C3 or not C3? Definitely not a C3!!

Advantages: Spacious, economical fuel consumption, looks good
Disadvantages: High repair and maintenance bills, unreliable, doesn't look so good on the back of a tow truck!

...After owning my little Citroen C3 for just over 6 years, the time has come to accept that this relationship has run its course and move on to better things. So I have finally part-exchanged my C3 and, hopefully, bid farewell to endless visits to the garage and constant repair bills! Like most relationships, this started so well. It was love at first sight when I set eyes on the C3, which was a relatively new model when I bought mine back in November 2002. The design of the car is quite funky for a small, relatively cheap hatchback or what is known as a 'super-mini'. It has an attractive curved exterior and looks very modern and stylish. The interior is even more eye-catching with its digital mileometer display, smart curved dashboard and adjustable steering column. It certainly looks like a more expensive little car than the price...

jo-1976 10.07.2009 (18.11.2009) · Read review
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Review of Citroen C3

Frugal C3

Advantages: Fuel economy
Disadvantages: None

...Took delivery of a new C3 Hdi LX Desire (diesel) in January, no faults on delivery, and 7000 miles later no faults have developed. It's been back to the dealer once for the first service. It used a little oil until it had coverd 2000 miles but now seems to use none. The fuel economy is nothing short of amazing, it's fitted with a display on the dash which gives fuel consumption, and that has never dropped below 60mpg. Most of the time it's around 65mpg, and I have seen 70mpg. It has a decent size fuel tank, should have a range of about 600miles. The performance I've found to be quite good, and better than one would expect from a 1400cc diesel. This little diesel engine is the same one that's fitted in the Fiesta, the Peugeot 206, and the Maxda 2. For some reason it's slighty more economical in the C3, probably down to the tyres...

fuzzy49 07.08.2004 · Read review
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Review of Citroen C3 1.4 HDi

Citroen C3 HDi

Advantages: Good fuel economy, pretty spacious for a small car
Disadvantages: Seat has poor back support

...I bought a Citroen C3 HDi Desire and have been pretty pleased with it. I travel aound 60 or 70 miles a day so wanted good fuel economy which I've achieved with around 55mpg. The car is fairly spacious inside for a relatively small car and has been reliable so far (6 months). My main gripe is that the seat does not give decent back support. I've therefore bought a lumbar support for £20 which has helped a lot but I think if you're paying £8000+ for a car they could have included lumbar support. The only other niggles is that the cheap plastic trim was not attached properly below the steering wheel and also that there is no closable storage within easy reach of the driver. That means that my loose change (for tolls & car parking fees) either has to be on display (thereby attracting thieves) or hidden away from easy reach....

rpfreeman 19.03.2005 · Read review
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Review of Citroen C3 1.4 HDi

Lotus to Citroen C3 , one extreme to the other

Advantages: Economy, parking, emissions etc etc
Disadvantages: Hardly any, a small car ?

...The title is almost there, i had planned on buying my dream car, a Lotus Elise , but that was before my girlfriend told me she was pregnant, and so , like the level headed guy i am (?) i bought a Citroen C3 .. why ?? i hear you cry. Well here are the reasons... My boss says im so tight I squeak, but there again being a professional buyer is that a bad thing ?!, I set out to buy a car that would not break the bank on the journey to work (its a 30 mile round trip, which isnt bad but could still hit the wallet). The first thing I did was to check out a government website that details the most frugal engines (ie those with a better mpg than the others) . The quoted figures for the C3 I bought were around 55mpg around town and just under 70 mpg on the motorway, this is where it gets interesting ! On a recent trip to Glasgow I managed to...

damionh 11.04.2006 · Read review
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Review of Citroen C3 1.4 HDi

C3 - Flawed Genius & Floored Accelerator Pedals

Advantages: Long distance ride comfort
Disadvantages: Not so hot on corners, flimsy interior build

.... Judging by the amount of luggage some golfing people were expecting to stuff in, maybe that should be a Paxo ? stuff in, geddit?. Therefore I was mildly surprised and pleased to find that I?d been given a two-month-old Citroën C3, and obviously one of fairly high specification. C3?s don?t flaunt GTi or SLX badges at the rear, so initially it was giving nothing away, although the colour-coded metallic silver (i.e. buggers to get scratched, and therefore just what every hire company needs!) bumpers tended to hint at something above base model. BASIC DETAILS The C3 is a five-door hatchback in the ?Supermini? bracket. It comes with a variety of engine sizes including a 1.1litre petrol version (ours) and a 1.4 litre oil burner. The petrol engine pushes out a modest 60 brake horse power, and this was to prove significant later, as...

BNibbles 21.08.2003 (24.08.2003) · Read review
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Review of Citroen C3

C3 - is this the car for you?

Advantages: Funky looks, fantastic mpg, smooth ride, spaciousness
Disadvantages: Shockingly bad dealer service, succession of minor niggly faults

...I've owned my C3 for just over 4 months now - it's a 1.4HDi Desire in metallic Posedion Blue. I really, really like the car, but I'm not sure if I could wholeheartedly recommend it to you...read on and you'll find out why! The C3 is an all new car for Citroen and it slots into the range between the soon to be replaced Saxo and the bigger Xsara. It's a compact 5 door supermini, which competes against familiar models such as the Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Fiesta and Renault Clio. Don't be fooled by the word "compact" though, as it is suprisingly spacious inside with ample room for 4 adults, or 5 for shorter journeys. The 5 doors make access easy and the boot is large for the class - how many "supermini's" only have a boot big enough for a few bags of shopping? The C3 swallows luggage with aplomb and has lots of handly storage in...

raveydavey 31.08.2003 (07.02.2004) · Read review
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Review of Citroen C3 1.4i

C3? SEE FAR! TO THE MOON AND BACK...

Advantages: FUEL ECONOMY, SURPRISING PERFORMANCE, FUNKY LOOKS
Disadvantages: DUBIOUS RIDE QUALITY, GRABBY BRAKES

...Last year, my mother bought a brand new Citroen C3 1.4 HDi SX from our local dealer. The C3 was chosen because of its size, equipment levels, and very reasonable price. I'm sure that the 'cute' looks had nothing to do with the decision to buy... Firstly, the good bits! The diesel engine is available with two power outputs and it was the more powerful version (92bhp) that was selected. This engine is a marvel - the power output is very impressive for such a small unit, and the car is quick to accelerate and fast on the motorways. Just to put things into perspective, this 1.4 litre produces the same amount of power as the old 1.9 turbo diesel that did service in the ZX/Xantia. However, there is no trade off in economy - the car returns an average of 65mpg during daily driving, and on a motorway run 70mpg is perfectly achievable...

BARNEYM1979 03.02.2004 (06.05.2004) · Read review
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Review of Citroen C3 1.4i

Citroen C3 1.4 Desire (Petrol) 2006 Model

Advantages: Low price, Styling
Disadvantages: Build quality

...First of all, if you're looking for a review of the Citroen C3 before buying one, well done! I only wish I'd done the same before handing over over £8,000 of my hard-earned cash. My model was bought in August 2006 from Sportif Citroen in Aylesbury. Driving off the forecourt, everything seemed to be perfect, but only two weeks in the problems began. First of all, there was the squeaking stereo - the service department couldn't hear the squeaking, so it fell to me to locate to cause of the problem. In the end I had to march into the dealer's with the stereo in my hand. When they finally replaced it they damaged all of the facia in the centre console around it, so had to replace that too. Then there was the intermittently flickering centre console display, the rubbing sound coming from the engine compartment (which Sportif...

brentj 09.02.2007 (22.05.2008) · Read review
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Review of Citroen C3

Test Drive the Citroen C3 SensoDrive 2004

Advantages: Clutchless Gear Box,Air Conditioning, ABS Brakes, Power Steering, Remote Control Central Locking, Electric Windows,
Disadvantages: Performance,Grip On Wet Slippy Roads,

...I cant give a great deal of information, as i only drove this car in a 45 mintue test drive, im sure that long enough to give some impression.and having heard so many good views and so many bad ones. i had to try it out for myself First impressions. having looked around at different cars this one, looked easy on the eye, more suited to a small family car. there clearly isnt anyroom in the back for a dog ..it was used had one pervoius owner looked in good nick just the odd few curb scuffs on the wheel, inside there was alot of space and seemed very comfortable, inside looked a little cheap,but expected unless you going be paying £20,000+ for a car with leather interior. Model i looked at was a Citroen C3 1.4 HDi SX SensoDrive 2004 this comes with some little extras. Paddle shift (for that split second you can feel like a F1...

xplosiv3 17.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Citroen C3

The Lovely Citroen C3

Advantages: Lovely small car with lots of features, excellent value for money.
Disadvantages: Not enough storage space on the driver's side to put things.

...I passed my driving test in November and bought my new Citroen C3 in December '05. After 3 months of driving it, I absolutely still love it ! I chose artic silver coloured one and got £1000 cash back as part of the Happy Deals that were then available. I chose the C3 as, for a smaller car it represents excellent value for money. It seems to be a complete package. The standard C3 has a 1.2 engine but I opted for the extra power of a 1.4 which added a bit to the price. I feel it was worth it though as it is very nippy and doesn't labour. The best features of this car are: It is fitted with a Radio and CD Player, with a very convenient audio control stick on the right hand side under the indicator stick. The speed display is digital so you are always aware at what speed you are travelling. This fits in nicely...

emmajack 04.03.2006 · Read review
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Review of Citroen C3