Colleague has just swanned up today in his new to him this weekend car.
It's an estate, it looks rather fetching, it has more toys than you can shake a stick at. It has a very nice satnav, cruise, lots of nice little features such as a torch built into the boot and so forth.
He reports it rides beautifully, goes very nicely and is quiet and refined. I saw the trip computer reading 67.8 mpg (it's diesel). Seats seemed comfortable in the two minutes I was in it, and loads of adjustment possibilities. Vast boot of course.
It's a 10 plate, 60k odd on the clock and cost him 10k, sub £200 road tax.
Oh, by the way, it's a Citroen C5. Help me out here, why wouldn't I want one? Your comments will undoubtedly prevent me form trawling through Autotrader for the next six weeks. Not that I want an estate version.
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HJ likes it, apart from lack of steering feel - gives it 4 stars:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/citroen/c5-2008/
Not much in the 'what to watch out for' section, yet...
EDIT: looks nice BTW; sorry, I'm not helping :)
Last edited by: Focusless on Tue 27 Aug 13 at 08:23
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Well if you trawl the search here Crankcase you will be reminded I ran one for 3yrs up to Christmas 2012. That was an 09 plate 1.6Hdi Tourer with Satnav and all the kit.
Super motoring experience with space, comfort and fantastic refinement. A realistic long term fuel consumption would be nearer 53-56mpg but still very good for the size of car.
Faultless reliability.
Mine went into the trade valued around £8k.
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>>>LQQKS good to me but..
Take no notice of that. After all it's the grumblers who will find the HJ site and bother to post. The majority just enjoy the car with nothing to grumble about.
We have two more current C5s in the family, a hard used business car now 4yrs old and a private use family car also 4yrs old. Apart from a couple of FOC recalls both these cars have just needed routine servicing.
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Each to his/her own though Fenderlander, I bought a new BX once and hated it within just a few weeks.
I'm sure the C5 is a very, very nice car but, I wouldn't want one.
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>> Oh, by the way, it's a Citroen C5. Help me out here, why wouldn't I
>> want one?
Right. Here are two unarguable reasons not to buy one.
1. It's a Citroen.
2. It's French.
Come on then, who is going to argue with that!!
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IIRC there was a problem with the hydro-pneumatic versions and being unable to source replacement parts.
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>> IIRC there was a problem with the hydro-pneumatic versions and being unable to source replacement
>> parts.
>>
Yes. The maker of the pump(?) went bust.
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Thanks all.
Sounds like a "there was a little girl who had a little curl" type of car then. I shall watch the owner's experience from the sidelines with interest.
I did have a little poke about all things Citroenesqish today though. Hmm.
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>>>Sounds like a "there was a little girl who had a little curl" type of car then
Applies to most cars really.
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Why not? Because you will look like a photocopier engineer.
If I was going to buy a Citroen I would go wild and go C6, live a little.
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DS5. Once they've depreciated catastrophically. Next car after the Laguna, perhaps. C5 estate is tempting though, as is the Peugeot 508 estate.
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A friend, sadly now long gone, owned a painter and decorator's firm, and drove a large Citroen - can't remember the model.
Someone said to him,
"What are you doing driving that? - you wouldn't sit at a broken desk, would you?"
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Have to say Stu, that your giving advice against buying a car because of its image/looks might, by some less generous souls, be seen as just ever so slightly ironic don't you think?
:-)
I like the new C5 estate. Much better looking than the saloon in my opinion. "Swooshy" would be my description. If asked.
I do know this next bit is totally irrelevant but that of course is the joy of internet chat in that one can indulge irrelevance without fear of physical retribution, but anyway, I had a Xantia for a couple of years and some considerable lots of thousands of miles and its only notable vice was a gluttony for headlamp bulbs. That, and just about the most uncomfortable driver's seat I think I've ever had the displeasure to have to suffer.
Teutonically reliable otherwise. Which of course is nothing to do with recent C5s which may or may not be.
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>>Have to say Stu, that your giving advice against buying a car because of its image/looks might, by some less generous souls, be seen as just ever so slightly ironic don't you think?<<
It just seems that buying a C5 estate is half measures, only live once.
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Yeah, fair enough. I expect I'll regret shuffling off my mortal without ever having owned a Hyundai...
;-)
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If I had the money I would have a C6 like a shot and a Vel Satis for when it wasnt working.... and a Lexus for when they both werent working.
Boring cars just happen to be cheap to own mostly. Should have seen me salivating over cheap Sonatas - £500 cheaper and I may have gone for one :-)
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Nice cars C6s I agree. Surprisingly thirsty though even as diesels I seem to think. Still, I suppose if one were a French plutocrat one wouldn't give deux huées about such things.
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>> Nice cars C6s I agree.
If there was a 'familiale' estate version with the vertiginous depreciation of the saloon I'd be looking for a 3 year old right now.
As it is the Berlingo and Partner are the only show in town.
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>> Boring cars just happen to be cheap to own mostly. Should have seen me salivating
>> over cheap Sonatas -
The new ones are very Hondaesque.
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201308198379784
At that price, whats not to like?
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>>At that price, whats not to like?<<
Stick some leather in and Im right with you.
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Said it dozens of times, if there had been a Sonata or Magentis estate i'd have one on the drive now.
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This man (GB) is often the voice of reason. IMHO
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Our accounts department has just junked her 53 Sonata after its autobox let go - another car with myriad hailstone dents so not economic to fix. She's paid £1600 for a 52 top-spec Rover 75 CDT tourer auto with 65k miles and leather, seems nice.
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I also had a C5 around the same time as Fenlander.
I still miss it, and wish I had just give the lease co the 7K they wanted to let me keep it, but man maths and the desire for a new shiny car got in the way.
IMO they are very underrated and I would have one again like a shot.
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Forgot to add, in 3 years only 2 routine services and 1 safety recall - no faults whatsoever
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For some reason that makes me think of the slightly distant cousin who gets invited to family weddings. You know the one, he's got a suit and tie on but you can tell he's not really at peace with it.
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>>For some reason that makes me think of the slightly distant cousin who gets invited to family weddings. You know the one, he's got a suit and tie on but you can tell he's not really at peace with it.<<
Sounds like me. You have to die or get married to see me in a suit and it still doesnt look right. Plaid, joggers and rigger boots every time, I wasnt allowed to get married in it though, I did ask.
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...of course you have to wear joggers if you've got a gut. Rigger boots smack of slovenliness and I H. A. F. C. what plaid is. Do inform please.....
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>>...of course you have to wear joggers if you've got a gut. Rigger boots smack of slovenliness and I H. A. F. C. what plaid is. Do inform please.....<<
I cant translate, its clothing for men that do manly things, stamp collectors wouldnt get it.
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How many stamps do you have then Stu?
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>>How many stamps do you have then Stu?<<
One, to post the water bill :-)
I watched a man wash a car in a suit once, car salesmen really are quite stupid at times, not good at washing cars either.
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I like that Lygonos, never seen one before, looks a bit ungainly but far from ugly at the rear a little like later model Legend.
Now that would make a nice LPG'd luxobarge, debadged i suspect few people would have the foggiest idea what it is.
Have you looked at the performance figures, very tempting.
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All very well GB. But some people would point and snigger. Rightly or wrongly of course. I guess one would have to decide whether or not to care.
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>> some people would point and snigger
I love ignorant twits who point and snigger and think they are embarrassing you. They make you understand fully how very superior you are. I always enjoy that.
Of course it can't have happened to many of you. Keep working and it will, one day.
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>> I like that Lygonos
Heh heh... so do I. Could be a monster but doesn't look it.
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Come come now gentlemen, while we would all accept and know that there are many reasons why a car may not sell very well, one of the major ones preventing uptake is when it is absolutely bogging.
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>> it is absolutely bogging.
If you mean by that 'very ugly', you are quite simply wrong. Harmless looking thing, not elegant but not offensive either. No worse than any large Oriental limo, better than some.
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I like its looks, had a nose on HJ and he rates them, looks like a bigger brother to Sonata so quietly and reservedly handsome would be my view, far easier on the eye than recent German offerings which are now too common.
I'd be quite pleased if a few sales reps took the P to be honest, couldn't pay me a bigger compliment or convince me more that the choice was right.
Pencilled in for future consideration, thanks Lygonos, at the price they're going for could even stand the top rate VED and simply write the car off over 5 years.
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If that were the case, it would have sold at least in reasonable numbers then wouldn't it? Or maybe not, "Darling I'm just popping down to the garage to spend 27 grand or something on an obscure Hyundai which will depreciate for a pastime and be worth 4 grand in five years time." Doesn't scan too well really does it.
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>>and be worth 4 grand in five years time <<
At which time a smug bloke from the midlands who knows a bargin when he sees it will snap it up.
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I'm sure I read somewhere that they only sold 10 of these in the UK in total. A nice way for the directors of Hyundai UK to get about, if nothing else.
Last edited by: Dave_TiD on Tue 27 Aug 13 at 22:01
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>> I'm sure I read somewhere that they only sold 10 of these in the UK
>> in total. A nice way for the directors of Hyundai UK to get about, if
>> nothing else.
In that case, half of them are for sale on Autotrader.
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>>I'm sure I read somewhere that they only sold 10 of these in the UK in total <<
41 apparently.
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>> 41
I wasn't that far out :)
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One more and it would indeed have been the answer.
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According to how many left there are 35 taxed in the UK. They peaked at 37, so fair to say you would have a degree of exclusivity, although there is also just one CDX taxed in the UK
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I bet there are atleast a couple running about on trade plates because they cant sell em, same thing used to happen to Rover 825 Coupes.
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>one of the major ones preventing uptake is when it is absolutely bogging.
Standard limo for up-market Seoul hotels. Don't know what it's like to drive but in the back you wouldn't know it from an E-class.
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A local taxi firm has recently acquired a C5 estate. Replaced a Mondeo estate. I assume they know what they are doing, and it looks a nice motor. However, if I were in the market for something of that size I would be looking at a 5 series, albeit somewhat older and bought privately.
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>> A local taxi firm has recently acquired a C5 estate.
>> However, if I were in the market for something of that size I would be looking at a 5 series,
>> albeit somewhat older
C5 shares mechanical bits with Peugeot Expert taxi, 406, Picasso etc so parts (and knowledge) will be more plentiful and cheaper. The cost and ease of servicing is an important factor when buying a car for taxi work - the PSA HDi engines are good in this respect, even if the cars they're fitted in sometimes aren't.
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If I could afford to run it, I'd love it.
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The thing is an absolute bargain if it drives OK (and I'd bet 50 quid it does). And a boat like that wouldn't make you feel you ought to be going quicker, so you'd get about 25mpg out of it mostly.
Obviously it wouldn't eclipse a big Subaru, Lygonos, but would you consider a motor like that? Or are you just trying to get us all to say Cor mister what'll she do (147 - I looked).
I could easily impulse-buy a car like that if I had the bread in hand. Bland, invisible and capable, and almost certainly comfortable and relaxed (you'd have to check). What's to dislike?
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"Obviously it wouldn't eclipse a big Subaru, Lygonos, but would you consider a motor like that?"
I had a close look at a C5 estate parked up next to the Legacy on holidays. I'd guess the C5 is a bit bigger in all dimensions than the (2004-2008) Subaru.
I thought it 'very French', in a good way. The diesel is probably an ideal candidate for wafting along the autoroute or straight RN roads loaded with holiday gear and a few cases of good wine, when the Scooby is feeding its mid-20s mpg drink habit, but no match for it on a cross-country route.
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>> Why not? Because you will look like a photocopier engineer.
>>
Whereas some of your cars look like photocopiers! ;)
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>>Whereas some of your cars look like photocopiers! ;)<<
:-)
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Save me some time - Focusless
