Advice sought on buying an early C3 1.4 HDi?

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nobeard
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Advice sought on buying an early C3 1.4 HDi?

Post by nobeard »

Hi, i hope this is in the correct section of the forum.. i have a budget of about £2,000 and am looking to buy a secondhand car that is cheap to run & to keep. The C3 HDi looks like a very good choice, but the only ones i see advertised that i could afford to buy are 2002-3 models usually with a high mileage and several previous owners. I would be grateful for any advice as to what i ought to look out for or what to ignore, such as vehicles above a cetain mileage, or with incomplete service history, or whatever? Also,
Do these HDi engines really need to recieve the proper oil & filter changes as specified in the service schedule to prevent the pumps, turbo's & injectors from early failure?
Does the 'service history' actually verify that the correct servicing has been carried out?
Are there any telltale things to look out for that could give an indication that an engine has been neglected and/or that a turbo or fuel pump or some such other seriously expensive failure is imminent or likely? (i've no experience at all with any common rail or turbo diesel engine)
Are the 8 valve engines any more resilient, reliable or longer lived than the 16 valve engines?
Or should i just forget it, and either find enough money to buy a later model (or one from a dealer?), or else get a 1 litre petrol Corsa instead?

Thanks in advance, any relevant advice will be helpful & very much appreciated.
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Re: Advice sought on buying an early C3 1.4 HDi?

Post by wheeler »

I would personnaly avoid the 16v version of the 1.4 HDi. They can suffer from very expensive injector problems. PSA also stopped using the engine after not too long.
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Re: Advice sought on buying an early C3 1.4 HDi?

Post by Citroenmad »

As wheeler says, forget the 16v 1.4HDi, its really far from the best.

The 1.4HDi 8v is a good and reliable little unit, injectors can fail and is possibly the biggest expense with one. Listen for rattling when driving, as failing injectors can rattle though there is no real way of knowing when.

They should have regular oil and filter services, I would never buy a car which has not, though there is no special oil for the 1.4, not that I am aware of. It has been mentioned that using poorer quality fuels can lead to earlier injector failure. Im not sure but always stick to Shell or BP anyway.

Certainly a lack of oil services can lead to turbo issues, though on the whole the 1.4 doesn't seem to suffer if its serviced regularily.

Cambelts are every 150K (I think, else its 100K) so bear this in mind. 150 is too long for me, I would be getting itchy about doing it at around 100K at the very latest. Along with the water pump and tensioners.

For the love of god don't buy a 1.0 Corsa, they usually sound like a clapped out lawnmower and drive ever so slightly worse. Dreadful things, not reliable and certainly not a cheaper option. If you do a few miles you will hate it.

If you want something with cheap running costs on a budget and without having the potential to pay out for injectors etc then possibly a petrol is best. However also consider the older XUD diesel engined small cars, such as the Saxo, 106, 306, Xsara etc with 1.5 and 1.9Ds.

I know this is a French car forum, however, if you can find a VAG car with the 1.4TDi engine then you can not go far wrong. Excellent MPG, £30 road tax (if its 2001 onwards) and can be had in all sorts, from Seat Arosas, Seat Ibizas, VW Lupos and Polos etc. They might seem a little pricey, but they are good, reliable and the turbo kick is pretty fun for a tiny engine.

You might find joy with a 206 also, the 1.4 HDi is probably at its cheapest to buy in a 206 and there are lots to choose from. The 2.0HDi can also be found for cheap money and is a hardy and reliable motor.

If you want a bit bigger car the 1.4HDi 70 8v is also in the Peugeot 307, same £30 road tax and high economy, it probably performs like a 2.0HDi with 4 binding brakes but you never know. They are cheap.

There are many good diesel alternatives for your budgets without having to drive a 1.0 Corpsa.
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Re: Advice sought on buying an early C3 1.4 HDi?

Post by DickieG »

I'm teaching my daughter to drive in her C3 ATM and recently taught a friends son to drive in a 2009 Corsa 1.2, the C3 is by far the nicer car, firstly it has suspension and also leaves the Corsa for dust performance wise, typical of Vauxhalls the Corsa was a complete pain to drive with constant stuttering presumably due to running at a preset very weak mixture, most unpleasant and rather annoying to say the least.
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Re: Advice sought on buying an early C3 1.4 HDi?

Post by Richard_C »

We bought a C3 1.4Hdi 8v, albeit a slightly later one, to teach daughter to drive and to use instead of Synergie and (then) Saab 9-5 in town. Surprisingly good and real world performance exceeds expectations. Nice engine good spread of power and torque. Use it far mor ethan we expected to, even long trips. Get 56 - 58 to the gallon with ease. Had 30k on it when we got it, now has 50k, no problems.
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nobeard
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Re: Advice sought on buying an early C3 1.4 HDi?

Post by nobeard »

Excellent, i know what to get now.. deffo be going a 1.4 Hdi 8 valve, probably in the C3 as i'm quite tall but i'll check out those alternatives, thank's very much!
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Re: Advice sought on buying an early C3 1.4 HDi?

Post by Citroenmad »

Im 6ft2 and find the C3 a bit too cramped for my liking, though not too bad. The 206 has an odd driving position and the pedals are very close together but the 307 is a very spacious car.
Chris
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nobeard
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Re: Advice sought on buying an early C3 1.4 HDi?

Post by nobeard »

I'm about same height bud, i found C3 to be pretty good for room, i could even wear a hat if i wanted to.. that's bizzarre.. i tried a 206 & couldn't get away with it, pity 'cos i like the look of them.. never tried a 307 though.

I bought a 2003 C3 1.4 HDi (8 valve) today, 70,000 miles.. twas a bit more expensive than i was hoping for but it's had 1 owner from new, FSH, full MOT & is very good condition inside & out.. no stains or fag burn on it's seatss, no dents. It is a desire model, which a little bit ironic because i was rather dissappointed to see that it doesn't have those front armrests, but nevermind, it does have unbelievably cheap road tax & impressively high MPG in it's favour, i shall have to just be content with that instead. Overall a good choice i reckon.. thank's chaps for helping me to make it!
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Re: Advice sought on buying an early C3 1.4 HDi?

Post by Citroenmad »

The C3 does have acres of front headroom :lol:

Congratulations on your purchase :-D
Chris
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