Nothing has actually gone wrong with the car, it just needed a good service!! The brakes were a bit worn, so new pads, handbrake pads and cable, rear drums. The driveshaft made a frightful clicking noise, so I have just replaced that... a surprisingly easy job!!!
The 2CV is never going to break any performance records, but consider this = it has almost exactly half the engine of a VW Beetle, is a similar sized car (except more practical due to four doors) and is just as fast! The seats really are the most comfortable I have ever sat in, much better in fact than a Rolls Silver Shadow. Everything about the car is so different.. but so logical. The designers truly were blessed with something scorned upon today...ingenuity. The sunroof is possibly the biggest asset of the car because it enables three positions, saloon, fold back sunroof and convertible. Unlike some soft tops the hood is very easy and quick to fold/unfold single handed. The car is enormous fun to drive... it actually feels like a piece of machinery, the engine sounds like an angry lawnmower, the gears whine and at tickover the whole thing rattles and wobbles rather like an old bi-plane. The gears are placed oddly, but after a while you get used to them and wonder what the deal is with the gearlever down on the floor. Despite what Citroen say my car does not have synchro on first, but you don't really need first whilst the car is still moving. First gear is so low (actually the same ratio as reverse) it is only used to get the car rolling or for off road work. You may laugh, but in muddy or sandy conditions it will shame a Land Rover. To sum up although the 2CV was designed for French peasant farmers it makes tremendous sense for a town car. It sips petrol whilst you are stuck in a jam, it is big enough not to be bullied (unlike a mini) and the soft suspension soaks up all of those dreaded speed humps.. in fact the faster you go the smoother they are.
2CV FANS! check out this eBay auction.
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4649319431.
Read the description very carefully, then read the description on this review. Notice something funny? The eBay seller copied the description almost word for word from this here review, with exception of a few words. Would this be some type of fraud or copyright infringement? I don't know who holds the copyrights to the reviews on this site, but it might be worth looking into. And someone should inform eBay that there is potential fraud with the auction I listed, although I doubt they'd do anything about it. Please don't delete this comment!
Having read with particular interest most of all the comments on this intriguing little car, I think that most people have missed the point. The sheer fact that such a little car can cause quite a stir is a credit in itself!
These cars are NOT performance vehicles. If you want to go fast, buy a BMW, Merc, Porsche, Ferrari etc.
These cars incorporate that uniqueness that is simply called Gaelic Charm! A bit like the Fiat 500. That car is just as slow, smaller and cramped, noisy & uncomfortable - yet it makes people smile.
In this ever more complex world, it's nice to know that there are simple things left. To me, when I see a 2CV, it reminds me of a French farmhouse, garlic, butter, good red wine, wonderful mademoiselles!!
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