Faults:

A slight leak on the hydraulic pump, this causes the STOP light to come on when the LHM fluid gets a bit low. I need to top it up once a year. The first time the light came on, I took it to the agent who charged £25 for inspecting the hydraulic system, this was discounted from this final bill if any work needed doing.

The spheres needed replacing at the 90,000 mile service because I was told that the front suspension had seized. However when I looked under the bonnet the spheres looked like the original ones and were still covered in dirt from the road. I should have questioned what exactly had they done for £320.

The boot and rear footwell flooded every time it rained. It comes in through the seal around the rear window wiper shaft. I discovered this by removing the rear door lining and getting the wife to hose pipe the car. I found someone had drilled additional holes in the door to try and fix the problem. To stop water getting into the boot, remove the wiper arm and any nuts and washers on the shaft. Then lift the rubber seal so you can get the nozzle of a silicon gun under it and fill around the seal, this is a bit tricky because the seal goes over the window which makes it difficult to get to the top of the seal. Then replace all the nuts, washers and wiper arm and hope it does not rain for a few hours whilst the silicon sets.

The ABS failure warning light had a spell of coming on for no apparent reason whilst driving along, then going out again a few miles later. It did this regularly all summer, however it has not done this for a few weeks.

The fuel pump as started making some funny croaking noises, but nothing has failed yet.

I lost a door mirror, the agency wanted £101 for the mirror and £40 for fitting, plus VAT. I got a new one from a specialist in Stockport and fitted it myself for £49.

The battery needed replacing last winter. I bought a new one and fitted it, however the radio wanted a code.

The agent charged £5 to tell me the code.

General Comments:

The remote controls for the radio sometimes play up, and change channel, instead of increasing volume, and mute comes on by itself.

The reception on the radio is poor although the tape player is excellent and the six speakers sound great.

Overall the car is comfortable, roomy and plenty of space in the boot for the dog.

Fuel economy is good for a car of its size.

Acceleration is good once the turbo kicks in around 2000 revs.

Road handling is good although it chews the front tyres off quickly if you drive it hard.

Servicing is cheap if you don't pay the agency prices. I get the oil and filter changed every 6000 miles at a local garage and change the air filter myself every six months (it's only 4 screws and takes 2 minutes). I have changed the fuel filter once.

I have been pleased with the car although the suspension problems have let it down.

Faults:

Rear spheres had to be replaced at 40000km (100 DM for renewed ones).

General Comments:

This is a car you start to adore. I'm again and again overwhelmed by its secure riding in relation to the soft suspension.

Performance is quite fair, the car accelerates smoothly due to nice torque. You can use maximum speed for long motorway journeys (it's below rev limit).

And if we speak of comfort: today I sat in Opel Vectra and I thought I was on a bench.

I'm just longing for some Citroen originality, but these days it seems to be gone.