That's it...almost the end

[frenchcarnut]

Well after years of Citroen driving, I'm nearing the end. It's been a fruitful journey but .... farewell brothers (and sisters) in arms, the C5 is soon to go. Won't be replacing it immediately as wife has just gone Japanese and will borrow where necessary, but I've had enough of the quirks, poor HQ attitude and high cost of maintenance for low return vehicle. They're great if you want cheap second-hand, but apart from old DS and a few other quirky models, they just don't cut the mustard for me anymore. The last straw being the AL4 autobox starting to go on me with only 65k on the clock and the pathetic "sealed-for-life" maintenance restrictions applied. I haven't got time to faff with guesswork re top two servos/sensors and replacement oil quantities, nor do I want to pay 5x the value of the vehicle to get it sorted properly.

So she's going. And that endeth my relationship with French cars. I won't be returning either.

Thanks guys, some great help on here. I wish you all well

[Xantidote]

Well, I wish you well - Japanese cars always feature prominently in the JD Power Top Ten Survey. Hope your wife's car follows the same reliability curve.

Sooner or later, maybe next year, I'll be thinking of a replacement for my present Xantia. Being an early TD, it's rather more basic and simple for me to maintain than such as your C5 auto, and I'm not yet convinced I'd go for a C5. No car's perfect of course. One thing for sure if I jumped ship to another manufacturer, is that I'd really miss the support and help of the FC Forum, and the humour, banter & jokes (keep them coming guys )

Good luck, bon voyage

[Stickyfinger]

[qprdude]

Can't really understand your sentiments. Your car is 9 years old so not in the first flush of youth. Gearboxes can go a lot sooner than 65 K, depending on how the car is driven, and I'm assuming you haven't driven it since new. Many gearboxes seem to have the "sealed for life" advice, not just the one in the C5.
Not sure why the C5 is a "low return" vehicle, surely it depends what you expect from a car, whether it is "low return" or not. If your's is "low return", then you are the owner of the wrong car for you.

Brother-in Law has a Honda Accord estate, 2009. Just been quoted over £1000 for a tailgate motor/electrics etc as his has stopped working. It had new shocks at 20,000 miles, extreme wear on the rear tyres, outsides only, which was sorted under warranty. (He bough the car new!)
Hope your wifes car ain't an Avensis, as you will soon find that not all things Japanese are reliable. Neighbour has had 4 recalls so far I think, on his 2012 car. Good luck anyway, but never say never.

[Citroenmad]

It is a shame you have become disappointed with the Citroen brand but as said, when a car gets older you have to be prepared for anything to happen, in my opinion. However I have a disliking for auto boxes anyway: they don't deliver the drive I want (yes some are better than others, I've tried many) and they have too many failure points, not to mention proper autos sap power and economy. We had to have an auto box rebuilt on one of our previous cars (a Volkswagen) which cost the thick end of £2500. I know I'm not a fan of the DMF clutches which are in just about every car now, but they cost significantly less to replace. Which is where the more modern automated manuals come in, but they have plenty of issues too. Indeed I was sat behind a 10 plate C4 Picasso at some traffic lights on a steep hill this morning, the lights went green but the C4 didn't move, they went red again. The owner got out and ran round to my car saying that he was getting gearbox failure up on the dash so it won't move, it was an EGS box. I smiled and set away in my 17 year old Citroen.

I have to say I find Citroen to be a disappointing company, especially of late. There is very little interest in looking after their older cars, many of which are owned by enthusiasts who own more modern Citroens too. I know why this is, clearly, it’s a cost implication to keep producing parts for obsolete models and they want us to keep buying new cars. However, a lot of other manufacturers still offer a very good supply of parts for older models. I wonder if they throw away new parts as easily as Citroen do.

I've done the C5 thing three times and while I enjoyed most of them I shouldn't think I'll buy another, mainly as I've driven them too much and like to try other things. The two C5s we still have are reliable and the C5 in general is a good package, especially when you think how good value they are to buy. You can get a C5III for somewhere around £4k now, a bargain, probably.

I seem to have done the odd thing and gone from running relatively young cars to older ones. Not really a conscious decision as such but I tend to gravitate towards cars from the 90's, for various reasons. This has worked out well and they cope effortlessly with my above average mileage. Anyway, I doubt it will be too long before I buy something more up to date but I’ve no brand loyalty towards Citroen, so it could be anything.

I’m not sure any brand is any more reliable than any other, we have always been very impressed with the reliability of Citroens and very few have ever needed much doing above maintenance.

As for Japanese cars, again I can't say there is a clear divide in reliability but they are no better. The current Civic has got pretty bad press and I think it has already been replaced in other countries as it has not been a success. Toyota are no better either, numerous recalls and so on.

Good luck with your next car

[Xantidote]

Stickyfinger

By golly Stickfinger, it was worth following this thread, for your post - I'd forgotten how much I used to enjoy The Doors - and my favourite track

[Peter.N.]

I only run cheap secondhand cars and C5's fit the bill well, I don't pay much more than £500 for one so if something goes seriously wrong I get another one. The early 2.0. Hdi's are a more reliable and easier to repair than the later ones. In the 406 they are even better, I have one that's done 216,000 miles and nothing serious has gone wrong with it in the 3 years I have had it, lots of mpg and cheap tax to boot. I wouldn't run a new car if I could afford it and certainly not an auto.

Peter

[spider]

Sorry to hear you're "leaving" however it would be good even if you just pop in here occasionally to say hi etc I think. When I was without a French car I still visited here.

I'll confess that we actually have a Japanese car in the household (an old Corolla auto), although very reliable(ish!) its dull, just yawningly dull and the inside "trim" is a sea of plastic and vinyl.