2003 Citroen C5 SX 2.0 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Rubbish

Faults:

Electric mirrors ceased to work the day after I purchased it.

Rear hatch window no longer opens.

Fuel gauge reads incorrectly.

Exhaust rattles.

Gear shift broke.

Thermostat gave up on a 40 degree day.

General Comments:

Worst car I have ever owned. I made a big mistake buying it, it is a very comfortable car, but very unreliable and slow.

Off the line acceleration is like watching paint dry, and it has a worrying tendency to hesitate when overtaking and putting your foot down. Many near misses on intersections have resulted.

I never feel confident that it arrive at my destination, and will be getting shot of this lemon very soon; that's if I can find another fool to buy a C5.

My advice is to steer clear of Citroens.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 13th February, 2011

22nd Feb 2013, 05:50

All of the above really doesn't sound that bad. Any car you purchase is going to have money spent on it, that's a fact of life. If that's all that I had go wrong with my car, I would think I had a great car.

2003 Citroen C5 SX 2.2 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Motorway marvel

Faults:

Drivers electric window switch broken on purchase.

Poor performance (cured by cleaning air mass meter).

General Comments:

Only had it 2 weeks, but really comfortable.

Doesn't like to be hustled round country lanes!

Getting close to 40mpg overall, which is OK considering the performance and weight of the car.

Lots of electrical toys, which all still work, bar driver's electric window switch, which is a common problem.

I've been in the trade for over 10 years, and C5s have a shocking reputation for reliability, which is deserved or undeserved, depending on the car you get. Seen these with over 200k on the clock never having given a problem, OR you get a complete nightmare that will drain your bank quicker than George Best on a quiet night out.

Switchgear is not as intuitive as a German car, and the quality of interior fittings only average.

Ride comfort is totally sublime. Only bettered by Jag or Merc.

The engine is very quiet, but doesn't have the urge or economy delivered by German units.

The cabin is generally well laid out.

Silly faults, which are typical of french cars are; door bins, which fall open when you close the door, and armrests that need to be lifted every time you put your seatbelt on.

Do not buy if you want a A4 or 3 series BMW. The C5 is a distinctly left leaning, Gallic vehicle.

By the way, a child could have penned a better looking vehicle.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 31st October, 2010

29th Apr 2011, 17:57

Wrote the original review. Only things to have gone wrong since have been the front brake calipers, which partially seized. Got them replaced as the handbrake was poor. Other than that, flew through the MOT with no problems. 135k and counting! By the way, the suspension behaved as new when on the testing machine at the MOT centre.

2003 Citroen C5 from Denmark

Summary:

Not as good as an old Nissan

Faults:

Anti pollution fault, this has happened twice, and in both those cases I bought cheap gasoline from the same gas company.. later decided to stop shopping from them, since than I haven't seen this light.

The brakes touched the wheels, do to oxidisation from two different metals, it was almost impossible to take the cylinder away; I put a little strip of tape between them, and that problem was solved.

The heater module is burning due to bad wiring. The connection was burned to pieces, and the heater only worked in 5. I took it apart, and found out the resistance in the module; it was fine but 2 legs, which the connection goes in were missing (burned away). I fixed it by using one other (extra one) and it worked for half a year, now it is broken again, and I´m going to the dealership and going to have a talk with them, because the fumes are really dangerous!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 16th March, 2010