2005 CItroen C5

R

RFLundgren

Member
Fellow Frogger
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Sep 5, 2012
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Location
Sydney
Hey all

I am looking at buying a 2003 - 2006 C5, preferably diesel, but would also look at petrol.

What I need to know is what I should look out for if I go ahead with such a purchase. I would be looking for something with under 150K's

Comments welcome from existing owners preferably such as general cost to own in regards to servicing & parts, reliability etc.

Thanks

Richard
 
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What is it? Original shape 2.0 HDi or the facelifted 2.2 HDi? It will be a 4 speed car as 2005 is too early for the 6 speed gearbox in the C5. Generally, you'd check that everything works and is in good order as for any used car, but look out for hydraulic leaks and creaking rear suspension arm bearings. The diesel clatter will be present to some extent, but it should idle and run smoothly.

Are you buying from the 'reputable' dealer, a different dealer or privately? You will obviously get a warranty from a NSW dealer, but some will be able to offer aftermarket warranty products. They are not always worthwhile, so make sure you understand what is and isn't covered if you want one.
 
Thanks David. The 2005 I was looking at has already been sold unfortunately. There are a number of 2002 - 2003 ones around with reasonably low kms < 100, which will most likley mean timing belt would be near due. Any idea of cost for this?

Also I was wondering what the average service costs were for these for both minor & major service as a rough estimate.

Any advice is more than welcome as I have many people saying to me not to touch these and the odd few saying they are ok. Such a hard decision :)

Richard
 
Hi Richard,
I have owned a 2003 C5 wagon 2l petrol auto since 2008. It was purchased from a dealer with 43,000 k's. I had the timing belt replaced (by them) then as it was due (in time not k's) so can't comment on the cost. The car has been pretty good overall. Very comfortable and nice to drive. Problems have been a persistent anti pollution fault that I 'fix' by stopping the car 30 sec's after leaving for 30 sec's. Upon starting again the car runs normally. The engine will otherwise run rough like on 3 cylinders. It is worse in cold weather. The gearbox is a bit stupid sometimes, but can be overridden by manually shifting. Little things like central locking door locks go, also had the gearbox solenoid fail (can't get it into gear). Servicing costs (through a non dealer mechanic have been reasonable - usually less than $700 every 10,000 k's. A pretty good car - roomy, reasonably economical for its size, and you should be able to get one with less than 100,000ks for less than $6,000. I would also check out a late model Xantia as they are pretty nice. I would say though these cars are not meant to be cherished like DS's and the like. They are consumable and when their time is up, cut your losses, throw them away and buy another one.
Hope that helps and good luck.
cheers Tony
 
The timing belt should have been done on any 2002/3 C5 on age alone. It's more important that the car has been serviced properly than having low km's now. There are plenty of rough earlier examples out there now, so be prepared to reject a few cars before you find a good one. If you don't like the way it drives, don't buy it - drive a few and the dogs will be easy to pick. Service costs depend on what needs doing and who does it - perhaps call a couple of dealers and ask them to estimate the cost of a minor oil change service and also a few items like pads with and without rotors. Anyone can change the oil and filters with little trouble, so if you work on cars yourself, the basic service costs will be quite modest.

An early C5 offers the same basic safety and comfort as a later one, so an early HDi without Hydractive suspension can be a pleasant car to own for not a lot of money now. The AL4 automatic gearbox in the early HDi and 4 cylinder petrols is probably the area of greatest risk as the repair cost can be the value of the car, depending on who does it. (Auctions are risky as you often can't test drive the car and some end up there for a reason!) The 4 speed automatic (a ZF 4HP20 unit) used in the 2.2 HDi from 2005 to 2006 and the petrol V6 from 2001 to 2005 is a better unit, but also expensive if it fails. If it's within your budget, pay the extra for a later 6 speed car as they are a better package overall - either HDi or petrol V6. While you may find the 4 cylinder petrol cars are less expensive, many people find the auto relatively underpowered and manuals, although more responsive in general, are rare.
 
Hello Richard. Welcome!. My first C5 was a 2003 Hdi. I had it 'till 2011. It converted me into a Citroen fan. I liked the design as it is a very versatile car. With the hatch I was able to cary 240kg of shellfish, in poly boxes in the back with the rear seats down (makes a flat floor). The suspension compensated for the load and the normal ride height was maintained( self levelling). I was then able to pick up visitors from the airport and transport them, in comfort for the 2 hour drive home. In my mainly country driving I averaged 7.1l/100km. For the 125,000km I had it. All services were carried out as per the book. Major service at 110,000 was expensive at $1,600 at the dealer. All others were at normal costs ( $350 to $450). Go for a car that has verifiable service intervals and original books. I had one rear swing arm bearing replaced ($500) and the climate control fan and heat distributor replaced (self).
We covered the eastern seaboard and west australia in the car (with my none driver wife who hated travelling in a car until I got the Cit.) As a long distance cruiser there are not many cars that compare, for the price. As a town car I have little to comment.
Reliability was great. However the correct oils MUST BE USED at the services (low ash fully synthetic). The car was sold to a friend, so I still see it around. Allan
 
Thanks for all of the advice. I actually took a 2002 V6 for a drive today. It has done 57K miles or about 90K kms (dual miles / kms on speedo) Had a few rattles and it is a full import from the UK, so a little wary, although it does have full books and some nice features like the heated seats and a large screen for the computer and I assume sat nav. So hard to decide, so it may just be a matter of playing the waiting game I guess to see what comes up for sale over the coming weeks.

In the meantime I will continue to read and take in any and all advice from people who actually drive these things :)

Thanks again

Richard
 
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Hi Richard,
May be worth you reading my thread http://www.aussiefrogs.com/forum/showthread.php?99002-New-Citroen-C5-Owner
My impression of the car is very positive assuming that we can get this fault issue sorted. The cars been at the Citroen repairer for 2 weeks now.
If your looking at one I would suggest taking it for a decent drive including hard acceleration, and plenty of highway driving to give any fault the chance to show. Ours was inspected by a Citroen specialist who said no fault showed when then tested it.
 
Yes I will definitely have to take it for a decent drive to see how things go. Took the 16 year old to have a look today and she has decided that she likes the Citreon and much prefers it over a BMW 5 series. See the age that it all starts :) It is a nice car with a lot of additional features that the local imports do not have such as the heated seats etc, so I am really hoping that it all works out great.

Again thanks for the advice and great reading here :)

Richard
 
Well the search continues. These things are rare in the right price range. many people are asking way too much and a lot of the cheaper ones have seen better days :)

There is another just been advertised, which I will try to look at tomorrow. Its a 2004 2.0 HDI with pretty high kms @ 183000. Not sure if it is the Limited version, although it does have power seats, leather, sunroof etc. They are asking 5999, but can probably get it down a bit from there I would think. I will of course check log books for service history. I assume that the timing belt is going to need doing again at 200,000, but what about things like the suspension, etc. Also did this model have the particulate filter that needs replacement and some exorbitant price :(

Any other pointers on particular things to look out for on this model with these kms would be appreciated.

Thanks

Richard
 
A 2004 C5 HDi will not have a particle filter. It arrived in Australian C5's in 2005 with the restyled 2.2 HDi. So, if it's the facelifted car and has a diesel, it has a FAP fitted and you will likely get stung for an Eolys refill around 160-180K. The FAP itself will last much longer provided low ash oil is used. The leather seats was being thrown in as part of the package around 2003 onwards. 'Limited' versions just got a badge on the boot and a few extra options that you may find in other models anyway. Nothing special really - shades of the LTD Town Car of the 1970's, where the big news was little more than a badge and an included Knirps umbrella!

Quite a few of the HDi's have done high kms (ie 300K+) as they appealed to people with that intention because of the fuel economy benefits. Don't discount the high mileage cars, but keep in mind that you will most likely need to change something to bring it up to standard. The problem with any of the early cars is that an AL4 gearbox failure approaches the value of the car and it's objectively uneconomic for most owners. Plenty of otherwise good Citroens have been scrapped for that reason. You'd need to keep it a few years to justify the expense.

Othe than obvious used car condition checks, Specific, possibly expensive areas to look at include: Gearbox operation (most important), power steering and strut return hoses not leaking, Radio/CD works/ejects, soggy/torn lower wishbone bushes, door locks work, rear arm bearings OK, turbo condition/noise.
 
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Try and find a face lifted diesel 2 or 2.2 litre. The former will have the 6 speed box, the latter the 4 speed. If it was me I would wait for a 2 litre HDi 6 speed. An updated engine compared to the first series and more economical. My Dad's first series would give 8.1 on my work commute, the 2 litre 6 speed 7.6 so it is worthwhile saving
 
I spent months going around in circles looking at these cars... and eventually decided that a 6spd auto was out of my price range ... so ended up buying a poogoe ..... Same car I guess, but gee's the suspension is "firm". There's a lot more bumpy, thumpy 407's around that C5's so finding a good one at a reasonable should be easier.

seeya,
Shane L.
 
We have got a 2003 Hdi wagon. It has had a suspension problem that I cannot fix since June. Before that it was okay.
Problems include: rear arm bearings gone at about 140k, heater fan resistor, window regulator cable snapped, tailgate struts, engine mounts, heater stuck on hot sometimes, cooling fan replaced, airbag light comes on, the digital display replaced, rain/light sensor not working, suspension drop link worn, the break pad warning cable damaged, upper tailgate opening mechanism failed, tailgate lock not opening/closing sometimes.

The list might be grim reading but I still like the C5 especially after I installed comfort spheres (one of them have now burst though). The engine had given no trouble at all and had done 200k now. I have changed the gearbox oil twice now and the box behaves quite well.

The suspension issue may force me to scrap the car now. What is a shame.
 
Thanks to everyone for their thoughts :)

Well I went and had a drive of the 2004 2.0 HDI. The auto gear change seemed to be somewhat strange, don't quite know hoe to describe it. It was definitely not smooth, kind of felt the way a manual does when the clutch is slipping. I also noticed a message on the display saying something about "gear failure" or the like.

Told the dealer and he just said when he drove it, it was fine and he will get the system reset and call me on Monday. My instincts tell me to run as far away from this one as I can....LOL

The search continues I guess :)

Richard
 
I had a 2005 petrol wagon, facelifted but pre-6 speed.
It was gutless on take-off and my spouse insisted that we trade up to a 2008 diesel - not really much arm-twisting required.
 
I have a 2007 wagon (six speed) that I am selling so that I can go back in time and get a CX. The car has been brilliant - only "Failed to proceed" once when the camshaft sensor failed. Has a full service history although, now that I am doing the servicing myself I am finding out what the original service centre weren't doing right. The car has only done 69000ks but, I have just done to 80,000K service as it should be done every six months. oil and oil filter changed every 10,000K.
I also had a play around with the suspension and after tryimg comfort spheres (crap!) - took the front spheres up to the next available cit preasure (sorry can't renmember but, they went up abput 7 bar) and put the fronts on the rear. The improvement in ride quality is significant. I also have and old Laptop with a chinese version of Lexia on it so, you never have to be ripped off by a dealer again! anyway - it may be out of your price range but, gine me a call on 03 98333470 if interested
 
Well I have finally made the plunge. Ended up with a 2005 2.2 HDI. Has done 227 kms, pretty high, but got it for a bargain price. Comes with full and complete log books, timing belt last change at 200 kms. For the price I got it for, if I do have to spend a little then I am more than ok with that, considering the condition it is in.

Going to pick it up tomorrow to drive it home, so the fun will start. Wish me luck and thanks for all the great advice I have obtained from here so far. Let my Citroen experience begin.

Richard
 
Well I have had the chance to drive the car a bit and do have to say how nice it is to drive. It does however take a little getting used to the way that the adaptive auto works in these vehicles. Going from 15 years of Pajero and Patrol manuals (and still have the Patrol of course), it sure is a very different driving style, even compared to other auto's I have driven.

Drives very nice, little smoke when first started, but then again all my diesels have done that, however will of course get it checked at the next service. I have also now noticed the adaptive box adjusting to my driving style, so is now changing gears much more smoothly than when I first drove it, where it would hang somewhat too long in 2nd, before dropping into 3rd.

The suspension is beautiful on the road, and for the price it would have to be one of the most comfortable cars I have been in. You sure do get a load of car for the money you pay. Heading up the Blue Mountains again this weekend, however will be back in the Patrol as I have a car packed with stuff for a market we are doing up there. After driving the C5 auto all week, it is going to be strange to be back in the manual "truck" :)

Richard
 
Good that you've now bought something.

Like the 2.0 4 speed HDi, the 2.2 4 speed tends to hold in 3rd gear at 60km/hr, which can be annoying. It's just how they are geared while the petrol models do seem to change up sooner. In case you are not sure, the gearbox is a ZF 4HP20, not an AL4.

Two things to do on a 2.2 4 speed - remove the seal from the plug on top of the fuel filter to reduce the chance of fuel entering the engine harness and also consider bypassing the heat exchanger to prevent coolant entering the engine when it eventually leaks.
 
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