7yr old Citroen Dullsmobile bus a bad idea?

I'd go with the Citroen - we've a 10yr old c3, had it coming up to 3 yrs with no issues.

Check the suspension on the Citroen. My Daughter had one and it seemed to be a week point. Bushes etc the whole thing knocked and squeaked and seemed to constantly need work. If its the 1.6d make sure the oil changes have bee done correctly. Was a good car for them but after a few years they traded it in for a less practical SUV.

My 7 year old C4 grand picasso on 70,000 miles was fine until the beginning of this year. New clutch (yes it's a consumable) that is difficult to get to and a new front shock that was knocking meant a nearly £2000 bill. Were also just had the sunroof shade clip snap meaning the shade has retracted into the roof and we can't close it. Replacing this plastic clip means a full roof lining removal and I've heard from others over £1000 job. I actually like the car and it's really practical but it's trying my patience in terms of build quality.
I guess avoiding the panoramic roof remove the risk of the shade problem which from googling is reasonably common

I'd be tempted with an older s max. 09 plate galaxy owner here that's now on 167k and it's been pretty much faultless in the 8 years we've had it. Only needing fuel pump, exhaust + usual servicing. Happily sits on a motorway all day, trips to alps.

Went through it's MOT first time this year.

I've an smax. It's nice bit a heavy and thirsty beast.

I'd take a b9 Berlingo over all of them to be honest.

I’d take a b9 Berlingo over all of them to be honest.

This. Get the XTR model and pretend they named it after your drivetrain

I’ve been running a 16 plate non-grand c4 picssso for 5 years without issue.
I add that it’s a diesal, ad blue type.

It’s just turned 62k and just last night heading home from work it’s flagged up ‘emissions control fault’.
The light went off 20
Mins into my journey into work today and ‘no fault’ showed.
This makes me nervous!

A quick Google last night suggested it could be nox filter (£400) or needs a whole new Adblue tank at over 1k. Apparantly it’s a common problem.

I havent had it looked at so it could be something completely unrelated. I’ll see if/when the light comes back.

Other than that it’s done the job it needs to - ferry kids and dogs about.

I do worry about it now given it’s age and mileage

Hmmm thanks . Seems the Citroen could be a bit hit or miss.

I had a bargain Mundano that I bought for £2900 at 100k miles, and put 40k miles with only servicing and brakes doing , so I’m perhaps more comfortable with an SMax. H

However, it seems wrong spending 7 or 8 thousand on a 10 yr old car 🤔

I could get a very cheap SMax if we waited but was planning on a cheap loan : finance hence have some age / mileage restrictions possibly..

Our smax is 11. Bought it at 9 years old with 60k miles for £9k. That's how much they are I guess.

Have you considered a Berlingo? We only sold the b9 variant as it wouldn't tow a caravan.

For us it was a far better family car than the smax. The boot lid, boot space height, removable seats and sliding cars were a winner. It's superior to the smax for biking duties as the smax is a bugger to load bikes into. The boot opening isn't as big as it appears. My full suss has to go in lying down or not at all, with the Berlingo it will just roll into the boot with wheels on.

However, it seems wrong spending 7 or 8 thousand on a 10 yr old car

Indeed. Particularly when I sold our (last legs, 160k with problems) Galaxy for £1200 at 10 years old.

That said, the Galaxy/Smax would be my choice again. It was a solid, hugely spacious, reliable workhorse that swallowed family life and got on with it, all while returning reasonable MPG. We did literally wear it out, and balked at the cost of a few issues rather than it being dead dead. Citroen engine 😉

I have an even more boring car - a Kangoo. My son actually cried when I got it.

Big inside, easy to drive, 35mpg. Done 80,000 miles in the past 4 years, no real issues. Merc now do them.

Only thing... I paid £7k, and they still seem to be around that.

Different era, but my last two cars were a Berlingo ('05) and C-Max ('06). When they both got scrapped at 150k they were very different. The Citroen was hanging by a thread with multiple issues threatening to be the last nail in it's rusty axled, sticking clutched, lumpy power steeringed, dodgy locking, airbag light flickering, leaking roofy, engine shaking, asymmetrical tyre wearing, coffin. The final nail was infact the clutch pedal snapping, sounds like a simple job to swap from a scrap car, but nope, it's an engine out job to get to the brake cylinder off the bulkhead!

The Ford on the other hand was pretty much still like new and got written off in a crash.

I'd like another Berlingo for the practicality of it, but mechanically it's put me off Citroens.

As much of a fan as I am.

5 people in a Berlingo sounds as much fun as the 5pm train out of London on a Friday night.

Hmmm Berlingos do seem a bit too vanny and perhaps a bit small.

I’m the best part of 6’3” and the two bigger mini RRR’s aren’t small despite being only 8 and 6. We also have a paddle board to accommodate on holidays.. oh and Mrs RRR and mini mini RRR (11 months).

I’m trying hard not to persuade myself that I could just get a 5 series, central belted baby seat and stuff the other two either side …

(Can you tell I miss my old 3 series?)

We have a 2014 grand c4 picasso. It's good for long drives with 3 kids but that's where it ends. The semi automatic gearbox is god awful, spends most of its time between gears figuring out what gear it actually wants to be in. Both CV joints have just gone and the mechanic announced that there was also "movement" in the gear box, joy. He also said when he ordered the drive shaft it arrived and didn't fit. He phoned around and eventually discovered that when Citroen built cars they regularly went off spec with parts when they ran out so the databases from eurocarparts etc would say one part should "officially fit" when in fact your car had a totally different part that was never recorded anywhere!
The big digital screens are known for faults, which Citroen knew about, but decided to not bother doing a recall on them so if you get the large black blobs on the screen you have to either live with it like me or fork out 800 quid for the screen and then whatever labour is involved swapping it out.

I just swapped a knackered 12v socket out for a double usb outlet and the wires were beige and yellow which according to every Google search I did shouldn't happen. Luckily it was only 2 wires so was easy to figure out, poor auto electrician figuring out the rest of the car.
Like I said it's great for a large family but when it gets old the repair bills can be stupid due to the fact it's been built to be as bloody awkward as possible to work on, IE, to access the suspension top struts requires removing both wiper motors because they are directly above the mounts so becomes a pain in the hoop for a simple task.

@RRR - with that age of kids and sports like paddleboard and bikes, a proper big people carrier for a few years is a win. Promise....

If you were 4 I'd say the Berlingo as with others. However, I'm 6'1" and I have the seat all the way back so you would probably find it cramped. Also, 3 across the back is fine if you don't have a car seat in, they take up a lot more room than you think and the middle seat is pretty narrow.

What about a Honda F-RV? You can get 3 across in the front in one of them. Or just go the full size MPV route, VW Sharan, Ford Galaxy etc

With the same requirements we ended up with a zafira tourer. Plenty of space, the 1.6 diesel is very economical, and the interior is leagues ahead of older vauxhalls. Worth a look

Hmmm Berlingos do seem a bit too vanny and perhaps a bit small.

I’m the best part of 6’3” and the two bigger mini RRR’s aren’t small despite being only 8 and 6. We also have a paddle board to accommodate on holidays.. oh and Mrs RRR and mini mini RRR (11 months).

I’m roughly 5’11”, and in my old job for BCA I drove lots of Motability vehicles, including many Berlingos and Partners, and my heart would sink and a tiny part of my soul died every time my job sheet said I was picking up one of them, especially if it involved driving the god-forsaken thing over 200 miles back from Cornwall or the other side of London.

Horribly uncomfortable, being van-based the seats have limited movement, and Citroen put a footrest on the side of the centre tunnel, meaning it’s impossible to stretch your leg out when driving. Because I have a damaged left knee, being forced to sit with my knees bent in an almost hunched position became horribly uncomfortable after a very short time, and nothing could relieve the considerable amount of pain I suffered.
Every driver I spoke to who would moan about whatever vehicle they’d been assigned to drive, if I said “well, could be worse, it could be a Berlingo”, would sigh and say, “well, yes, you’re not wrong, I hate those things!”

Honesty, I really think you’d suffer trying to cram your tribe into one! We had a C4 Grand Picasso as a team vehicle, which meant our team leader/driver and five adults. I always chose the rear seats, because I’d put a folded-up picnic blanket on one side behind my back and stretch across the seats, and go to sleep!
It might be worth looking at a Zafira, I drove dozens of them during the two years I was in the job, and I found them to be a really comfortable drive, and surprisingly nippy, the 1.7 diesel was pretty quick, but the 1.4 Turbo petrol had no business being as quick as it was! Someone down the road from me has a Zaffy VXR!

Hmmm Berlingos do seem a bit too vanny and perhaps a bit small.

They're huge inside, depends if you can live without 3 rows of seats. The handling is absolutely appalling, it's like driving an old series landrover, even down to the huge throw of the gear lever! But the comfort is top notch, I did commutes to Ccambridge, Stoke and Newcastle in it from Reading reasonably regularly and it really does just waft along whereas everything else on the road seems to have some pretenses at limiting body roll and being sporty!

I'm looking at Galaxy's for it's possible replacement, only possibly as I don't see the point in getting a new car at all at the moment as I've changed jobs to eliminate the commuting, and the OH is WFH till Christmas and has just quit. I'm annoyed that Ford's small transit (courier/connect) just don't seem as well screwed together as the cars otherwise that would be the compromise.

If you've already resigned yourself to a shite car might I suggest a Citroen C8/Pug 807? Galaxy sized with equal capacity and more than capable of lugging 7, 5 would get all luggage in easily. Sliding doors and removable seats as well.

I love to hate mine but really I don't want to get rid as I'm aware of how practical it is in reality. I average around 38mpg so don't use it as my first choice.

Off tangent but have you thought of a big estate instead?
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209240079109

being forced to sit with my knees bent in an almost hunched position became horribly uncomfortable after a very short time,

It's a Berlingo not a fordson major. You are aware the seat has a wide range of adjustment fore aft up and down. There's no reason you need to be hunched up - especially as your not particularly tall at all.

To many folk live in the past when thinking of Berlingos the MK1 was rough -had 2 . Functional and nothing really to go wrong. Converted van. Current ones are much less converted van. Ours 7years old 60k on clock and all still works nicely.-and is comfy for tall people unlike most cars (top tip most modern peugeots appear to be .... I also have a 108 and the seat doesn't need to be all the way back....unlike current and previous certain previous gens I've had golf/A3/astra /Toyota chr .....

Still running an 08 plate C4 pic. Indestructible engine, lots of electrickery add-ons that will fail eventually, certainly not a "drivers car" but still swallows children and luggage (and bikes on occasion) and refuses to die or fail an MOT despite my concerted efforts to neglect it...

You could do worse, but as I'm sure others will point out you could probably do much better, given the choice today I'd look for a Berlingo/Partner or just go full family van and get a Vito/viano if that's what you really want/need. But TBH nobody should ever own more than one MPV during their lifetime, Estate cars exist for a good reason I miss them...

I run an old Berlingo - it's good because it's based on a van which for me means it's easy to repair and parts are cheap or they just wouldn't add up on fleet users spreadsheets. It has annoyed me with a few electrical issues through. I wouldn't run a Citroen of any complexity.

they just wouldn’t add up on fleet users spreadsheets

Absolutely I wouldn't recommend any fleet to run an old* Berlingo. Old age is not a cars best friend regardless of miles.

*Any old car actually

Zafira tourer for that budget?

Been more impressed by it than I expected to be. 1.4T is reasonably quick. Lots of space. Build quality better than the psa efforts.

Off tangent but have you thought of a big estate instead?

We went big estate (Passat) - people carriers (Touran & Galaxy) and back to big estate (V70).

The big estates just do not have the space and ultimate practicality of the people carriers. Even though the V70 is the best car I've ever owned, the space for a family of 5 is just better in the Galaxy or Touran.

Thanks all

I do like the idea of a big estate but the Mazda above (and most) are almost impossible to get 3 child seats/boosters in. The 5 series might just be do able..

Re the Zafira - I had thought about that but how do they compare size wise to the Citroen grand wotsits and S Max? Some reviews say the middle seat isn’t full size so I’m guessing they’re a little narrower?

We have a galaxy and it simply does everything really well, family, work, caravan, holidays, bikes, tip run....the list goes on. It really comfortable, good to drive for a family tank and we can't fault it. When we looked around we couldn't find anything other than positive experiences and reviews.

You can get some nice Ford Kuga’s for £7/8k…

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210040391235

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209220005637

I’ve lost count of how many Ford’s I’ve had over the years and none have ever let me down badly.

7 - 10 year old cars are also in that timing-belt change prime spot. So check if the car you are looking at has had it done and of not factor the cost of a new one in.

That is one of things out Citroen is good at. 3 full size seats means when we have to take my mother in law with us (quite often as she lives alone and is getting on) we can easily take a third adult as well as our two girls in their car seats. It's a great car space wise and if you had asked me a year ago I would be singing it's praises loudly (apart from feeling a bit cheap) but this year it looks to be costing us a fair bit

Had an 08 SMax until Nov last year. It was a great car. Massive inside, especially if you remove the 2 rear seat. 3 seats in middle row are all full size proper seat.

I drove it to Alps and Pyrenees quite a few times fully loaded, 4 bikes on tow bar rack, roof box. It still went like a train. If I hadn't bought a Van I would have bought another SMax.

Just took out for test drives a new Jogger and a 2021 Duster. The Jogger was truly horrid - drove like a 15 year old airport run taxi. Very noisy inside as well. And although they say that the interior is massive, it's not really. Big, but not "wow look at that!" Both of us got car sick just pootling around. Glad to give it back.

The Duster was pleasant, but nothing more than that. It didn't feel a step up from my Kangoo, which was a disappointing surprise. It's also not big inside.

YMMV but when I was asking myself this sort of question 4ish years ago I couldn't find any estate that could fit our kids car seats 3 up in the back. I looked at stereotypical "big" cars (Volvo V70, Skoda Superb) and couldn't find on that worked.

I made life harder for myself by.also wanting a petrol because we don't do much milage.

We ended up with a Honda FR/V which is entirely ace, and goes ok with the 1.8L petrol engine. They sadly stopped making them in 2009ish tho I think so the ones that are out there are getting on a bit.

Well.

Thanks guys. It’s all your fault.

The idea of an old Citroen was binned, the budget completely ignored/exceeded. Mrs RRR is totally fed up of car discussions, viewing cars etc

5 series touring to be collected and an acknowledgment that I will never have skin on my knuckles ever again (ie trying to buckle in 3 car seats).

🧐😬 🚙

Funnily enough our 14 year old C4 Pic passed it's MOT yet again on Monday...

I just Cursed the bastard thing it's rattly and shite, lots of leccy things have stopped functioning there's some rust patches on the bottom of the driver's door now and yet somehow it just keeps on bloody surviving.
The most work I've done on it in the last year was replacing the knackered gas struts on the boot lid, being able to put stuff in there without being decapitated was almost revelatory.

At the same time it owes us absolutely nothing now, whereas any new or used car is going to require financing (and prices have risen substantially since we last bought a car) and we have a Mortgage and energy bills to pay, so the Picasso gets yet another 12 month stay of execution by the Scrappy...

We're at the sharp end of bangernomics now, I'd bloody love a shiny 5 series touring! Enjoy.

My Kangoo passed yet another MoT. 12 years old, never even had an advisory, and I treat it like crap.