Citroën C5 Hatchback (2001 - 2004) 2.2 HDi SX 5d Auto (2001/51) Owner Review
Want to know everything there is to know about this car?
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Summary
What does this car say about you?
No idea, I don't buy cars for image or status.
What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?
Family like it because it's big and comfy.
Would you buy this car again and why?
Absolutely not. There's a great car underneath all the faults, but I'm not taking the chance again.
What are you likely to buy next?
Already got a Focus C-MAX lined up.
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Buying experience
Type of dealer you bought from?
Independent
Did you buy this car new?
No
What price did you pay?
£4,000
When did you buy the car?
October 2007
Did you get a good deal and why?
Gave me £500 trade-in for my old 1993 Vauxhall Carlton junker, and the C5 was a bit under list price as had 70000 miles on it.
Is there any special reason why you bought this car?
Liked it on the test drive - little did I know the horror that awaited me.....
What was the dealer like?
Nice enough and helpful throughout, gave me a courtesy car when they had the C5 back in to fix the various things that went wrong with it.
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Driving it
What's it like to drive?
Lovely to drive but the torquey 2.2 diesel engine is ruined by the clunky 4-speed autobox (only got an auto for the missus) - needs to be 6-speed manual. Cruises along at high speeds beautifully though, and with SPORT mode engaged handles surprisingly well too.
What's it like to park?
Very easy for such a big car.
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Living with it
Have you had any problems with the car?
Steering column needed replacing (done under the 6 month warranty) as developed a knocking. Front passenger door lock broke (randomly refused to open). Outside temp sensor cheerfully reads 40 celsius in the middle of winter. Wheel judder at 60-65 mph. Terrible water ingress into the rear passenger footwells that took three returns to get fixed and left the whole car stinking of damp. (They replaced the door seals completely in the end.)
What's most practical about your car?
Superb family vehicle (when it works), massive boot.
Favourite gadget, option or accessory?
The way you can lower the back end of the car to get heavy stuff into the boot is pretty cool.
