20th Jun 2001, 14:03

Now that is getting a bit sad, you could at least have said to give extra sound proofing :-)

I went off on Monday to test drive the secondhand Diesel SX.

It is red and has done 10,000 miles, the dealer wanted £11,995 for it, but I got a wee bit off for cash ;-)

So I will collect it on Saturday.

I did not notice anything untoward from the diesel engine or the vinyl sunroof. It opens the top right up and I think my kids will get more fun from this than the glass one.

The car is also fitted with Digicon and nice fluffy mats as above, but I think one set will do.

Guess what, the trolley had already gone missing! (dealer will replace it)

And they have even left 6 months tax on it and given me two years extended warranty.

It has a few stone chips on the bonnet, but otherwise is spotless.

Something I had not realised, I thought it would attract the £110 band 'A' Tax disc charge, but no, it was registered pre-March 2001, so gets clobbered for £160 :-(

The Government really know how to screw things up, if you have a pre-March 2001 1000cc or 1500 cc petrol, you get a discount regardless of age, but a virtually new efficient diesel, absolutely nowt.

So if anyone else is looking to save a few quid on a secondhand one, wait for a Y plate.

Otherwise over ten years you will pay as I will an extra £500 quid minimum in rip off tax, unless I have misunderstood the entire thing.

Another bonus I am selling my nice fast Mondeo V6 to my brother-in-law. I would rather he had it than a dealer who will profit from it.

I noticed in the Picasso option brochure that a wood or aluminium trim kit is available.

There are lots of other options, it is a pity Citroen do not include these options on the UK site. Note the prices, I wonder how they compare with UK ones?

Re CD I thought it would be a Clarion, I will have a browse of the Siemens site.

TTFN

Keith.

20th Jun 2001, 15:07

An update to my last comment. 3 dealers over the last 4 days have said "to qualify for the special deal, you have to register the car before the end of June." This was beginning to mean we were being forced into choosing our 2nd best option (colours etc). RUBBISH! www.citroen.co.uk says the car must be *ordered* by the end of June and *delivered* by the end of July. We've since confronted said dealers with this fact, and they've acknowledged it's true.

Watch out for this, it seems dealers are wanting to sell cars, but not telling punters the whole story.

Paul, mail@paulmoss.com

23rd Jun 2001, 08:45

We've just ordered a new 1.8SX in Quartz metallic and according to the dealer there are a number available. Expect delivery next weekend. They are keen to complete orders by end of June to quote the dealer: "as we don't know what the deal will be after June". I was told by a Renault dealer, while shopping around, that Citroen are changing the engine and are trying to clear their old stock. Put this to my dealer who acknowledge a change in the 1600 but stated the 1800 was a new engine.

Now a few questions for you Picassoites: 1. I have a Grundig 10 disc changer which the dealer will fit in the Picasso. Will it fit under any of the seats? Don't want to inconvenience boot space as in my previous car. Dimensions 8x25x17cms.

2. Dealer states he doubts the steering wheel controls will be compatible with the Grundig. Any knowledge?

3. The Picasso will fit in my garage, but the ariel won't! Does it lay flat? If so, does it affect radio reception greatly?

4.I've heard a great deal about fuel consumption of the Diesels. What is the average consumption for the 1.8? (I know what the book says!)

Lastly, why pay all that extra for a sunroof, when the air conditioning is totally useless when its open?

CD.

24th Jun 2001, 04:37

HI!

It was very interesting to read the comments of the previous contributor regarding Citroens' attempt to clear stocks, as there might be an updated model of the Picasso with new engines.

Yesterday (Sat 23rd June) I was in Sheffield, and there was a Reg Vardy advertisement on the back of a bus..."Brand new Picasso 1.6LX's 5 year Citroen warranty (yes 5 year) £9995!!!

As I have metioned before in previous comments, it is very surprising that the 1.6 110bhp motor or 110 bhp turbo-diesel have not been introduced earlier on the Picasso, especially bearing in mind the size and weight of the car (when loaded up). If the uprated 1.6 petrol engine had been available when we bought our Picasso, I don't think the diesel would have been worth the extra money, particularly the 90 bhp version.

Can you still get the full length vinyl sunroof? We expected the usual drawbacks of wind noise and durability associated with this type of opening, but it has proved to be fine... so far. It is however a real a boon in the lovely weather we are currently experiencing, almost like a cabriolet such is the size of the opening. I wonder though how you would close either of the sunroofs if the electrics packed-up?

Regards.

Kevin.

24th Jun 2001, 15:36

More on CD changers/Navigation...

Paul, I emailed you privately about this, did you get it? For the benefit of others, my source of info was very simple, the latest Picasso "Accessoirie" catalogue I got from our local dealer. I'll list what's on offer on the "entertainment and navigation" page:

* CD Autochanger ref: 6564.30 (badged as Clarion in the pic, shown mounted in the glove box)

* Radio Cassette.

* Blaupunkt CD Tuner RNS 149.

* CD Changer for the above.

* Clarion Nav System NA6270 RZ, Citroen ref = 9473.KW.

* VDO Daytona MS5000, Citroen ref = 9473.NK.

Hope this helps, mail me if you need any more info.

Paul, mail@paulmoss.com.