Ownership Verified: My Citroen C1!

NooDle

Ik ben niet alleen lekker met kaas!
Joined
Jul 20, 2005
Messages
10,601
Location
Belgium
Car(s)
Kia EV6 "Mullet"
You could say I swapped my big assed German woman for a petite French one instead!



As some of you may know, I've already driven and reviewed this car, and I still stand by my verdict. However, as I don't really do the mileage I did anymore, nor do I need the space (and definitely not the taxes/insurance cost), I went for a supermini that's very cheap to buy, very cheap to run (#2 in our market, with a Smart ForTwo being #1), and still nice to drive.
Yes, it has 68 hp, which is just about half what I had before, but it weighs 800 kgs compared to 1300 before. And didn't someone important once say 'simplify and add lightness'?



Since I spend a lot of time in it (traffic jams FTL) I did choose the "Exclusive" model, which has all the toys you need (aircon, LEDs, decent soundsystem with aux and usb in, bluetooth, nice wheels, etc)

As this is the facelifted 2012 model, it has the Chevrons in a nice surrounded blob (instead of the huge mouth the 2009 predecessor had)




Shiny shiny!


Dem rims!




I've always been fond of those rear lights, really sets it apart from the Aygo and Peugeot 107 sisters.


Familiar interior to me, nice touchy cloth and leather (steering wheel for instance) where you want it, hard plastic and metal in places you don't really care about.


Aux in, 12v plug and USB socket are nicely hidden but still easily reachable


Brand new, only 69 kms in (half of which was the trip home)


Rear space, contrary to what you might believe, there is some. There's only 4 seats but I fit behind someone my own height...
This was a key thing for me that gave this C1 the edge over a VW up, Skoda Citigo or Seat Mii, because those rear seats are REALLY cramped.


True, the VW UP does offer a bigger boot than this, but I like my family/friends more than my luggage, and since it's a simple commuter box, as long as it fits a sports bag, it'll do


Holy window tint Batman! Near completely black from the outside, still easy to see out of from the inside... nice


Narrow tyres are narrow. But still grippy enough for my tastes


Satnav sort of fits there, and isn't in the way


USB works fine, as does Aux in, as does regular radio, as does Bluetooth streaming. All works like a charm...



Even my Stitch mascot (can also be seen here) made the transition!

Can you tell I'm quite excited and happy? :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

I'm open to suggestions for the proof picture (not that you really need it I guess, since you can plainly see my Astra and new car both had the pics taken in exactly the same place : infront of the driveway, behind my wife's Picasso)

- - - Updated - - -

Nearly forgot, if anyone is interested in making me a new signature pic : old one here, may I suggest giving it a football jersey like the TG Cars?

Our national jersey looks like this

Thanks in advance!
 
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Very good, looks just the job.

I also spend a lot of time in City traffic (jams), so a small car is a good idea, especially if you are not doing a lot of long distance trips.

Wheels look good, are they OK as regards kerbing? (Bashing them against the kerb when parking, not looking for Hookers. :p)

Couldn't find your previous review, the link went somewhere random in the correct Thread.
(I look for it later.)

So, my guess was correct about the French car, but not the diesel engine.
Was the oil-burner not worth it for the monies?

Enjoy your commute-mobile! :cool:

(For Proof Pic: Get dried Noodles from kitchen, place around gear shift, then take pic & post here. :lol:)
 
Should have bought a Yaris. :p
 
Very good, looks just the job.

I also spend a lot of time in City traffic (jams), so a small car is a good idea, especially if you are not doing a lot of long distance trips.

Wheels look good, are they OK as regards kerbing? (Bashing them against the kerb when parking, not looking for Hookers. :p)

Couldn't find your previous review, the link went somewhere random in the correct Thread.
(I look for it later.)

So, my guess was correct about the French car, but not the diesel engine.
Was the oil-burner not worth it for the monies?

Enjoy your commute-mobile! :cool:

(For Proof Pic: Get dried Noodles from kitchen, place around gear shift, then take pic & post here. :lol:)

Thanks!

Duno about kerbing yet, i park it where i think it should go and then find out i'm miles from the actual kerb :) small and narrow ftw!

The oil burner was quite a bit more expensive but more importantly, no longer available. So it was this or a secondhand one with 80k kms on it, being atleast 3 years old, for about 75% of the cost of a new one... a no brainer really

Noodle picture coming up later

Should have bought a Yaris. :p

Since you're so happy with yours? :p

That is a really cool colour. The wheels also make a big difference. Very nice car overall, congrats!

The colour is the only thing i didnt get to pick (and the window tint but thats minor) since i needed a car fast. The old one managed to break just before its MOT was due. I do like the grey though, i just would have preferred the dark blue one more...but thats nitpicking

The wheels indeed are a massive improvement over standard tyres (which are even smaller, 145/65/13 iirc) with plastic wheelcovers.
 

I did consider a Sandero but if you want any of the things i consider 'comfort' (aircon, decent stereo, bluetooth) the price rises considerably. Aside from that, the old engines they offer arent exactly frugal, and its low running costs i'm after.

On top of all that, Dacia need a new superuncool section of the cool wall (except maybe the Duster)..and theyre not exactly pretty to look at either
 
So you ended up with a Czech car? Nice :)

It's good you didn't get the Citigo. Those things are incredibly boring, small cars shouldn't be like that.
 
So you ended up with a Czech car? Nice :)

It's good you didn't get the Citigo. Those things are incredibly boring, small cars shouldn't be like that.

Wiki says the Aygo & the Pug 107 are all built there too.

It also says:

Wiki said:
The Citro?n C1 is a city car produced by the French manufacturer Citro?n since June 2005.[1]

Blah, blah, blah ....

The body was designed by Donato Coco.

Any relation to the esteemed member from Texas, Ninja, I wonder?

:lol:
 
Wiki says the Aygo & the Pug 107 are all built there too.

A gearhed from Europe shouldn't have to read Wikipedia to know the Aygo, 107 and C1 are all built on the same assembly line. It's also funny how 107 and C1 buyers sometimes defend their French car purchase by saying "it's really a Toyota". :lol:

The petrol 3-pot is a Toyota (really Daihatsu) unit while the diesel is PSA. Wonder how many diesels they sold though. Can't be too many since it apparently went out of production already.
 
You had to look that up on Wiki? You don't watch enough TG. :p

A gearhed from Europe shouldn't have to read Wikipedia to know the Aygo, 107 and C1 are all built on the same assembly line.

Automotive trivia, Gentlemen! Such stuff is look-up-able on the wiki. (Which is 90% right, 90% of the time or near enough.)

:p

Back on topic, do you like the new NooDle-mobile? :?
 
It's good you didn't get the Citigo. Those things are incredibly boring, small cars shouldn't be like that.

I never got as far as driving one, as just from the specs I could easily see you could get more bang for your buck with Citroen. Aside from value I do also think the C1 looks better, but I'm partial of course.

It's also funny how 107 and C1 buyers sometimes defend their French car purchase by saying "it's really a Toyota". :lol:

The petrol 3-pot is a Toyota (really Daihatsu) unit while the diesel is PSA. Wonder how many diesels they sold though. Can't be too many since it apparently went out of production already.

I have had the same argument with some non gearheads. People think 'ooh a Citroen, it'll be unreliable' so you eventually admit "it's a Toyota so it'll never break, and it's the most reliable car there is in this class"... people don't understand parts/platform sharing.

OTOH I do see a lot of Aygo's around, so either the Toyota dealers gave them a screaming deal (doubtful) or these people do not know that the C1 is exactly the same for about 1.000? less (and IMHO a lot prettier on the outside).
Sure you get a 5 yr warranty but surely thats not worth the premium? I negotiated pretty much the same thing for my Citroen (extended warranty for 5 years) at 5? a month = 300? over the 5 years...


Done about 170 kms with it so far, I don't think it has used any fuel yet, since the display still tells me it's full. 35 litre tank not an issue, I guess I'll be doing the same amount of kms as with my 50 litre tank in the Astra...

Also parking it is hilarious (in my mind I'm still in the Astra, and I find myself squeezing into tight spaces with tons of room left). I do notice that people react to you differently, because it's a small car you're bound to get pushed off on the motorway, and I don't have the oomph from the Astra to accelerate at 100 kph... something I'll have to get used to I suppose.
 
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That rear door design freaks me the fuck out.
It's like...
It shouldn't be. Gauge cluster is pretty rad, though. Congrats. ^_^
 
That rear door design freaks me the fuck out.
It's like...
It shouldn't be. Gauge cluster is pretty rad, though. Congrats. ^_^

I did a double take too when i opened them for the first time. Its like 'car ends here'. I was actually scared of hitting the rear light cluster if i slammed the doors too hard...but it doesnt seem to work like that

They do say great things come in small packages :)
 
The rear windows don't roll down. They pop out, like on a 3-door. My first thought when I learned that back in the day was that it would feel a bit claustrophobic, but then again it wouldn't feel any different from a 3-door car.

I like how they designed the TPCA car to be cheap from the ground up. The rear hatch is entirely made from glass to save on manufacturing and bodywork tooling. This also means that you get away with only one gas strut. You do get power windows, but you have to reach over if you want to roll down the passenger side window. The front seats are also identical, and not mirrored like you'd get on most other cars. It's cheaper to manufacture one seat than two.
 
The rear windows don't roll down. They pop out, like on a 3-door. My first thought when I learned that back in the day was that it would feel a bit claustrophobic, but then again it wouldn't feel any different from a 3-door car.

I like how they designed the TPCA car to be cheap from the ground up. The rear hatch is entirely made from glass to save on manufacturing and bodywork tooling. This also means that you get away with only one gas strut. You do get power windows, but you have to reach over if you want to roll down the passenger side window. The front seats are also identical, and not mirrored like you'd get on most other cars. It's cheaper to manufacture one seat than two.

Tis true, pop out windows are the way around it.
Volkswagen-Up-pop-out-windows.jpg


To me it doesn't matter anyway, I have aircon so I don't really need to open the rear windows anyway.
And you're correct, they do save money on building it, but as TG stated : it's in places where you don't really care that theyre doing it (I never needed to open my passenger side window anyways, and the driver seat is near perfect, so why not give the passenger the same treatment).

They did skimp a bit on sound deadening stuff, but I guess thats normal for a car of this price class...you only really notice it at motorway speeds, and even then only when you have the stereo off (ie almost never). They do have some sort of special exhaust though, it sounds raspy and alive at lower speeds (sport exhaust? on this???), but it doesn't do it at high speeds... strange, yet fun and comfortable at the same time.

200 kms in and fuel guage still reads as full....quite curious to empty the first tank, then I'll know where my actual consumption will be.
 
Since you're so happy with yours? :p
Meh, turned out alright in the end. Held it's value, was massively thrashable, 48mpg and nothing ever broke on it. If mine was a 1.3 and not a base spec I might have kept it for longer.

You have my engine, 68bhp FTW! :lol: I'm curious as to what you get in fuel economy due to the lighter car, I imagine it's a 'tad faster than the Y-Arse-Is too.
 
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