Is there any good engine choices for a DS3?

[Barki]

Hi all,

I currently don't own a French car - but I'm old school and the list of little (mainly) French cars I owned between the ages of 17 and 30 (when my first child arrived) beggars belief.

Anyway, my youngest child is now finally out of the huge child seats that they start out in and so I am itching to return to a small French hatch to regain some sanity after years of driving bigger cars which are like dogpoo to me.

I fancy a DS3. I am a bit more mature now and I don't necessarily need a high performing model but it needs to have just enough power to be enjoyable.

Thing is, it seems like all of the engine options are on the "avoid" category.

- The THP units I would love in a DS3 but so many problems. I brought my wife a THP RCZ before the children arrived and we had an awful lot of trouble. That was a 2012 car and I am disappointed to read now that even a 2016 THP 165 DS3 is still likely troublesome.

- The 1.2 Puretech, I could cope with the characterful 3-cyl sound and 130bhp, but a wet-belt that doesn't like oil and causes engine failure, no thanks. Does anybody consider these 'safe' once the recall has happened, or is it just as likely that previous oil strainer blocking will have caused damage? Don't like the sound of that unit.

- Onto the VTI...the lowest power petrol unit I would consider, alas yet seems to suffer many similar issues to the THP. Gah!!

- Finally, and regrettably, I've been looking at the HDI 120 but now reading about adblue and DPF woes. Bloody hell.

Is there a good engine option at all for the DS3 (I'm talking 2010-2018 here, not the modern crossover thing...trying to get away from those!!)

Cheers. .

[GiveMeABreak]

You really are limiting your options. The 1.2L EB2 engines are fitted to most petrol cars now in their various power variations, but as long as they have the timing belt regularly checked at servicing for condition (you can view the belt through the oil filler hole) and that it gets changes at the 62k mile interval or sooner, you should be fine.

Modern Diesels of course have to have all the emissions kit to be compliant to be sold, so you won't find a recent one without a DPF and or an SCR system, but keep them looked after and maintained and you should be fine again.

[PaulC5]

We've had a few Citroens with the 1.6 hdi engine and they have all been reliable and given good fuel economy. The Cactus is on the highest miles at 63k. Get one pre 2018 (I think) and the road tax will be nil if the CO2 emissions are below 100. Also you need to get a blue hdi to avoid any emission charges in some towns. This means likely a 2015 to 2018 model. After having a petrol 1.4 vti engine in a 2010 C3 I would not buy another, it needed a new timing chain at about 50k miles and used oil from the 12k miles we got it. The C3 itself was ok and easy to maintain, the only large bill was for a new heater unit when the heating flap would stick.

We have not had any DPF problems so you might be worrying needlessly on these.