Motoring Discussion > Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Boxsterboy	Replies: 28

Fri 12 Feb 16 19:41   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Boxsterboy

Citroen are taking last factory orders for the C5 at the end of March. In Exclusive trim, this is the last 'proper' (i.e. hydropneumatically suspended) Citroen. There are no plans for its replacement (a JV with GM) or any other Citroen to have this unique suspension. End of an era and all that. So, if you want to buy a new proper Citroen, better get in quick! Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 12 Feb 16 20:37   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Zero

So, let me get this right. You want us to rush out for expensive out of date redundant technology that is being dropped? Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 12 Feb 16 20:37   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Boxsterboy

Still beats any other type of suspension, hands down, for comfort. Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 12 Feb 16 20:40   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Zero

>> Still beats any other type of suspension, hands down, for comfort. I'll disagree with you on that point. Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 12 Feb 16 20:45   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Boxsterboy

For comfort, they still can't be beaten, even if the newer ones are stiffer than the earlier hydropneumatic models. If you want to corner on rails, then they are not the car for you, of course. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 13 Feb 16 20:26   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - The Melting Snowman

The last proper Citroen was the XM. It had most of the qualities of the CX but was far better protected against corrosion and was a bit easier to work on. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 13 Feb 16 20:32   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Bromptonaut

>> I'll disagree with you on that point. Can you remind us of the hydro-pneumatic suspended Citroen models you've owned/run long term? Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 13 Feb 16 20:49   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Zero

>> >> I'll disagree with you on that point. >> >> Can you remind us of the hydro-pneumatic suspended Citroen models you've owned/run long term? >> Borrowed my Fathers D super 5 for 5 months in 1980. Which I believe is a proper Citroen is it not? Last edited by: Zero on Sat 13 Feb 16 at 20:49 Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 18 Feb 16 15:20   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Bromptonaut

>> Borrowed my Fathers D super 5 for 5 months in 1980. Which I believe is >> a proper Citroen is it not? OK. That sort of experience puts my 300k miles and 24 yrs of BX>BX>Xantia into it's proper perspective. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 14 Feb 16 11:21   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Falkirk Bairn

>>Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen I thought Maigret had the last of the proper Citroens !! Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 14 Feb 16 12:02   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Armel Coussine

My favourite car make. My second and best-ever jalopy was a 1948 lhd Light 15 painted in matt desert browny-khaki. I've owned two flat-twin Citroens as well, and driven others. An artist friend had a succession of Citroens, starting with a 'Big 15' and progressing through a series of Ami 6es and Ami 8s to a nice GS. C6 is an imposing beast. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 14 Feb 16 16:26   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - mikeyb

Exclusive was the only C5 with the "proper" suspension, but to be honest the lower specs standard set up was so good it was debatable if you really needed the added complexity Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 14 Feb 16 19:16   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - The Melting Snowman

>> but to be honest the lower specs standard set up was so good it was debatable if you really needed the added complexity And that was exactly the point, the modest advantages of hydropneumatic were not sufficient enough to justify the complexity and cost. Not a great enough USP. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 14 Feb 16 20:48   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Manatee

I don't think many people who have ever tried to get the rear brake calipers off one of those will be putting their names down! Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 14 Feb 16 21:12   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Tigger

IMO, the last proper Citroen was the Traction Avant. It has to be, as Citroen died in 1935. Though the Traction did drive the company to bankruptcy and being taken over by Michelin. I'd love to have a Traction. Though a Goddess would be lovely too. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 15 Feb 16 08:20   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - jc2

It would have to be a "Big Six" tho' not a "Light Fifteen". Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 15 Feb 16 15:40   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Armel Coussine

>> It would have to be a "Big Six" tho' not a "Light Fifteen". 'Light Six' would be the one, but they ave very rare I think. The Light Fifteen was a terrific motor designed in the French manner for long-legged high speed cruising. Mine had austere but comfortable seats and trim and would cruise more or less flat out at about 80mph. It also had twin downdraught carburettors and no air cleaners, and having done a considerable kilometrage was a bit loose in the bearings, pistons and so on. My brutal heavy-footed driving did it no good at all. I didn't have the sense to change the oil even. I loved the gearchange once I learned to double-declutch for all changes. It had a very low first gear, a quite usable second and a high overdrive top. Driven properly it would have lasted another year or two and wouldn't have smelt of burning oil all the time. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 15 Feb 16 17:35   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Dutchie

My favorite was the Ugly Duck the one before the Citroen Dyane, And the Citroen Ds21 Ds23.One of our neighbours had the prewar model Citroen the gangster car forgot he name.He used to give my mother and me a lift in town. Makes me feel old how time goes so quick. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 15 Feb 16 18:19   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Armel Coussine

>> My favorite was the Ugly Duck the one before the Citroen Dyane, You must mean a proper 2CV Dutchman. Brilliant post-war French farmer's car. A friend had one with the original 'corrugated iron' bonnet. Original 2CV steering wheel is a wonderful thing made of welded steel tubing. But the original 375cc version was incredibly slow and the later 425cc wasn't much better. A 2CV in the mood on a nice day on a nice road is pure pleasure though. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 15 Feb 16 22:18   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Boxsterboy

>> A 2CV in the mood on a nice day on a nice road is pure >> pleasure though. >> It certainly is! Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 16 Feb 16 17:12   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Armel Coussine

>> Though a Goddess would be lovely too. DS was indeed a very fine device, super-comfortable driven correctly. I was a crap impatient driver when I drove one though, didn't get the hang of the gearchange timing which was leisurely and had to be right. I found the ID easier because it had a more or less normal US-style column shift. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 16 Feb 16 19:35   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Armel Coussine

Old, ill-maintained hydropneumatic Citroens could get a bit embarrassing, with nose or tail permanently in the air and hard ride... They know what they're doing in Frogland though. Still remember a 100mph ride in a French TV crew's CX estate, with five or six of us and a ton or so of cameras and sound tat, from a sort of spooky side runway at Orly airport to my hotel front door. Chapeau! Made an abrupt change from the Chad borderlands early that morning. But it's a rough life, being a hack. Gotta stay on your toes and off everyone else's. Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Tue 16 Feb 16 at 19:38 Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 16 Feb 16 19:47   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Runfer D'Hills

I remember being fairly impressed with my old Xantia when after trying to drive through deep soft snow it started to struggle for traction. I put it on its highest suspension setting ( the one you weren't really supposed to drive it in ) and that raised it up enough to get it through the deep snow without the drag on the underside. Cunning little fellows those frenchies. ( sometimes ) Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Tue 16 Feb 16 at 19:48 Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 18 Feb 16 14:57   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Armel Coussine

>> Made an abrupt change from the Chad borderlands early that morning The flight had been a very long one, in a Hercules propjet against a strong headwind. The aircraft was kitted out for paratroops and their kit jingled loudly throughout the flight. The thing rumbled loudly and vibrated with some violence. Being French-operated though the plane had free very decent champagne. That helped a bit, but the hacks were well knackered by the time they stumbled down the ramp in that weird military siding at Orly. Don't know if I've said this before, but a mob of sleepless hungover hacks isn't a prepossessing sight, snarling and swiping at each other. The work can be quite bad for the disposition. The CX sent by their TV station, in which they kindly gave me a lift to my door, was fabulously comfortable after all that. Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Thu 18 Feb 16 at 15:01 Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 19 Feb 16 17:26   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Armel Coussine

>> The CX sent by their TV station, in which they kindly gave me a lift to my door, was fabulously comfortable after all that. It was warm too after the Hercules, theoretically but very imperfectly heated, and hanging about on the runway waiting for the luggage and cameras and stuff to be unloaded. The TV chaps put all their cameras, batteries and stuff in the back of the CX and everyone got in. The driver whipped it out onto the motorway and had it up to 160kph in a few seconds, after which he zigzagged through thickening traffic into Paris at undiminished speed until forced to stop for a red light. Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 19 Feb 16 19:06   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Armel Coussine

>> The TV chaps put all their cameras, batteries and stuff in the back of the CX and everyone got in. The driver whipped it out onto the motorway and had it up to 160kph in a few seconds, after which he zigzagged through thickening traffic into Paris at undiminished speed until forced to stop for a red light. Despite its self-levelling and so on the car was overloaded at the back, not properly balanced. Nevertheless it pattered happily over the cobbles to my door. I was very impressed and thought briefly that it might be OK to work for froggy TV. Only briefly though. Good chauffeurs, but there's all the rest of it too. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 20 Feb 16 16:57   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Armel Coussine

The more humourless sort of French person can regard the term 'frog' as insulting or belittling. They tend to be sensitive about the fact that the British don't usually eat frogs. Fortunately they aren't all humourless. I once walked into a roomful of frogs younger than me, greeting them with a genial cry of 'Salut les grenouilles!' 'Salut Rosbif!' they cried and trilled cheerfully in return, perfectly all right with it. Naturally I've tried them, but although they tasted all right they aren't a thing I would order. You only eat the back legs anyway and I've been told they are snipped off with scissors while the frog is still alive. A bit offputting somehow to a soppy imaginative person. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 20 Feb 16 17:01   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Manatee

>> I've been told they are >> snipped off with scissors while the frog is still alive. A bit offputting somehow to >> a soppy imaginative person. Seems a bit unnecessary when, as any skoolboy no, you can bring a whole frog slowly to the boil without it noticing. The amphibian kind, that is. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 20 Feb 16 17:08   Citroen - Last chance to buy a 'Proper' Citroen - Armel Coussine

>> Seems a bit unnecessary when, as any skoolboy no, you can bring a whole frog slowly to the boil without it noticing. I've been told it happens, I haven't witnessed it. Perhaps it's just a story to épater le Rosbif. Reply to this message | Report message