C5 2.0a sx

[sfour]

Hi All,

I have been looking out for a used C5 to replace my current ride, and I came across this:

http://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/info.php?ID=170474&DL=1150

I have no experience with a Citroen although I have heard many good reviews about the handling and ride quality. Thus, I am quite surprise at the rather reasonable asking price and how long it has been on sale without success.

I am contemplating this option, but I do not see much reviews about this model in the forum. Is there any inherent problems for this model, and at this age that i should look out for?

I will really appreciate any advise from the gurus here.

Thank you!

[voyager]

hello sfour,

for this model, both peterlee and i have owned a similar unit (same colour).

we both bought ours from the previous dealer - Advance Auto.

this one is from Cycle and Carriage (i can tell because of the very slight spec difference, eg, no rear wiper).

peterlee bought his car shortly after it was introduced in Singapore, in 2005. he recently sold it, and i have seen it running under its present owner, and to my knowledge (albeit limited) no problems have been reported.

i bought mine in 2006, as my signature (below) says. i kept mine for four years, when i changed to my present C5.

both peterlee and i had initial problems with the car, regarding a spurious thermostat warning saying that the engine was overheating, when it was not.

once these initial problems were tracked and traced, we were both very happy with our respective cars.

given the mileage of this particular unit, you must first verify if the car's timing belt has been changed. that would likely be the single largest expenditure of the car. it should be changed around 70000 km (although some people might try to say "oh, it can last till 100000 km"; nope, it won't).

this particular generation of C5 did not sell well, even though (relatively speaking) the very first-generation of C5 (before this) sold in good numbers, because this particular generation of C5 was initially pitched (not by Cycle and Carriage, but by Advance) at what was then a very high asking price. this threw off a lot of owners of first-gen C5s, who looked elsewhere when it came time to change car. it also proved a high entry barrier to new Citroën owners, who were also put off by the shabby state of the showroom that Advance had.

thus, this generation of C5 had an extremely slow sales start, and by the time Cycle took over, the car was already relatively old on the market (plus it had the four-speed gearbox, which many customers could not get their minds around).

having said that, mechanically speaking, this car (including the gearbox and suspension) is extremely hardy and robust.

this was not just a mere facelift of the first-gen, because it was longer (added to the boot), heavier, had five (instead of four)-star EuroNCAP (meaning that the bulkhead and subframes were re-engineered).

however, it has a large turning circle (you must try it for yourself to see if it is acceptable to you) and no 'sport' mode in the suspension. this means that the suspension will not be as pillowy-soft as in some Citroëns, because it is like kind of 'permanently' on sport mode (there is less compressive medium as there is in present model C5s).

the spec of this car is high (accounting for its OMV). it would include directional xenons, which to me are a feature that - once one experiences - one will always look for.

it has an extremely commodious boot (and self-levelling suspension, so it will not sag under heavy load).

its brakes are also self-drying (very useful in heavy rain).

when you inspect the car, the car should be exactly level with the road (along both the longtitudinal and lateral axes, ie, left-right / forward-backward). the car should not be sagging in any way.

all the electrics should work (windows, lights).

do the following to test if the suspension is ok.

switch on the engine, put the gear to Park, handbrake on.

open the rear hatch.

sit on the sill of the hatch, feet dangling out.

the car will sink (because of your weight).

within a few seconds, the car should rise up again.

if it does not rise up again (and remain absolutely level), walk away. the suspension is shot.

there should be of course no leaks of any kind under the car.

this car has a VVT engine, so it can pull well, but there is a trick to driving it.

the natural instinct is to floor the accelerator. Don't.

from a standing start, press the accelerator to about two-thirds, and hold it there, then, once you are nicely gaining momentum, you can either continue a steady but increasing pressure on the pedal, or floor it.

what you've done is to accelerate the car while it is around its torque peak.

if you floor the accelerator from a standing start, the 'box is programmed to shift up early, before reaching its red line (by the way, this car has a tachometer without a red line, it's the only car i know which doesn't). the engine should rev smoothly and sweetly once you've hit the sweet spot on torque. i know, i have done so.

[voyager]

if you'd like me to go with you and have a look at the car, no problem, just let me know :-)

[sfour]

Hi voyager,

Thank you for the detailed advise. I appreciate your effort in doing so and enlightening a potential Citroen newbie. I can really feel your passion. :)

Thanks a lot for your offer. I will certainly trouble you when i decide to go look at the car. Anyway to contact you?

By the way, any indication of the cost of the timing belt change? If the suspension is expended, how much will it cost for a full replacement?

[voyager]

i don't think the suspension should be expended, i think the lifecycle for the suspension is 200000 km or something like that.

anyway, the suspension-plumbing (piping) of hydropneumatic Citroëns has - over the years - been mechanically simplified (while on some of the topmost models (not this one) become more electronically complex).

this model is kind of at a sweet spot between both mechanical and electronic simplicity in terms of the suspension, so that's good news for you.

i will PM you my number.

you can also PM our member peterlee to ask his views on the cost of the timing belt change / suspension recharge (if applicable).

i can't remember clearly how much the timing belt change was, but it would have been between $500 to $1000 (definitely less than $1000).

[Indigo]

Hi sfour,

I just want to share with you that I am current driving the C5 2S (2005 model), just like what had been mentioned by Voyager, a model that is similar to this model shown on the ad. I bought it used since JAN 2011. Despite a minor issue (see the post below) which it had been resolved with a change of the car battery, I must say that I am very happy with it. Mine has already clocked the mileage of over 143K km so far & the suspension is still working well.

http://www.citroenchat.com/showthread.php?t=21317

I hope you could get a good bargain for this car & join us as one of the Citroen owner soon. :)

[sfour]

Hi voyager,

Thanx for the info. I have your contact saved! :)


Hi Indigo,

Thank you for your reassuring sharing.

Since you bought used unit as well, care to share how much you paid for it? What kind of depreciation will constitute a good bargain?

[Indigo]

mine worked out to be below 5k depreciation which i think its good for this car. But i think u must like the brand & the model before considering abt depreciation.
Good luck

[sfour]

Hi Indigo,

Below 5K? That's a steal!

I quite like the car actually. My only concern now is about reliability and running costs. After being so used to driving Japanese makes, the relatively low running costs and usual reliability are taken for granted.

Any advise on how much more expensive it is to up keep a Citroen, compared to say a Cefiro or other equivalents?

[Indigo]

I may not be the right person to answer this since i'm only 5 mths into owning a Citroen C5. But i'm sure you can find the answer in this forum since it has been discussed by many other members. :)

[voyager]

hello sfour :-)

here are some threads to get you started :-)

http://www.citroenchat.com/showthread.php?t=7740
http://www.citroenchat.com/showthread.php?t=17731
http://www.citroenchat.com/showthread.php?t=23775

[sfour]

Hi voyager,

Thanx. That was a ton of useful info!

I wonder how much will insurance cost for this car.

Saw a C5 SX near newton last night. Wife did not quite like the design. I must admit i think the new C5 wins hands down in this aspect, but alas, there is always the budget issue.

*sigh*

[voyager]

hello sfour,

i have found two threads on insurance for you :-)

(one of the threads talks about the more recent turbocharged engines, but the general gist is still there, i believe :-) )

http://www.citroenchat.com/showthread.php?t=18989
http://www.citroenchat.com/showthread.php?t=19911

[sfour]

Hi voyager,

Thanx a lot!

[voyager]

keep the questions coming :-)