how do they know this, they have probably never had one, if they had they would know better.

Every car gets some kind of negativity from some people, i think German cars can be hugely dull and boring, jap cars the same, soul-less, i like italian cars because they appear to have something about them, individuality and character.

Which is something i like about Citroens, i like the fact that they are different, they offer and have offered in the past some truely fantastic cars (ok so maybe more in the past but modern Citroens are very good).

Citroens usually always drive very well, if you want a sporty model then a Saxo VTS will be great and for no money. If you want a nippy German car it will cost a fortune to buy and then you will have to do things with its suspension to make it handle well. I have this discussion with a mate all of the time, they dont seem to see the advantages.

Reliability is a big reason why i like them too, this is often the biggest critisism with French cars, though we have never had any serious problems at all and none have let us down. My parents have run Citroens for 40 years and we still have more than a few today, 7 actually. OUt of the 10 cars we currently have, 8 are French and two german, the german ones have been ok, one we have had for 5 years the other for 4, both are 03reg. However one needed a replacement engine under warranty, so that not exactly brilliant, the other is currently having major problems with its auto gearbox which hopefully VW will be getting to the bottom of soon.

No cars are as reliable as a Citroen! Xms never had good press about reliability, but they cant be faulted, our 2.0 has been bombproof over the last 8 years, none of the citroens have been any trouble. Our unusual 6 wheel'd C15 has been superb, its done 108K mile and its never even needed the clutch adjusting, its never gone wrong and its still a very smart looking thing.

Yes Citroens can go wrong, but its often through neglect and not understanding the car. There are a lot of electrical things on modern Citroens which can go wrong, but no more so than any other modern car.

A family friend keeps buying mercs, just last week one cost over £2200 because its air susepnsion went wrong, that was at a merc specialist so not even dealer prices. He is now panicing a bit as he has just bought the same model but an estate, so they have two which are potentially very costly when they do (and they will) go wrong. They are now having second thoughts and keep thinking how we have had two C5s for less than that money which have been faultless, never mind having to pay over £2K in repairs.

Citroens are usually always spacious, reliable, economical, good to drive, comfortable and often brimming with kit, especially C5s. Ive tried to see what other car makes would suit what i want and none do, they either turn out to be very unreliable or have huge potentials to go wrong, very dull, over priced, etc. I find Citroens do everything i need from a car, they offer a car for every purpose and they are a bit different from other cars, which i like.

In my experience Citroens are the best of the French cars, the most reliable and better built. Peugeots just behind but tend to be a little more brittle and plasticy inside and then Renault, which i probably wouldnt buy now.

A Citroen any day of the week for me please, I dont think there is any Citroen i wouldnt own or that idislike, the C1 is a bit awful (it is a joint venture with a Jap firm though, so its understandable!) but apart from that, old/new they are all great cars.
Chris
07 Citroen C6 V6 HDi Exclusive - Red
07 Citroen C5 HDi VTR - Red
09 Citroen C3 1.4i VTR - Silver
01 Citroen Saxo 1.1i Forte - Mango Orange
.
93 Ford Mondeo 2.0i GLX
19 Hyundai i10
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