2002 Citroen C5 Exclusive V6

Summary:

An excellent voiture merci

Faults:

Serious oil leaks (sump /rockercovers) at 123000kms; fixed all OK to now.

Changed belts at the same time.

New starter motor in 2011. Old one slow to release.

New automatic fitted 165000. Oil pressure too high and blew a hole in the trans case. Very expensive. Almost what the car is worth, but love the car too much to get rid of it.

Have only replaced plugs once, and have only replaced 2 coils since having the car.

General Comments:

Great car overall. Was warned by Citroen mechanic that I would have a few problems between 125000 and 160000kms, so was ready for them.

Car runs on Dunlop Sport3000s now, and have virtually no effect from side winds.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th April, 2011

9th Apr 2013, 03:43

Hi mate,

I am looking at similar car, a Citroen C5 V6 Executive, all options, 190000km, no tear on leather seats, interior looks OK. Starts fine, drives fine, no much noise. As it's a whole cover V6 and bonnet interior, I do not know from my first look if there are any oil leaks or not (can you advise how to see oil leaks on a first look?). Would you recommend it for a quick cash buy? (around 4.5k??)

I am not aware of particular Citroen problems, but as a European car in Australia, parts are quite expensive. It would be good to have your advice on this.

Thanks mate, Dips (dipyaa@gmail.com)

In reply to 9th Apr 2013, 03:43

24th Jul 2014, 02:54

I hope you didn't buy it. These cars are a nightmare! If you did buy it, I can sell you mine for parts.

Regards, Dave

19th Jul 2015, 12:19

Hi all,

In South Africa we have the same problem with spares, and also not very good mechanics to work on these cars. I have the C5 3lt and cannot sell it for Rand 26000.00. I decided to sell it as I am restoring both my SAAB 9000 turbos, which in my mind is a far better car.

Regards, Sidney.

sidney0905@gmail.com

2003 Citroen C5 SX 2.0

Summary:

Rubbish

Faults:

Electric mirrors ceased to work the day after I purchased it.

Rear hatch window no longer opens.

Fuel gauge reads incorrectly.

Exhaust rattles.

Gear shift broke.

Thermostat gave up on a 40 degree day.

General Comments:

Worst car I have ever owned. I made a big mistake buying it, it is a very comfortable car, but very unreliable and slow.

Off the line acceleration is like watching paint dry, and it has a worrying tendency to hesitate when overtaking and putting your foot down. Many near misses on intersections have resulted.

I never feel confident that it arrive at my destination, and will be getting shot of this lemon very soon; that's if I can find another fool to buy a C5.

My advice is to steer clear of Citroens.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 13th February, 2011

22nd Feb 2013, 05:50

All of the above really doesn't sound that bad. Any car you purchase is going to have money spent on it, that's a fact of life. If that's all that I had go wrong with my car, I would think I had a great car.

2004 Citroen C5 3.0

Summary:

The best car I've ever owned. Incredible suspension and steering, Quiet, very comfortable

Faults:

It was driving in little 'surges' while in third gear. This was fixed by resetting the gear box sensors. The wipers in auto were not working properly.

General Comments:

It's a bit of a shame that the wheel shakes when traveling at more than 100 k/h.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd December, 2009

28th Dec 2009, 19:10

Normally wobbles at around 100km/h are due to incorrect wheel balancing. It would be worth your while to visit a proper tyre shop for wheel balancing and alignment check. They should also be able to tell you if the other steering components are in good order (such as tie rods etc).

29th Dec 2009, 19:33

Thanks! Will do.

2003 Citroen C5 Estate 2.0 petrol

Summary:

A car is only as good as the dealer network that supports it

Faults:

5 Wheels and Rims replaced early on in my ownership.

Computer Management System replaced shortly after wheel replacement.

Headlights (both high/low beam exhibited intermittent flicker, particularly evident out of the city lights, from the start.

Major time delay before headlights would turn off, even though the switch was "off".

Rough automatic transmission shifts.

Car started pulling left all of a sudden at about 10,000 Km.

Rubberised finish coming off volume control knob.

Cracks appeared on the inside of the passenger side rear tail lamp.

Ants got into the driver side sealed beam headlight.

Bubbles started to form on the black rubber exterior window frame trim.

Steering wheel material started to melt on my hands after driving for a while.

Rough edge just below leading edge of front seats just above parcel tray, cut hands.

Very poor finish behind rear seat backs and rear seat squabs.

Metal backing on rear seat backs dented easily.

Rear seat squabs did not line up.

Front leather seat facing looked old towards the end of my ownership.

General Comments:

This car was one of the most interesting cars I have ever owned.

It was beautiful in its shape, had magical ride qualities, as well as a fantastic safety specification.

Huge and roomy cargo area and generally a joy to drive.

However, the support of the dealerships was not there to back up a car of this complexity.

The basic attitude of the dealers was one of indifference and that the car was old.

Wear and Tear was often cited as a response to the issues I experienced.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 1st December, 2005