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C4 VTS with all the trimmings! An owners review

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Goon   
Thu Aug 16 2007, 06:22pm
Having read the excellent reviews on here, I thought I'd add my two penneth worth as my story, I suspect will be somewhat different to most on here. My car is a 35,000 miler with full leather, panoramic sunroof, front and rear reverse sensors, Sat Nav and phone. It has every option fitted to it except the lane departure system. It also has FSH I paid (No word of a lie) £7,000 for it. The catch? Yep, its a Cat D car. It had sustained a minor front ender damaging the front lights, bonnet, bumper etc as well as a minor side. The front has been repaired to perfection, the side needs re doing but is passable.

The truth of the matter is that I would never be able to afford such a car had it not been a Cat D and being somewhat handy and having a full garage at my disposal, I took the plunge. Cat D cars are ones that have sustained minor damage that is repairable but not economically viable. They have an advantage in that they are worth approximately 2/3 to 3/4 of the normal market values but the bad news is that they are no longer covered by warranty and if you are considering buying one, make sure you inspect it thoroughly first. Cat D cars do not need to undergo a VIC test.

So what about the car? It drives extrememly well and I have now covered approximately 3,500 miles in it. The engine is responsive but due to the variable valve timing, needs to be worked hard. The good news is that after about 30,000 miles, the engine loosens up well and improves with age.

Less satisfying is the infuriatingly poor gearbox. The change is long and sloppy and the lack of a sixth gear is a real oversight. This hinders progress from a standing start but I have found changes from third upwards much more rewarding. The lack of overall power from the engine means a comparitively slow 0-62 time but much of this is down to the box. If a quick shift kit becomes available, it would be a highly recommended modification!

Suspension and road noise are acceptable on smoothish roads but the set up is hard and can be a little crashy on country roads. On the plus side, the steering is both communicative and responsive. I am impressed with the way it handles but it is rather willing to understeer too quickly if I am too heavy with the accelerator coming out of bends.

The optional extras that my car came with have been a mixed blessing. The seats are comfortable but a little soft and I have noticed a hard edge under my backside and it is apparent, to a lesser extent, on the passenger one. The leather is of good quality but given that the dash and door cards are finished in black, everything can get a little dark. The panoramic sunroof is one option I would strongly recommend is left off the option list. On hot days, the car will roast if left open but if it is left closed, the lining expands and it is impossible to open fully. More impressive is the Sat nav system. It is relatively easy to use and can be controlled from the wheel. The display is good and the directions clear. However, road names are said in a female version of Stephen Hawkin's voice and are a constant source of amusement, especially when saying "Boongate" in Peterborough! More frustrating is the phone, which is really best suited to receiving calls as the directory navigation is fiddly and frustrating. My car is also fitted with an appaling 5 CD changer, located (In Citroen DS style) in the arm rest. It is infuriating to use from the steering wheel controls and will happily take an age to load up a CD and then skip is you try to do a forcable gear change. In addition to this, the actual rest has taken to sliding forward on its own accord every time I brake hard. I have fixed this by wedging in a couple of Lottery scratch cards which seems to be doing the trip.

In addition to the above, several other niggles have made themselves known. Firstly, the key fob no longer fully closes. The driver's side change drawer has lost its spring, the passenger side seatbelt continually tells me no one is sitting there, even when my wife is. Also, the doors are impossibly wide and the alloys are very easy to scratch.

So, what do I think of it? Honestly... I love it! It is a true quirky Citroen! Its one of those cars that you just can't stop looking at. When I pull up at my gym, I am surrounded by BMWs and Audis and I love the fact that no one has got one. I also think that the headlights are a work of genius (Even if they do look a bit Dame Edna-ish). The folding mirrors always make me smile when you hear small kids go 'woooah' when they see them. They are also a great reminder of whether you remembered to lock it. Would I recommend one? Yes. There are faster, better made hot hatches out there but most smack of a little 'Chav' and lack class.
Welshguy   
Thu Aug 16 2007, 07:30pm
Member No: #77
Joined: Jan 17 2007
Location: Cardiff, Wales
Excellent review, and I can relate to a lot of the issues you have there!

Good to hear your enjoying the VTS though - wish I had that power, but I'd settle for a decent gearbox anyday!
StevieB   
Thu Aug 16 2007, 11:56pm
Goon wrote ...

So, what do I think of it? Honestly... I love it! It is a true quirky Citroen! Its one of those cars that you just can't stop looking at. When I pull up at my gym, I am surrounded by BMWs and Audis and I love the fact that no one has got one. I also think that the headlights are a work of genius (Even if they do look a bit Dame Edna-ish). The folding mirrors always make me smile when you hear small kids go 'woooah' when they see them. They are also a great reminder of whether you remembered to lock it. Would I recommend one? Yes. There are faster, better made hot hatches out there but most smack of a little 'Chav' and lack class.


Fabulous write up Goon

I feel the above "quote" sums up, very nicely, what makes us love our Citroens /C4's... lvfox!
Dave_Retired.   
Fri Aug 17 2007, 02:17am

Member No: #1
Joined: Aug 07 2006
Location: Northumberland
Thanks for the post Goon.

I used to run damaged repaired XR3i's a Renault 5 and a BMW 5 Series back in the eighties all with various degrees of damage - that was in the days before things got a lot tighter but all were inspected by the Police after going back on the road to ensure all parts were legit and see if it should go on a 'Q' plate

The BMW was the last one I owned and I can remember the postmans face to this day when he delivered a BMW door to our house I had bought second hand via Exchange & Mart

Done properly there is no reason why a Cat D (or even some others) shouldn't be safe - there are probably some cars that have been damaged more than yours but not been 'written off' but have been repaired, on the road as different insurance co's have different standards and they will still have their warranty

But back on topic: now you know why we all hrt! our C4's
Stuey   
Fri Aug 17 2007, 02:34am
Member No: #84
Joined: Jan 24 2007
Location: Ilkeston, Derbyshire
A good honest write up! I like it...it shows the quirks that we have all come to know and live with! It wouldnt be a Citroen if it was perfect!
Goon   
Fri Aug 17 2007, 08:40am
Thanks all. I should have also added that the voice activation is very cool and great for impressing mates. It even understands my wife. How does it Know???/!!!
StevieB   
Fri Aug 17 2007, 09:29am
Goon wrote ...

It even understands my wife. How does it Know???/!!!


You could make a fortune selling that.. bet it won't understand my missus
wozza   
Fri Aug 17 2007, 01:04pm

Member No: #2
Joined: Aug 12 2006
Location: Manchester
See if you can find a quickshift from the 206 GTI 180. As I am pretty sure if would fit on the C4 VTS180 box. Or a 307gti180 quickshift.

I know ecosse have this one.

- Click Here -

And there usually a fair bit more expensive that most places but see if they reckon it would fit.

Can't hurt to ask. Plus for £40 its not that bad.
al   
Fri Aug 17 2007, 01:21pm
Great review of a great car! Mine is a VTS 2.L HDI and has 6gears! I thought all the VTS came with a 6speed gearbox but maybe i'm wrong (i'm sure if I am someone will put me right
Goon   
Fri Aug 17 2007, 01:39pm
I've posted these elsewhere but here she is. If you look carefully at the side profile, you can see the less than perfect repair. This is purely cosmetic and I will be having it redone. Quotes are around £400 for a really decent job.

P.S. Cheers for the quickshift link, am going to e-mail Ecosse.





wozza   
Fri Aug 17 2007, 10:47pm

Member No: #2
Joined: Aug 12 2006
Location: Manchester
al wrote ...

Great review of a great car! Mine is a VTS 2.L HDI and has 6gears! I thought all the VTS came with a 6speed gearbox but maybe i'm wrong (i'm sure if I am someone will put me right



HDI's have a 6th gear. Petrols only have 5.
Goon   
Sat Aug 18 2007, 05:12am
Welshguy wrote ...

The links above. Do them both. Do them NOW !!!


Hmmph, they work when I'm clicking them, is anyone else finding probs with them?
Dave_Retired.   
Sat Aug 18 2007, 07:16am

Member No: #1
Joined: Aug 07 2006
Location: Northumberland
Goon wrote ...


Hmmph, they work when I'm clicking them, is anyone else finding probs with them?

If they work how is there a problem?

They work fine for me - the site uses an auto link replace function to replace them with an arrow image plus any email adresses but they work fine in IE7 & Firefox
Welshguy   
Sat Aug 18 2007, 07:53am
Member No: #77
Joined: Jan 17 2007
Location: Cardiff, Wales
You misunderstand - I meant I thought both the short shift and the turbo were great ideas and you should do them now!
Goon   
Sat Aug 18 2007, 10:42am
OOOOOooooooh. Duh! Realisation dawns. Yes. How cool would a completely standard looking VTS be with those mods? I'm not one for body kits although a nice aftermarket exhaust can make a car (Not a dustbin). I wonder what it'd put out?
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