2002 Citroen C3 SX review from UK and Ireland
"Fun little French car the harks back to Citroen's roots but has had some teething problems"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Product recall to fix ABS water ingress problem that could cause fire hazard in ABS computer.
Was going down a little twisty road soon after buying can and all of a sudden I couldn't turn left! Wrenched the streering to the left and heard a little ping! noise from steering column and everything worked again. The dealership could find no problem.
Engine management fault light ignites and car loses power. Really good when on motorway! The dealership's diagnostic unit cannot find an explanation.
Drivers door wouldn't open when I once stopped at a filling station. Had to wind down the window and use outside handle. Fixed itself, good job really as diagnostics unit at dealership found no fault.
Sometimes the 3 beeps that tell you when the seat belt is unbuckled when the ignition is turned get sent through the main speakers at max volume and don't stop until the car is turned off then back on again. Dealership found no fault.
When listening to a CD and changing back to radio the preset radio stations are lost and I get a random one.
Gear linkage broke at about 40000 miles and I couldn't get any gear other than 1st. Dealer fixed.
Coil pack broke at 45000 miles and engine spluttered and struggled with random timing. Dealer fixed.
The LEDs that represent the fuel level are stupid! They have an 8 litre margin of error from when the one above gets turned off till the next gets turned off. Not good at the start of a journey.
General comments?
Great styling and the comfortable ride is surprising for such a small car.
The seats are good for reasonably long journeys (3 hours or so) with no major discomfort.
The 1.4 petrol is the smallest I would go for as you may need a calendar to plan your exit at roundabouts and junctions with anything smaller.
The boot is a touch on the small side. OK for the weekly shop, but you need to lose the 4th occupant if you plan to haul luggage on a holiday trip.
Economy on the 1.4 petrol is pretty good. Plus the C02 levels result in a much reduced road fund payment in the UK.
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| Reliable underdog |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 2002 |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.4i Manual |
| Performance marks | 4 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 5 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 6 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 4 miles |
| Most recent distance | 50000 miles |
| Previous car | Rover - Austin 600 |
| Date of Entry | 4th October, 2005 |