Citroenmads Citroen blog.

[Hell Razor5543]

Yay! Well done that man (and Ami!).

[CitroJim]

Chris, excellent news on the Ami

[chopper602]

and it even made it to Tan Hill Inn and back !

Well done!

[CitroJim]

and it even made it to Tan Hill Inn and back !

Well done!

Excellent, well done indeed

[Citroenmad]

and it even made it to Tan Hill Inn and back !

Well done!

It certainly did and here are some pictures just to prove it









Its first proper run out after it passed its MOT last week, having been stood unused for 28 years.

It went brilliantly too and was really fun to drive on those roads. All in, a very good day

Oddly enough it has the earlier 8 steering wheel, which I really like:

[daviemck2006]

Has your dads C5 been sorted out yet Chris? I expect it will be written off as mine was. My one is going to savoy where it's fate is unknown as yet. It's too good to break in my oinion, but what's it worth fixed but a cat c on the logbook? Not a lot I would think, even though the damage is minor. People think that a cat C is mangled!

[Citroenmad]

Has your dads C5 been sorted out yet Chris? I expect it will be written off as mine was. My one is going to savoy where it's fate is unknown as yet. It's too good to break in my oinion, but what's it worth fixed but a cat c on the logbook? Not a lot I would think, even though the damage is minor. People think that a cat C is mangled!

Almost!

Its been written off as a Cat C too, however the claim still isn't finalised due to the insurance company being extremely slow with proceedings and generally very poor indeed. The whole situation has left us with a bit of a problem in terms of insuring so many cars and as insurance is now very expensive to do so.

The written off C5 has been so good to us over the six years we've had it and its not long had the timing belt replaced, the clutch and dual mass flywheel replaced, all new brakes and a new set of Michelin tyres all round. So we are going to repair it and keep it, well I am anyway as I'll be buying it from my dad after the insurance is settled, though they know we will be keeping it.

I've stripped off the bumper and headlight and while there is some further damage under there its not bad and has pulled out and isn't structural. All that is needed is a replacement wing, bumper, headlight and washer bottle and it to go through a VIC test. I know it'll not be worth much to sell and it would be problematic to sell as well, however it'll just remain here as a very dependable and usable car. Or that is the plan at the moment ...

However as things have taken so long my dad needed to find a replacement car as the C5 estate was used for his business. He has been using my Rover 75 since the incedent which isn't ideal as it's a saloon. I'm surprised how difficult it is to come by good C5 estates now and finding one locally is even more of a challenge. My dad really liked his C5 and after considering alternatives of many varieties, he decided that he just wanted another the same. So it had to be a facelifted C5 with the 2.0HDi 16v 138 engine and in estate body.

To cut a long storey short, we went to view one last weekend which was just as we wanted and in great condition, which is a good job as it was a 550 mile round trip to view it! So today we did the 550 mile trip again to go and collect it, its just as we hoped it would be and my dad is very pleased with it. We got it from WHM, they had a few C5s which were possibles but this one appealed to us most. Danny at WHM was very helpful and the car recieved a thorough service before we got it, including; new brakes all round, AC regass and so on.

Its a 56 plate 2.0HDi 16v VTR estate in silver with 100K miles and is virtually spotless inside and out. On the way home this evening I was reminded how nice a motorway cruiser they make and this one certainly pulls extremely well.

However, this does leave the problem of 11 cars in one household, which is far too many for my liking! Especially with 5.5 of them being mine. So, I'm selling some ... I do tend to get attached to cars so this is a difficult decision but I've had the enjoyment of them this far and now its time to move on a couple of them.

- C1: will obviously be staying, its my fun and dependable daily commuter car which is cheap as chips to run and its almost new.
- Activa: is my keeper, I've had it almost 4 years now, gets very little use but its always kept in usable order.
- Ami: is staying for now and I'll see how it goes, its great fun to drive and tinker on with
- C5 Estate: Once repaired will be my long distance car and for general large car duties

Which leaves my 75 and Xantia HDi, I really like both of them for very different reasons and I'll miss them both but something has to go! I'll be advertising my Xantia HDi Exclusive on here soon, I love that car but its a luxury I can't justify now. Any takers?

[CitroJim]

Pleased to hear the C1 and Activa are staying Chris.

Gosh, whoever snags the HDi will have an excellent car...

[Citroenmad]

Well it seems that my HDi Xantia has found a new home with Paul, isisalar on here. I'm very pleased that its going to a good home but I will no doubt regret selling it. I shouldn't think I will ever come across another as good as this and it is a joy to drive. However, as I was saying earlier, I do need to have a shuffle around with my cars as I've far too many and need to prioritise, so its time for a change. I've had my use with it over the 2.5 years I've had it, time to let someone else enjoy it now.

I've given the HDi Xantia a good check around today and a service too, infact its been a whole day full of car related activities. I went with a mate to collect a 2cv he had bought and drove it back in the snow, which was followed by it recieving a service and some tinkering.



I took a run down to Holmbridge in the C1 for the CCC Technical meeting last Sunday, it's always a good little event and very interesting to see what old Citroens are in being worked on. The roads over there proved very good fun in the C1, we even found a bit of snow:

My C1 has done 4,000 miles now and is frequently my car of choice for long journeys, its a great little thing.

The C5 estate is still in hiatus due to the insurance company being pretty hopeless - nearly two months on and its not settled yet. However I plan on taking on the C5 once the insurance is sorted and I'll be getting it repaired, I'm looking forward to getting it back on the road again. My dads replacement C5 is proving to be an excellent buy, its a very nice car. Here is the better end of my C5 estate:


My Activa remains in winter hibernation, though I did start it up the other day and got it warmed through. I won't be selling this car so will still be able to get my Xantia fix once the weather improves ...


I've not used the Ami 8 much due to the salt but I have used it a few times for pottering around town. Today I fitted the lower door rubbers which I had been trying to find from somewhere for some time.


And finally, to complete the update and pictures of my current fleet, the Xantia Exclusive and Rover 75 from today, the 75 in desperate need of a wash:

The 75 has done 3500 miles since my purchase in November and is now on just shy of 70,000. It has definitely been one of my better buys! Being my third 75 it is obvious that I like them a lot, they're not perfect by any means but they appeal to me greatly. It is, however, slightly disappointing that people are often calling it a Jaguar, as its better than that!

It does scrub up well:

[chopper602]

I went with a mate to collect a 2cv he had bought and drove it back in the snow, which was followed by it recieving a service and some tinkering.

Do tell me more !

[Citroenmad]

I finally managed to gather the parts I wanted to get the C5 Estate back on the road. It really only needed an new washer bottle, headlight, foglight, front bumper and wing. Fortunately I found some used panels in good condition and in the right colour, a real bonus! I had already stripped the front off it but resembling took only a couple of hours. Its covered around 1,000 miles since then and I'm enjoying having a C5 again, they make excellent cruisers and being the estate version, its a very handy thing to have around.

Here it is in one piece again. The eagled eyed will notice that my sourced front bumper is from a 'Design' spec C5 and therefore doesn't have coloured rub strips, a small price to pay!



And now there are two:


My C1 is fast approaching 5,000 miles now and proves to be an excellent daily commuter car for me. It'll return 65mpg on my 25 mile daily commute and they're great fun to drive too. It sits very happily at motorway speeds and in good refinement with comfortable seats, small cars have come a very long way indeed. However, to keep its mileage sensible, the C5 will be taking over my long distance journeys from the Rover 75, which I'll hopefully be re-homing soon. Then my fleet of cars will be complete ... for now!

The Ami, complete with yellow headlight bulbs


And with my mates Black 2cv after a run out last night:


I had the Activa out today for a run around to warm it through and to do a bit of tinkering with it. The heater blower seems to have stopped working, probably the usual ignition switch problem, so I'll need to look into that.

[chopper602]

Is that Adam's car ? Where did it come from ?

[CitroJim]

Pleased to hear the C1 is proving good Chris... You've done getting on for twice the miles I have in mine!!!!

[Citroenmad]

Well again it seems I've neglected my blog duties!

As is usual with me, its all change!

The Rover 75 found a new home quite a few months ago now, which was fortunate as I had taken on the C5. The C5 has been its usual great self in providing me with a very reliable and nice to drive workhorse. I've done quite a few miles with it, 5,000 since it went back on the road after being involved in the mishap ... and today it as just sailed through the MOT with no advisories, pretty good I think!

We still have the Ami 8, which has had quite a bit of use given what it is, its been to a good few car events and I took it to the Northern CCC/National 2cvGB event in Ripon last month. However it was never intended as a long term keeper as we simply don't have the storage to keep it a good length of time. Having bought it last September and got it on the road again after it was laid up for 28 years, I think its time to move it on to someone else, so you will see it on eBay and Car and Classic.

The C1 Feel was great and I enjoyed it hugely, however there was a car which I had loved the look of since seeing them in France last summer. Those of you who read my Xantia Files in the Citroenian will already have seen the picture and description of what it is. To cut a long storey short, I found my ideal version of this particular car and couldn't resist. Probably not the best move, given how young the C1 was ...

Its a 2015 (64 plate) C4 Cactus 1.6 BlueHDi in mid-spec Feel trim with optional 17" wheels from the Flair model. It had done 2,500 miles when I got it and was the dealer demo in immaculate condition. I love it, its comfortable, full of kit and it looks fantastic to my eyes - it does get a lot of looks and comments and sure they are a bit of a marmite car, but that’s a good thing, right? Means it is simply not another dull euro-box. I do miss my C1 and the C4 Cactus was very indulgent, though I justified this by thinking I would sell my C5 estate as the Cactus is big enough for most of my needs, however that didn't happen as I'm too attached to my trusty C5 estate.

Another change has been to my job, I left where I had been for the last five years as I wanted another challenge. My new job suits me perfectly and I'm so happy to be doing something I really enjoy. My new job also means I have a company car, fortunately its a Citroen, well its not ... its a DS (they've split up now, you know?), a DS3 to be exact. Its got the new, and frankly brilliant, 1.2 3 cylinder turbo petrol engine. I wish I had tried the Cactus with this engine as it is simply superb! With 110 bhp and a good amount of low down torque, it performs very well and its nicely geared too. I'm getting well over 50mpg in the real world and they're only £20 a year to tax, the engine is full of character but also refinement, I'm a convert! I like the DS3 too, its an eager car to drive and really suits my B road commute

Heres a few snaps of the current lot, minus the DS3:

[superloopy]

Am i alone in thinking the cactus is an aesthetically ugly looking beast? Sorry Chris ... just had to be said . Otherwise thanks ... a good read.

Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk