Thinking Of Buying C1 -General Tips And Advice Please !

[yogz]

Hey everyone,

Had my heart set on a C1 for a while. Love the design, the compactness, fuel efficiency and generally how economical it would be to keep on the road. For me it seemed liked my dream car. Until I took one for a test drive ! I know it only has a 1 litre engine but I hoped that it would still be quite nippy. I just found it very unresponsive, juddery (is that a word?), and seemed like such an effort just to get it to 50 mph..(I currently drive a 1997 rust bucket of a Fiesta with a 1.3 l engine). Given all the positive reviews out there and my personal experience of regularly getting overtaken on the dual carriageway by C1s/Aygos/107, I thought maybe it was something I was doing wrong.

I don't want to give up on the C1 just yet. I'm looking for some hints and tips on how to drive the C1 to get the most out of it. Does the handling get better with experience ?

I have a one-way half hour commute to work each day and do about 3 or 4 long trips a year. Do you think it's doable in a C1 ?

Please guys, help me to fall in love with the C1 :wub:

 

Thanks !!

[paul.h]

Welcome to the forum.

 

We do not have many members who regularly use the site who have a C1 so you may not get many, if any, replies to help. I have never used one but as a potential owner, I would think do I want to spend 1 hour a day in one and depending on the type of roads and speeds would it be suitable and also safe in an accident - usually the larger the car the better for comfort and safety. Depending on the age of the car being considered, small to medium size cars cost about the same to buy and running costs may not be much different. A diesel will use less fuel but may have higher maintenance costs and if you are only sat in queues for the 1 hour, if it had an exhaust particulate filter (DPF or FAP), then this may tend to block up and give problems.

 

From my experience of the C3, C4 and C5, the C3 is good for round town use and occasional longer trips but on a motorway the wagons look big, the C4 is a good all round car and the C5 is used for towing a caravan and when large loads are being moved. Our Citroens have been reliable, lowish cost to run and do not seem to rust - Fords are known to rust so if looking at one more than a few years old, check for this.

[jabus]

Hi there,

 

I have just upgraded from ownership of a 2007 C1 Vibe with 37,000 miles on the clock (6k were mine) to a new gen Hyundai i10 after 6 months of owning the C1. My reasons for the upgrade were simple - the C1, though not claiming to be anything different, was basic beyond belief. You probably have more kit on your Fiesta! I found the ride quality bone-jarringly awful, even with just me in the car. Fully laden, it was close to unbearable - and I had 4 new premium tyres fitted. The engine, though economical, was in every other way awful - and I was told at a service that my car was in pristine condition by the mechanics, so it's not my car that was the issue! It is loud, slow, and the polar opposite of smooth. By way of contrast (and I know it's new) the 1.0 3cyl engine (essentially the same) in my i10 is an absolute joy to drive, despite hauling around 100kg of extra weight. The driving position wasn't too bad, but no seat height adjustment is offered and the steering wheel only adjusts for height. The build quality is what can only be expected; cheap nasty plastics but they feel robust and built to last. Having said that, the boot in my car would flood when raining - and I really do mean puddles of water on the boot liner. Citroen quoted me £185 just to find the cause of the problem. However, the main issue was the clutch. Despite my car being in great condition, the clutch was actually so heavy that it gave me cramps in my knee that I now take medication for! Now, I know I am obviously an extreme example but it goes some way to proving a point. The brakes were also pretty poor (I even had the pads and discs replaced), although I appreciate that the discs are only small. Also irritating is the lack of an analogue fuel gauge, and lack of temperature gauge altogether. Plus points are the cost of ownership - very good on petrol, tax is only £20/year and the insurance is group 1E, and the aux input for the radio - although the sound quality is dreadful! In summary, there are far better cars for the price of a good used C1!

[yogz]

Hi Jabus and thanks for taking the time to reply. I was so happy with my Fiesta (which being a '97 model I had to reluctantly scrap due to rust) that I ended up going for another Fiesta, this time a 2007 model. It has been a good car and after reading about your issues, I am glad I didn't go for the C1 :rolleyes: 

[paul.h]

Welcome to the forum jabus.

 

Thankyou yogz for updating this topic, at the time I did suspect the C1 would not be up to long trips and the reply from jabus has helped to confirm this and fortunately you did not get one.

[phade]

Hi everyone,

 

I have found the exact opposite with my 2007 1 litre petrol Citroen C1 I bought a few days ago.

 

When I test drove it (before I bought it) a few days ago, I was impressed with it's comfort, road manners (I was expecting it to understeer) and the engine's ability to pull from low revs.  At about 50 mph, it was pretty quiet and that was with the driver's window open.  I haven't taken it to 70 yet but I'm sure it will easily cope with that.  The clutch on that car was really light too.

 

My one does have a minor water leak, but from what I have read, the leaks usually comes from the high level brake light.  A new genuine Citroen C1/Toyota Aygo/Peugeot 107 high level brake light (with a new seal) costs about £20-odd from eBay and it's the simple matter of swapping them out.  I will soon found out wether that will stop the very minor leak or not.

 

I can't say the same about my fiancée's 2004 Citroen C3.  The front seats hurt my back after about an hour or so of driving and the driving position is fairly uncomfortable as well.  I also think the C3's rearward visibility is fairly poor due to it's small door mirrors, which makes parking more difficult than a C1 (and a lot more difficult than a Reliant Rialto).  I also dislike it's 7 segment display speedometer, which cannot be easily read at a very quick glance.  Apart from that it's 70 bhp 1.4 HDi engine (different to the C1's 55 bhp 1.4 HDi) pulls quite well, reasonably quiet and is economical on fuel.

Edited March 14, 2016 by phade

[paul.h]

Welcome to the forum.

[phade]

Thank you. :)

[bugsb]

having only just bought a c1 late 2006 1.0 petrol with 52000 miles just for the mrs you understand also i own a honda hrv 4x4 and a 2.1 petrol x type jag

anyway tick over to me i thought it was missing but this seems the norm it took a day or 2 to get used to next power i was very surprised how nippy it is but if in the wrong gear it will feel like a snail to give you an idea first test run down the a14 built upto 60mph with no problem into 5th and will stay there come up behind a lorry and slightly going up hill put your foot down and you may as well get out and push as it will take a mile to pass but drop down to 4th floor it and you at 70 + near instantly 

inside it feels much bigger evan handling feels like your in a larger car comfort is not bad and sunday i will be doing 300miles in this one so will let you know  it will be 90% motorway

around the local streets again if you are in the wrong gear its not good its like the old mini not the pretend one you had to use the revs and gears

Ron

[bugsb]

a round trip of 240 miles approx 60-70 mpg comfort was not bad for a long trip it will stay at 70mph on the motorway with no problem it is no jag or push bike either once you get the hang of it 

i was very surprised how the engine rpm was so low at 70mph for a small engine my honda hrv 4x4 1.6  have always felt needed a 6th gear as at 70mph rpm is just over 3000 the c1 at 70mph was 3100 i have no rev counter so kept a diagnostic odb plugged in

over all very pleased with this little car

Ron