I'm looking at buying from a trader a Citreon C8 , it LOOKS like it meet my needs, lowing milage 75k on an 07 plate at 2995, for its age its in very good condition with 1 major owner,,then this trader.
As I know nothing about mechanics and engine, he said he'd welcome AA or another mechanic to check it out, now it's about £90 , is it really,worth it, i.e. If they say everything looks good and the engine seizes the next week , what if any comeback is there ?
Any recommendatations , in BH10 area
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Read the HJ reviews..
www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/citroen/c8-2003/
Look at the "Good and Bad " list.. The bad is a lot longer than the good.
"As I know nothing about mechanics and engine," When - NOT if - things go wrong, any unscrupulous garage owner will rub his hands with glee when you arrive with a problem as he will see £££s.
Better cars elsewhere.
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Whilst not answering the question about the AA Inspection we have had a C8 for several years now (57 reg with 36k on the clock at purchase and now on 78k) and, touch wood, it has been 100% reliable in that time.
We have 5 kids and went for that over a Galaxy of the same age as there is a good gap between the rear most seats which we felt would be useful for extra luggage space (the Galaxy has no gap between the rear seats).
It is certainly not an exciting car, but it has met (and exceeded) our needs and expectations. We have done 2 camping trips (one to Italy and one to Sweden) where it covered over 2000 miles in a few weeks and coped brilliantly with all of us and all the kit.
Last point- we made sure we went for the 2.0HDi 120bhp as that didn't have the dpf which I noted in my research to be a weak point in reliability.
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What car rates them as a a good second hand buy.
www.whatcar.com/citroen/c8/mpv/used-review/recommendation/
The Aa inspection would probably give you some piece of mind.
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Ex Neighbour had a 57Reg & sold it at 5yrs old - money pit!
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if you are set on a C8 it's probably be unwise to buy at this age without advice.
If you do opt for an AA inspection they will list a lot to cover themselves against any comeback. The last one I saw was on a MINI a friend was buying that was a lot newer than this C8 but had a long list of points. He still bought it as none of them was a deal-breaker and he was able to use the report to get something off the price of the car.
Finally you may need advice to interpret the report in terms of what's important and what's not. I can pretty much guarantee that on a car approaching 10 years old the report will not be brief. It's a matter of sorting out the key items from the noise.
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Could you take over your wife's Kia Sedona (per your other thread) - or did you PX that for the Captur?
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Yes that was part X'd on the Captur.......it was bought with the idea I could take it over, but it went last month.....typical
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I wouldn't worry to much about engine seizing.
Regular service record 1 owner and no rust is a good sign.If you read to many reports about any make of car you never by any.They all have their good and bad points.
If you want to spend ninety pounds on a check why not.You soon find out if anything major is wrong.I'm on my second Citreon the C4 good engine. It is a HDI.Diesel.
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Thanks for all the answers.
I have a very specific need, and really should have explained it better......., I need a people carrier/van and a budget of Upto 3k........the lower the mileage the better.
Currently I'm having to use a van, £200 a week ! as my previously owned Trajet , bought for 850 with 71k miles is now at 105 in just over a year, but with repairs required to get through an Mot guesstimated to be 850, I consider a new vehicle is the best option
Providing it lasts 15 weeks, I'm more than happy, a year very happy but potentially 2 years it's a bargain.
I'm not a car person, in that to me it's a workhorse, the condition of the bodywork is the least concern, the engine, reliability and saferty is Everything....
So has anyone paid for a AA or used a "CLICKMECHANIC" .
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What size of van, doblo or transit ?
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A friend has an 807 which I think is roughly the same. Its not been problem free, but has been unloved and on the whole has been "OK"
I think the issue with the C8 is the cambelts fail before the expected change so thats a point to look out for, but to be honest if I was looking at that price point I would consider a Sharan/Alhambra/Galaxy first. Our Sharan only let us down once in 10 years for a DMF, but other than that there isn't really much that fails, and there are loads to choose from
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I'm using a transit, cause they only have those or the small ones, which aren't big enough, otherwise I'd consider a Volvo estate or similar.
The thing with VWs/Galaxy etc, they hold their value more, so for that monies, they tend to be 10-20k more or 2/3 yrs older.
Before I went to see the dealer, I went to the Citreon main dealer o see , what the last services were , they were more than helpful telling me the owner, who'd been an elderly gentleman, and what he had /hadn't had rectified.........and when this trader I visited, the first things he said was the things that needed doing , so I felt comfortable with the guy
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Age is irrelevant (excepting rust). Buy on condition and buy PETROL..
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Curios as to why you suggest I go for petrol ? I drive 30k a year, somsurely diesel would be more economical and better ?
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>> Curios as to why you suggest I go for petrol ? I drive 30k a
>> year, somsurely diesel would be more economical and better ?
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Yes, at 30K go diesel, but again the VAG 1.9 TDi's are pretty bullet proof if looked after
If you are planning to do 30K then I would prioritise robust design and longevity over age / mileage
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>> Curios as to why you suggest I go for petrol ? I drive 30k a
>> year, somsurely diesel would be more economical and better ?
>>
Sorry Wotto. I missed the 30k mileage although if it's going to be a cheap buy I might still go for petrol.
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>> The thing with VWs/Galaxy etc, they hold their value more, so for that monies, they
>> tend to be 10-20k more or 2/3 yrs older.
>>
They hold their value better for a reason......., if value for money is the driver then why not a Renault Espace.........
BIL used to run Sharans at his taxi co. He used to run / keep them until 250K and still got good money for them
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AA checking out a car - madf
