Citroen C4 05 plate or alternative

[Lopéz]

Lets back this up with some facts maybe?

JD Power Reliability Survey

Ford Focus 79.9% Citroen C4 78.2% Ford is hardly a quantum leap over the nasty french car eh Fox? (Toyota Corolla 84%) So the Corolla wins by a mile, lets see how the Focus compares with the C4 then as it was thrown in out of the blue...

Fox didn't slate the C4, he didn't call it a nasty French car and he never said it was a quantum leap ahead of anything
He suggested the Focus as his choice to fit the brief - it was thrown in "out of the blue" at the request of the OP who said:

We are looking for low running costs and reliability.
What would you folks recmommend. the above cars are just what we have seen today

I think you need to re-read the thread.

 

[Janesy B]

Regardless of what the JD Power survey says, it's still a cheap, nasty piece of tat.

Also where did you get your 0-60 times as our mk1 1.6 Focus will hit sixty in ten seconds.

I can also guarantee that the Focus will be nicer to drive, more reliable and will wear much better than the C4.

 

[Duke]

Loads of Focus around to choose from, e.g. this one is 19 miles away.

http://dws.autotorq.com/winford_for...51166/?vehicleTypeId=1&makeId=264&modelId=141

 

[Dr Who]

Sorry fanboi stuff, you cannot guarantee that of a focus, and JD power owner history has a great deal of respect, next you will say the corolla data is rubbish too.

Lopez, I don't need to re-read the thread, randomly stating a make and model of a car with no foundation is not helping the OP at all. The OP asked for specific suggestions with an emphasis on running costs and reliability. Which model? Diesel? Petrol? Engine Size?

I have driven both a C4 and a Focus, and the Focus is not nicer to drive, both have their merits, and I have owned 3 focus's over the years (enforced company cars) so I have some experience of them.

0-60 times? maybe you want to check some road tests?

PS for Reliability and Costs I would still take the Corolla over others mentioned.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Of all the people in this thread you chose me to have a pop at. Why, given the bilge Mark Davis sprouted for example?

I simply suggested an alternative worthy of consideration.

 

[Dr Who]

I am not having a pop at you, stop being so paranoid, stop with the QQ, I suggested you had not been specific enough to help the original poster, your thoughts on various makes models are well known after many years on this forum, and frankly, I would have expected a bit more. As far as the other bilge spouted, I feel you dealt with that accurately and helpfully, no need to go further.

 

[Tute]

Trust me, as someone currently looking for a car around your budget for almost the same reasons as you put, you don't want a Golf Mk.V. You're going to have to go for a heap to get it into a £6K budget, and at the end of the day they're no more exciting to drive than a Focus.

Same with the Civic - you're looking at an EP3 as the very newest models will be all around £8/9K and upwards for a good example still.

I'm going to throw a wildcard in there, and Fox is going to bring out his biggest, nastiest flamethrower for me. But it's in budget, cheap to run and reliable - Fabia vRS?

 

[MarkDavis]

I like how he accuses a MK2 Focus as being as dull as ditchwater and then goes on to recommend a MK5 Golf 1.9 TDI. Yeah, thats a really exciting car.

I was talking about the looks. Apart from the current shape refresh, the Focus is either dated looking (Mk1/1.5) or incredibly bland looking (Mk2). Good to drive but it doesn't excuse the hideous shiny interiors or the body shape that was designed by a dweeb who wears white socks on night out, wears jam jar glasses and thinks its smart.

Eh? Are you confusing me with someone else, I've made zero comment on the merits of the C4.

Your views on French cars are well known.

I'm going to throw a wildcard in there, and Fox is going to bring out his biggest, nastiest flamethrower for me. But it's in budget, cheap to run and reliable - Fabia vRS?

Incredibly unrefined car though. Hammery diesel vibrations throughs the pedals, seat, geatstick, and the stinky diesel fumes blow into the car when you're stationary and have the windows open.

 

[jamoor]

I was talking about the looks. Apart from the current shape refresh, the Focus is either dated looking (Mk1/1.5) or incredibly bland looking (Mk2). Good to drive but it doesn't excuse the hideous shiny interiors or body shape that was designed by a dweeb or wears white socks on night out.



Incredibly unrefined car though. Hammery diesel vibrations throughs the pedals, seat, geatstick, and the stinky fume blow into the car when you're stationary and have the windows open.

The only car that doesn't look dated and bland mentioned in this thread is the Citroen, it also will be the most unreliable and probbably the most expensive to run.
Look at it this way, if you had to put £1,000 bet on a car mentioned in this thread for not breaking down, which car would you choose?

 

[MarkDavis]

Depends on what you mean by 'breaking down'. If you mean, leaving you stranded by the side of the motorway, then apart from Alfa Romeos (which simply blow up), very few cars nowadays leave you stranded by the side of the motorway unless they've been mechanically neglected.

For pure reliable though, it will be the Honda, then the Toyota.

 

[Tute]

Incredibly unrefined car though. Hammery diesel vibrations throughs the pedals, seat, geatstick, and the stinky diesel fumes blow into the car when you're stationary and have the windows open.

Windows open? It has AC...

And in fairness, he asked for low running costs and reliability - and it ticks both boxes fine.

 

[MikeHunt79]

Go for the C4

 

[Dr Who]

The only car that doesn't look dated and bland mentioned in this thread is the Citroen, it also will be the most unreliable and probbably the most expensive to run.
Look at it this way, if you had to put £1,000 bet on a car mentioned in this thread for not breaking down, which car would you choose?

Corolla, there is no comparison, however, I would disagree the Citroen will be most expensive to run.

 

[Tute]

The only car that doesn't look dated and bland mentioned in this thread is the Citroen, it also will be the most unreliable and probbably the most expensive to run.
Look at it this way, if you had to put £1,000 bet on a car mentioned in this thread for not breaking down, which car would you choose?

Probably the Focus with the Fabia close behind.

 

[Dr Who]

Probably the Focus with the Fabia close behind.

You are joking right?

 

[Tute]

You are joking right?

Excuse me?

 

[Dr Who]

Excuse me?

You think a Ford Focus is likely to be more reliable than a Toyota Corolla?

I'll take that £1k bet from you fer sure!

 

[Tute]

I do yes.

After all, my opinion was asked for.

What do you drive, out of interest?

 

[[TW]Fox]

What is your opinion based on? You are in grave danger of losing credibility by doubting the reliaibility of Toyota!

 

[snowdog]

very few cars nowadays leave you stranded by the side of the motorway unless they've been mechanically neglected.

Something like a corolla wouldn't, even if mechanically neglected though...

it also will be the most unreliable and probbably the most expensive to run.

Care to show a source ?
According to that survey, a C4 will be more reliable than a Focus.

Afaik, Citroens are, mechanically, very reliable cars, they just happen to have ( far) higher than average electronics problems, however, mechanically, there is nothing wrong with them.

I often found this reflected by the big amounts of old Citroens BX, CX and XM driving around... They are far more numerous than similar aged Mondeo's/Sierra's and Escorts...

Anyways, if purely running costs and reliability are important, then buy a corolla...

As for the focus recommendation, I don't understand why it's so popular here, by statistic, they are hardly more reliable than the average car in it's class, they don't perform too well at all ( a 98-04 1.6 focus is actually quite appalling, the engine produces 101ps, in comparison, a 1993 corolla 1.6 produces 115), I test drove a 2001 2.0 ghia with black leather as it was a consideration for my first car, the suspension was WAY too stiff, driving over a paved street was terrible in it and how it went over speedbumps was laughable too, it felt cramped inside and while nippy, they could do better and try to squeeze more power out of that engine (131ps out of a 2.0 engine )...