Faults:

Lots of mechanical wear and tear - exhaust, suspension, brakes, etc. ABS sensors and a new battery. There was an odd electrical fault with the locks that was sorted by an auto electrician. Engine a little smokey and noisy now, but it is older and higher mileage.

Interior is wearing surprisingly well, looks in good condition, and I keep it clean.

Exterior is very rough, cracked bumpers, faded paint, thankfully not much rust however.

General Comments:

Coming from driving larger powerful executive saloons, this Picasso that I bought because of a growing family, I thought I would hate it. Obviously it is not a patch on cars I have had before, but for a large family vehicle it has been surprisingly decent.

2.0 with the auto box is fast enough (I'd avoid the smaller engines and diesels) but you barely get little more than 30 mpg, pretty bad by today's standards. The best thing about this however is the fact the auto-box has lasted so long without any problems, my mechanic told me to expect it to break anytime but it has not happened!

The car is very spacious and probably the best thing about it. The Picasso is clearly aimed at family's and to be fair it does the job well, it is not a driver's car. But you can relax and cruise in it with great visibility and comfortable seats.

Overall it has been better than I thought it would be, but definitely not a vehicle to get excited about. It is nearly 20 years old and not worth much, and I'll likely get rid of it soon and thankfully the family is all grown up now so I can go back to driving a nice saloon/coupe car for myself :)

Faults:

I bought this car through a neighbour, who happened to be a Citroen dealer, and it remains one of the worst mistakes I have ever made!

Within 18 months an 'engine fault' appeared on the display. Despite many investigations, no fault has ever been found. The warning can be re-set, but after a few miles it comes back again. As this happens every time the the engine is started, I am left with an unsellable car - nobody wants a car that so clearly warns of an engine fault - even though there is not one!

After another 12 months, the temperature display shows that the engine is overheating - even though it is not!

We are now unable to start the car at all, because it has enabled the immobiliser and no longer recognises our key! I may as well empty my bank account and burn all my money.

So I am stuck with car that I hate and cannot sell.

General Comments:

Sluggish acceleration.

Seriously unreliable electronics.

The kids love the space and seating arrangements, but I HATE the car!

Faults:

- On board Sat Nav disc reader will not read the disc, hence no Sat Nav.

- Power steering pump leaks fluid and gives very heavy steering.

- 3 Fuel injectors were replaced by previous owner in Nov 2007, another has gone this week.

- Turbo Has failed needing replacement.

- Air-Mass flow sensor needed replacing.

- Driver's seat bolster is worn and the leather has cracked (presumably due to cheap materials used and lack of care by previous owners).

- Dashboard lights intimitantly fail.

General Comments:

After owning a succession of Volvo's my partner and I decided that we needed something equally as practical but without the high running cost, so we opted for the 2003 Citroen Xsara Picasso Exclusive 2.0 HDi.

Now it’s not the best looking car in the world, but it does have a certain quirkiness that grows on you the more you drive it.

The interior is very spacious and the rear seat layout is excellent, allowing the seats to be moved forward or backwards, along with slight adjustment to the backrest should the passenger feel the need to recline.

The layout of the dashboard isn't as ergonomic as I am used to in the Volvo, although it is functional. I find that the position of the electric window switch by the gear change to be rather inconvenient and the selection of 'Lego' style buttons which control the rear windows is darn right hideous. It looks as if they have been lifted out of an old BL Maestro.

I hate the horn being on the end of a stalk and I also dislike the Climate Control system which I find too fiddly and more complicated than it needs to be.

On the plus side, the leather interior does look great and is relatively supportive although being 6 foot, I do find that there is a lack of leg room for me. The seat could do with going back a few more clicks.

The airline style armrests and folding trays in the back are a great idea, although in practice we have never used them.

If I could improve this car I would make the gear change smoother and more direct, the handling wouldn't be so woolly and the acceleration would be improved.

Although the car is economic, it does lack grunt and a 6th gear!

Having owned countless Volvo's in the past, and not having any serious issues which have let me down, I will not be returning to Citroen.

Their ideas are great but I demand a lot more from my cars, so this week, I’m going to bring my old 850 from out of storage and start driving that again - it was more reliable, much more comfortable and with its 2.5 litre 20 Valve engine, a lot more responsive!!