Citroen C4

boyse7en

The missus has taken a shine to the Citroen C4 Coupe after test-driving one last week.

Debate is whether to get diesel or petrol. We've got a budget of around £3000, so are looking at 2005 models mostly.

It'll be used for school run (3 mile each way, twice a day) plus a country road journey of around 50 miles twice a week - so about 8-9,000 miles a year total.

Prices of diesel vs petrol models is a couple of hundred quid in petrol's favour. Diesel is cheaper tax (RFL) and is likely to be worth more when we come to sell in about 3 years. Diesels tend to have higher mileages, but as we will be comparatively low mileage, it will help to bring the average down.

Tips / hints about what to look out for?

Does the C4 diesel have the troublesome DMF and DPF?

motorguy

boyse7en wrote: »

The missus has taken a shine to the Citroen C4 Coupe after test-driving one last week.

Debate is whether to get diesel or petrol. We've got a budget of around £3000, so are looking at 2005 models mostly.

It'll be used for school run (3 mile each way, twice a day) plus a country road journey of around 50 miles twice a week - so about 8-9,000 miles a year total.

Prices of diesel vs petrol models is a couple of hundred quid in petrol's favour. Diesel is cheaper tax (RFL) and is likely to be worth more when we come to sell in about 3 years. Diesels tend to have higher mileages, but as we will be comparatively low mileage, it will help to bring the average down.

Tips / hints about what to look out for?

Does the C4 diesel have the troublesome DMF and DPF?

With that sort of miles, get the petrol variant.

Also, no matter how Citroen position it, its a 3 door hatch not a coupe.

Decent enough cars though.

gilbert_and_sullivan

Before you spend out have you tried getting in and out of the car in a normal parking space, the doors being very long have to be opened a long way before you can get access, the 5 door is a far more practical prospect.

jaydeeuk1

I had the c4 as a hire car once. Some idiot before me set cruise control to light speed. I dropped a bottle I was drinking on the steering wheel and the car surged forward in a 30 zone (actually it was a 1.6 petrol, so threatened-to-move-ever-so-slightly-quicker would probably be a more accurate description), even so, stupid place to put buttons. Other than that, ok car. Remember it being nicer to drive and a lot comfier than a diesel vectra I had the day before, which was an even slower pile of crap.

daggy

jaydeeuk1 wrote: »

I had the c4 as a hire car once. Some idiot before me set cruise control to light speed. I dropped a bottle I was drinking on the steering wheel and the car surged forward in a 30 zone (actually it was a 1.6 petrol, so threatened-to-move-ever-so-slightly-quicker would probably be a more accurate description), even so, stupid place to put buttons. Other than that, ok car. Remember it being nicer to drive and a lot comfier than a diesel vectra I had the day before, which was an even slower pile of crap.

Our car (Mazda 3) has buttons on the wheel and I find them useful... they don't expect people to spill stuff all over the wheel though; perhaps they should as it can't be an all too uncommon occurrence.

I thought all of the controls were on extra stalks in the c4?

daggy

Based on the petrol giving you combined mpg of 32 mpg and diesel giving you 42 mpg, it would take you 0.6 years to recoup the 200 price difference between cars. This is based on 9000 miles per year. This is based on the 110 hdi and the 109 petrol

MPG ratings are based on owner submissions hdi and Petrol

I used this calculator...

The diesel looks to be the better option

p.s. Auto Express did a long term test on the C4

boyse7en

I've done a bit more reading up on the C4 diesels, and it appears that some have a DPF, and some don't.

The ones that do are said to require a 50mph+ trip of 20 mins or more to burn off teh collected particles. If I take the car to work once a week, that is about 25 mins at 60mph+ so that should do th ejob. The rest of the time, it will be a mix of short-ish trips, but not in stop-start traffic as we live in a rural area where there isn't really many traffic jams (especially in teh winter)

So, now looking out for a diesel. Probably a 1.6HDI, although maybe the 2.0HDI if the price isn't too much different.

oscarward

Go for the one without DPF if you can.

There is a fluid which goes with the DPF on Peugeots, get squirted in to the tank every time you put fuel in. Supposed to help regeneration of the DPF by burning the carbon at a lower temprature.

Needs refilling every 80k miles or so. Costs an arm and a leg and has to be done by someone with the right tools to reset the (computer main dealer ££££££££££).

Wh05apk

I would always go for the diesel, as I prefer diesels to drive, running costs probably not massively different, although I suspect the diesel will be more reliable?

Depending how long you keep the car, the resale value could be immaterial, if you keep it for 5 years, it will be 12 years old so pretty much worthless either way.

Drive both, and get whatever you prefer, also given the number of these around, you may not have too much choice, it may simply be a case of getting the best condition you can, regardless of petrol/diesel.

daggy

Take a look at this RE: DPF types

http://www.mazda3forums.co.uk/index.php?topic=6438.0

forgotmyname

£3000 on a C4 that age could be financial disaster. Not a car i would spend my own money on.

Certainly not an older one.

3 miles wont be doing it any good, Especially a diesel it will still be warming up when the journey's over.

Petrol one will warm up a little bit quicker.

It will need servicing more often due to the type or journey's you will be doing.

I do lots of short journey's also, My car gets serviced every 12 months / 4000 miles.