2004 Citroen C3 City review from Greece

Purchased this secondhand car a year ago, and apart some paint problems, very little has gone wrong.

Minor problems such as failed windscreen water lines and noisy boot door, which can be fixed easily with a little imagination.

It's the basic 1.1i 8V model with the added luxury of A/C. Basic model means: no astray (!!!), no back headrests (an important safety feature), no back speakers (also no speaker bases or cable lines for the back speakers for that matter), horrible coaxial front speakers although there is provision for component speakers) exclusive to a Citroen dealer near you.I t's a pity that Citroen chose to save a handful of euros and not provide these features. However there are 4 airbags as standard and immobilizer, ABS, EBA (dubious necessity.

The car has adequate power for urban driving but it's fuel hungry. I get approx. 300km with one full tank (albeit a small one) not trying to drive economically.

The engine is the reliable 1.1 pack from AX and Saxo with added cosmetic plastics, and spare parts for this engine are plenty and cheap. The engine can provide a maximum of 59.8 bhp.

The various bits surrounding the engine are cheap and nasty and probably the most common source of problems (e.g. water lines for the windscreen wipers keep disconnecting filling engine bay with water, also water can access the engine through various holes on the struts when driving in the rain and such).

Breaks are weak and inadequate for a medium sided car such as the C3 especially when carrying passengers. At least it should have been vented discs on the front and slightly bigger wouldn't hurt. But for everyday urban driving they are fine.

The suspension is very soft and the car rolls quite badly when cornering even at lower speeds. I've had the dampers replaced with harder, sport dampers, and that made a world of difference. I've kept the factory springs so comfort was not compromised (a lot).

Also the top speed was "increased" to a healthy 180 km/hr downhill (used to chicken out at 140 with the old suspension). Top speed on flat road I achieved ever was 162km/hr. Normal driving speed without putting to much stress on the engine is 125-130 km/hr. Uphill overtaking is best avoided in this car.

The good thing with the car is that the maximum torque is achieved at only 3400 rpm, which accounts for a good acceleration and a spirited urban drive.

The manual mirrors are a serious design fault because the are located too close to the drivers body and cannot be adjusted at a wide angle so I am obliged to take the seat back a few centimeters in order to use them. Maybe it's me because I am a bit taller than the average person but still...

The seats are quite uncomfortable and hard, sitting you in an unusually high position and causing backaches on long journeys. The dashboard interior is pleasant and plastics of good quality save the inner door card which is basically the worst I've seen. The inner handles are painted on so after everyday use the look awful, the door rattles with the music and offers awkwardly shaped slots for maps and small objects.

The car is not well put together and you can feel it when driving it. Visibility is very good but the oddly shaped windscreen may cause visual effects to some.

The car is unusually easy to park and handle in the city streets thanks to the electrical steering but that makes the steering wheel very light which is a downside when traveling at high speeds.

To conclude the model is ideal for urban driving, much more reliable compared to the rest of the C3 range with all the electronic gimmicks that will go wrong sooner or later, and offer plenty of passenger and boot space in a nice stylish package. I feel that if you're looking for a second car (for the wife, son etc.) this will fill all the boxes as the low price provides a healthy 4 star safety rating and pleasant everyday use. Not a getaway car though.