Reliability and running costs; Xantia vs. C5

[myglaren]

Mine has had a few growing pains but all in all I find it OK.
New DMF & clutch at 120,000
New battery (didn't need it)
2 MAFS (my own stupid fault)
Needs a pair of injectors.
They were refurbished a couple of years ago but are failing again.

Otherwise just standard stuff - Tyres, brake discs/pads, a caliper and handbrake cables, nothing out of the ordinary.

[Citroenmad]

As safety was mentioned - there is just no contest, we don't buy a car to crash it but it does happen and its nice to know the car will be strong and safe should the worst occur. C51s are hugely strong cars and have a 4 star crash rating by euro NCap. The facelifted C5II has been improved still and scores a 5 star protection rating. This is due to its slightly longer nose than the C5I and knee airbag for the driver. I don't like looking at the picture of the crashed Xantia on the official site, as I have a Xantia, but its quite different looking from the C5, which looks as though you could open the door, get out and walk away ...

For this reason buy after mid 2002.

My C5 was a late 2002 52 reg,,,

A bad one then, they are not all problematic.

I have to say, when I got my first C5, a 52 SX HDi with tiny wheels (for the size of its body) and skinny 195 tyres I did like the car and its comfort, and that ones is a very soft ride, but compared what I was used to its drive didn't appeal. Which is why I swapped it for a slightly later S1 but with VTR spec, they appear to have differences with steering and suspension and they do give a more involving drive. Even more so the facelifted cars, though they are still cruisers, which is why I like them and the Xms too.

Having said that I probably enjoy driving that 52reg C5 more now, its grip is just as good and as its tyres are half the price of my current VTRs I just drive the tyres off it

I guess what Im saying is, you can't judge C5s on just one car alone, as they do differ on age, spec, engine and how they have been cared for over their lives.
My advice would be, don't buy the first you see or the cheapest and try not to be too specific about exact spec (red, Sat nav, leather etc), buy the best you can find with the engine you want. And anyway, all C5s are decently specced. I follow this on every car I get, XMs particularily, and have yet to be dissapointed with a cars reliability or any part of the car really.

I enjoy the C5s, good cars in my opinion and experience.

When I sold my middle C5 in Jan this year, I could have sold it over and over, infact I had someone wanting to offer me more than the guy who had left a deposit. I wish I had of owned 5 more to sell on! At the start of this year I was also offered what I originally paid for the 52 plate HDi two years ago. So im not sure depreciation is a huge facor at their ages now, not if you buy the right cars at the right time. Certainly if you have a C5III or a C65, but the C5I and II are softening, as they are not big money now.

They are not perfect but they are very good and I can't think of any real reasons which should put somone off. You just have to look around on other manufacturer sites to see how unreliable opther cars are, this is another reason I have came back to C5s every time.

[DickieG]

Does anyone have a definitive guide on resetting the ECU on C5 2.2 particulate filters? I ask as I've had several attempts at doing this without success and still have one ongoing ATM with a forum member.

Edit;

Question now posted as a separate thread.