Test drive Citroen C5 Estate 2004 - 2007 station wagon

The enemy is good

Citroen is one of the legendary European brands. In Russia, he gained fame thanks to the adventures of the phantomas, whose car drove perfectly, flew, sailed and even dived.
Many years later, this image, apparently, frightened the post -Soviet buyer: the acquisition of an unfamiliar miracle of technology seemed risky and dangerous. This attitude, of course, affected the price, and it soon became clear that a well -equipped and well -made car in the secondary market was much fewer rivals. That is why Citroen became our next purchase in Trad-JN.
The goods are face
At first it seemed that we got to the sale of cars cost ten percent cheaper than those that were offered in the market and in popular publications like buying. A year ago, a system of exchange of used Citroen for new ones was introduced to maintain the image of the company a year ago, without thinking about profit. The case went, and now about two dozen cars are sold in the trad-in system. But not today and tomorrow, the program for providing additional dealerships for mileage machines will start, then this ten percent difference will disappear. Those who believe in good luck and are ready to save, abandoning company patronage, should hurry!
All sitroen is accepted for the commission regardless of origin. Only gray evaluate much cheaper than official ones: the difference in prices for the same car can reach three thousand dollars! These are the costs of checking the genealogy of a particular copy. This also includes a fee for the risk, because the seller company is full legal responsibility to the future buyer. Zhulikov is asked not to worry if it turns out that the committee had fallen a deliberately criminal machine, it will certainly be returned with a pile of troubles.
Mostly private traders (95%) are handed over, organizations prefer to slide. The most popular model C5. Even a certain scheme has formed. The connoisseur of the brand acquires a car in the cabin and carefully drives it for three years. A couple of months before the end of the warranty, he goes to the trad-in and exchanges it for a new one. The reason is obvious: the client is insured from unexpected expenses for large repairs, and all expenses are planned. It is profitable and the companies on the preparation of a warranty machine can not be trinced, so the next buyer will receive it completely serviceable.
As a result, the basis of the Trad-Inovsky Park of the Ts-Fifths is two-three-year-old cars about 50 thousand in a rich configuration (at least GUR, ABS, climate control with separate control, sophisticated audio systems and a parking bag) equipped with a two-liter engine and an automatic box programs. Unjustifiably expensive three-liter versions are rarely re-paid when buying, the owner is trying not to lose a lot when selling, which is why such a car would have to wait too long for the buyer. In deficiency and station wagons: the owners are in no hurry to part with a comfortable family barn.
After instrumental control for the car, a defective statement is made up. But she is not a guide to action. Former owners, as a rule, do not intend to eliminate flaws at their own expense. The dealer (excluding free warranty repairs) does everything at his considerable prices. Therefore, many buyers agree to take a cheaper semi -finished product and bring it to the condition on their own. There are not many potential problems. If the owner poured water into the washer tank, most likely the pump breathes on the incense. It is possible that the ignition coil, a catalyst and lambda-zond will require replacement. The motor is sensitive to the quality of fuel from surrogates, valves suffer. The front brake discs are short -lived by 30 thousand mileage may appear a beating. But their candles are nursing their 20 thousand honestly. At one time, car owners were offered to contact the service centers for reprogramming the engine control unit. If your counterpart is lazy, problems with cold starting are not excluded.
Many are frightened by a fairly clear clatter sound, sometimes not disappearing even after warming up. There is nothing to worry about it rings the valve, redistributing the flow of air at the inlet. Not a reason for excitement and relatively high fumes of the oil. By normal, to 80 thousand mileage, it can reach 0.5 liters per thousand kilometers.
Non -smokers should categorically avoid a smoky salon, the smell is indestructible! However, this is another way to save such cars is given 10% cheaper. Be prepared for the fact that in some places velor upholstery will be shaved, and minor damage will be found on the body. The latter require a thorough analysis of a dent in the so -called deformable zone sometimes hidden sneaker. This is the fee for high passive safety.
The sore question is: what surprises can the highlight of the car system hydrate-III be thrown? The answer is simple. In terms of reliability, it corresponds to the class of the car. The service is reduced to the replacement of fluid once every 60 thousand km. The procedure for the wallet is unprofitable.
Both in the forest and for firewood
The silver handsome of 2002 release, despite the prerestyled appearance, looked at least where. Cast disks, velor of Moara, built into the block-framents of the fog. For this charm with a mileage of only 45 thousand km, $ 18,500 was asked. Assigned, but the new one at one time cost as much as $ 28,900! How did you want? A business class car, and with the largest salon in this class. By the way, we liked him. And thought out by ergonomics, and solid finish, and an abundance of drawers, shelves and stands, but this is in statics. When they started, the first flaws crawled out. The tachometer arrow almost reached the limit, and the stubborn machine did not want to turn on the second gear. It turned out that when turned on, the selector instead of position D (drive) was in the Tiptronik position (manual selection of gears). The guilt was laid on an inexperienced pilot, although he assured that the reason was in an uncomfortable switching scheme that provokes error. And that Testronics just a useless toy.
The next nuisance occurred on the lane. As you know, one of the advantages of hydraulic suspension is the ability to change the road clearance. The third hydraulic hydrauli provides four levels: sleepy (the machine is naps, dropping a belly on the asphalt), a worker (clearance, comfortable on a flat road in the entire speed range), parquet (increased clearance that limits a speed of 40 km/h) and gigiper (allows the machine to defeat the machine highly crossed terrain, but not faster than 10 km/h). Unlike previous models equipped with a tap, the choice was entrusted with the button, and the indication of the position was displayed on the screen in the middle of the torpedo. The innovation was worth a torn mudguard: passionate about the struggle with off -road, the driver inadvertently exceeded the boundary speed, and Citroen silently sat down in the middle of the rut, you will make fun of people. No, this is not about the driver.
But otherwise the car pleased. Excellent dynamics, intelligible steering wheel, tenacious brakes. But the main thing is not comparable to the smoothness of the course. They say that even Mercedes is not a competitor here. Maybe rumor and exaggerates, but just a little.
 

 



Evgeny Borisenkov
 

Source: The magazine "Driving"