7th Aug 2001, 16:00
Though I'm a fan of performance cars, I owned and loved a 2CV for a couple of years. It's a car with great character – in rather short supply these days. It's also *almost* a thoroughly excellent design - hardly anything is wasted in its construction, and it's surprisingly tough. But there's an air hose that runs past the exhaust manifold which catches on fire every now and then (maybe this is a UK thing because the steering's on the right??).
Other good things:
* You can drive over speed bumps at just about any speed you like, and the suspension just soaks it up. Works in reverse, too...
* Very easy to make clutch-less gear changes, should your clutch ever go west in the middle of a journey.
* You can crank-start the engine if the battery's dead.
* You can leave it unlocked, anywhere, and no-one will even bother to look under the driver's seat to see if you've stashed a stereo there...
Bad things:
* Front crumple zone extends all the way to the rear bumper.
* Sisyphus-like inability to ever make it to the top of a hill.
* Noise.
6th Sep 2003, 03:16
Oh PLEEEEAASE!!! Whoever wrote that please buy yourself a life (and a 2CV at that). You have obviously never owned one because if you had then you would know that the 2CV was never intended as a performance vehicle, just a vehicle originally intended for those interested in getting from point A to B without hassle.
24th Feb 2004, 16:07
Yes I agree, what do you expect from a 1982 602cc engine anyway. 0-60 in 25 seconds isn't great performance, but what do you expect?
3rd Jun 2007, 05:17
I was reading a book on cars that did not quite succeed and whilst the 2CV got some positive comments in terms of economy and simplicity, its safety record was described as being "right down there with combine harvesters and twin bar electric fires on a damp bathroom floor".
With the way people drive today there is clearly no way I would dare to drive this car on normal roads.
I would however love to drive it if I lived in some isolated country location, in the desert, or on some island where the advantages would then outnumber the disadvantages. It has a cool look and looks like it would be great fun to drive! Besides James Bond used it in one of his films so it can't be all bad can it?
2nd Apr 2008, 15:24
I use a 2CV as my daily driver on a 20 mile each way commute. One-up it keeps up with the traffic and people in much faster cars are always holding ME up. The trick is to think ahead and don't slow down for corners. Obviously you wouldn't want to hit anything, but that applies to any vehicle.
I own a Morgan, a Rolls Shadow and a new-type Mini as well, but the Citroen is the most used and most useful of the lot - you can get a 5 metre length of wood home if you poke it through the sunroof and out of the boot.
31st Jul 2008, 14:25
25 seconds isn't that bad either. There were many cars slower than the 2CV. That car is simply biblical! I so wanna race these!
27th Nov 2008, 10:58
I am currently in the process of restoring a 2CV. I have driven one, once, for about five minutes, and rode in one for about the same.
I agree with the comments above that the car is just so unique and so different, that you wonder (a) what was Andre thinking about when he started these (okay, he was dead before the 2CV ever got off the ground, but you get my point) and (b) when was the last time you were involved in an accident?
Seriously. When? If you answer "oh, just last week/month/year", you shouldn't be driving ANYTHING at all, in all honesty. And if you have ever driven a large truck, the principles are the same - plan ahead, and assume everyone else is an idiot, and you will be fine.
If you buy one to get to work and back as fast as possible, you will develop the mindset of the poster of April 2001. If you buy one because you want one, and have half a sense of how to drive, and take care of your car, it will be tremendously rewarding.
Hopefully I'll have mine by March...
25th Apr 2009, 10:13
I use mine as a daily driver here in Spain... I have other cars but choose to drive the CV. Perfect summer car and fast enough in most situations. People tend not to suffer from road rage if you hold them up a bit... rather they smile (laugh?) when they do get past... It makes pedestrians smile,kids love it, what more can you ask?
1st Feb 2011, 12:51
I agree with the above comments.
What difference does it make how fast it is, you drive a 2CV for smiles per hour.
I have a Lomax 223 and the Citroen bits are cheap. I'm using it rather than my ZX7R motorcycle, much less hassle with all the potholes and speed cameras/police, and MPG is rather good too.
16th Jul 2001, 06:10
Anyone who thinks ill of these wonderful little cars must never have had the absolute pleasure of driving one. Imagine, if you will, yourself as a tot, pushing a toy car around a rug or in a sandpit. Now, imagine yourself actually in that toy, driving it! Take note of the grin on your face... thank you, Citroen!