Cheeky fuel saver (Citroën C3)

Member Name: Heeverburg

Product:	Citroën C3
Date:	23/02/08 (1735 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Economy and price

Disadvantages: Build quality

MY REASON:
I bought my Citroen C3 for £4900 after a very long research. I had a look at various other cars on the market and decided to buy this C3 ONLY based on economical and envirmental reasons.

SAVING ON FUEL:
I live 50 miles away from work and that means that on average I spend around £280 per month on fuel. Driving a car that consumes less diesel (55MPG) my fuel bill drops to around £180 per month. I save £100 per month!!

SAVING ON ROAD TAX:
Instead of paying close to £200 road tax, I only pay £35 road tax for a whole year!

PLUS:
1) Diesel car, fairly light on fuel, I average 52 MPG.
2) Road tax is only 35 Pound a year due to low emissions.
3) Sensodrive and other gadgets makes it easy to drive in traffic.
4) Nice to sit in for tall people like me, front seat comfortable - small MPV feel - upright posture.

MINUS:
1) Bouncy ride and bumpy suspension makes you cringe when driving over any uneven surface.
2) Cheap plastic-y interior.
3) Service in general expensive and parts not cheap.

WARNINGS AND ADVICE:
1) The Sensodrive is something else to get use to. It is not acting like an Automatic box which stays in one place when you are on a hill. It rolls forward or backwards and there is no way you can stop this because there is no clutch. Not very good if you are not used to it.
2) Drive by wire and electronic displays everywhere. I do not want to be the owner if that goes wrong.

EXPENSIVE PARTS vs. DIY
My alternator burned out a while ago due to no known reason. I took my car to my local Citroen dealer and they told me with fitment, it would cost me £490! I was shocked because I thought that this work can not be more than £150. I phoned another citroen dealer to get the part only price. They quoted £400 pound for the alternator only! Sad and disappointed I done a search online and found a good website - electricalcarspares.co.uk - who charged me £100 pound for the alternator including postage. I bought it and with the help of a workshop manual and a long Saturday under the car, I fiited it sucessfully myself - I am very proud of my £300 odd "saving"!

MY VERDICT
Good city car with lots of gadgets. For what it is and offers, I can not say anything bad about it. It is saving me money and for its class, a worthy little cheeky bubble car!

** As reviewed by myself on ciao.co.uk **

Summary: Very economical and will save you money in the long run

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