Citroën C3 (2002 - 2010) 1.4i Desire 5d (2004/04) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

I should have put my brain in gear.

What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

Looks nice but after this I don't think anyone in our street would touch one with a bargepole. Our local garage, who were just as fed up with it as we were, wished it on its way with a two-fingered salute. Nobody who came into contact with this car wishes to see a C3 again.

Would you buy this car again and why?

No. It broke down everywhere, doing everything. I was beginning to wish that our breakdown company had a loyalty card. Eventually earned itself the sack when it cut out in the middle lane of the M1 while overtaking, and while moving on to the hard shoulder one of the brake discs broke.

What are you likely to buy next?

The one thing good about the C3 was that people seem to offer really good money for them - even after we offered it up for microscopic inspection. We bought its replacement on price and reliability. We bought a Mitsubishi Colt.

Type of dealer you bought from?

Franchised

Did you buy this car new?

No

What price did you pay?

£4,000

When did you buy the car?

July 2009

Did you get a good deal and why?

Yes for that make and model, no for that specific car!

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

Its predecessor was getting on a bit... OK, its predecessor was getting on a lot!

What was the dealer like?

Seemed determined to haggle on into the night and bore us senseless. I believe a polite euphemism would be full to the brim with bovine stools.

What's it like to drive?

Absolutely gutless and drank like Oliver Reed. How is it possible to get so little power out of so much fuel poured into a 1.4 engine? However, one thing I won't criticise it for was how sure-footed it was in appalling weather (heavy snow).

What's it like to park?

That's pretty easy, although persuading it to depart again was quite hard because it was so unreliable!

Have you had any problems with the car?

Everything went wrong with it. Shut the doors too hard and bits of trim would fly off. Would suddenly cut out for no apparent reason. Ate brake disks. Screenwash pump burned out.

What's most practical about your car?

You could drive it in your sleep. When it worked.

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

Digital speedo was fun for a while.