Au revoir Freelander, Bonjour C4

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jondot
  • 18 comments
  • 955 views
Jondot

Jondot

Messages
6,584
United Kingdom
Kent, UK
Messages
GTP_Jondot
Yep, we finally bit the bullet and decided to get rid of the Freelander. The pushing argument(s) being that it struggles to hit 30mpg and fuel isn't exactly getting cheaper. That and we were sick of the lunar sized turning circle, dreadful rear visibiity and the fact that the handbrake fails to hold on even the slightest of inclines (apparently it's "normal"...). Anyway...

Yeah, so it's a 1.6 92hp Diesel (hardly a rocketship, but it is super frugal) 5 door Cachet, which is basically a middle of the range special edition with a mahoosive sunroof (hence the black roof) and 17 inch alloys.

DSC00948.jpg


No complaints so far :) We test drove a Golf too, but (while I liked it) mum was uninspired both by its looks and the £16,000 price tag. This, though, is far more interesting inside and out, and we paid a mere £12,925 and have 0% finance for 3 years with a £3,700 deposit. Can't argue with that. And I suspect it'll be sizably cheaper than a Golf to insure when the time comes for me to start driving.

I'll get some more pictures up in a minute. :)

Whadda ya think?
 
I wish we got it here in America, that's what I think. It's awesome. European companies have such better designs than over here, and Citroen is one of the best. I bet the interior is just as genius as the exterior. But they'd have to fix that engine for America...
 
Excellent!

The C4 is probably my favorite non-import from Europe, all of its quirks making it absolutely awesome! Too bad its not the Picasso, that's a lovely sedan, but generally speaking I love any of them.

How much did they give you off the sticker price? I know Citroens tend not to sell well in the UK, so I hear quite frequently that they come with Chrysler-esque rebates to start.

Hows that wheel working out? My guess is that it takes a while to get used to, but given that I've never seen one in person, my guess is likely wrong.
 
Thanks all :)

YSSMAN
How much did they give you off the sticker price? I know Citroens tend not to sell well in the UK, so I hear quite frequently that they come with Chrysler-esque rebates to start.

Hows that wheel working out? My guess is that it takes a while to get used to, but given that I've never seen one in person, my guess is likely wrong.
Click to expand...

Well, the sticker price is £15,325. Then Citroen themselves offer £1900 cashback (essentially they just take that amount off the deposit), and a further £500 if we were to do a part exchange. But, we didn't want to do a P/X, so the dealer managed to be clever and knock that reduction off by buying our car for £1, and then selling it back to us for £1. Altogether, £2400 off. And, of course, if you include the 0% finance, there's the interest gained from the money sitting in the bank rather than the dealer's pocket.

The wheel doesn't seem to phase either of us, really. The only thing that confuses me is that I can't work out which way the wheels are pointing when it's parked. The radio controls are a bit bizarrely laid out on it, though.
 
keef: most non-luxury manufacturers gave up in the eighties in the states when the Japanese stole the small car market. throw in duds like the at the time Renaults and the Yugo, and Europe's non-luxury rep was burned to a crisp :P

america has a 25 year moratorium on non-converted imports (not on the approval list). they only allow burned out old vehicles in :P
still, sweet looking Cit, there. if only america would accept non-sedans...
 
socomplayer2
BTW: Is it a stick?
Click to expand...
Yeah, it should be. I don't think they do autos on the cheapest diesel models.


Great deal and car; I love those sunroofs. The C4 is the only other unique car in its class along side the Civic, except it's quite a lot cheaper. :)
 
socomplayer2
Congrats, as much as I dislike most french cars, I actually like this one. Keep us updated!
BTW: Is it a stick?
Click to expand...

Haha, thanks :) And yeah.

V1P3R
I do too. Even if it has the same hp as my current car...
Click to expand...

Heh, again thanks.

G.T
Yeah, it should be. I don't think they do autos on the cheapest diesel models.


Great deal and car; I love those sunroofs. The C4 is the only other unique car in its class along side the Civic, except it's quite a lot cheaper. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yeah, we liked the Civic, but were kinda put off by the price tag and the insurance group. I would have appreciated the extra 50bhp over the C4 though :p
 
Yeah but that only makes a financial diffrence when Diesel is comparable to petrol in cost, which it very much isn't at the moment.
 
ExigeEvan
Yeah but that only makes a financial diffrence when Diesel is comparable to petrol in cost, which it very much isn't at the moment.
Click to expand...
But with the deal they got I doubt it makes much difference. Even if the costs aren't much different, they got a limited edition model with features that would cost a lot more normally. Maybe the editions and deals weren't available on the petrol models. Maybe the lesser 1.6 doesn't sell that well.

Guess we'll have to see what Jon says. :p
 
Well, the diesel Cachet was £800 more to start with, and as the offer of £500 off was only on the diesels (no idea why) making the difference £300. Then, assuming the urban mpg figures are correct, the diesel gets around 20 more MPG and costs £135 less per year in road tax. So, in theory it's paid for the difference in 2 years.

:p


I know, I know... To be honest, it's to keep the person that bought it happy ;). Apparently faster 0-60 times don't appeal as much as appearing to save money. And to be honest, the Citroen petrol engines are so useless anyway it's not worth considering the marginal performance differences. Supposedly this one is the same as you get in a Focus and a Cooper D. Meh, we're being boring.
 
Boring? The Golf would be boring. Or a Kia :lol:

Okay, financial point proven, the 20 extra MPG is alot more than I thought and the tax is always a good thing.
 
Great looking car. 👍 Plus I bet you're lovin' that gas mileage!
 
don't forget, that 49.5 MPG is BRITISH gallons. and the Imperial gallon is bigger than the US gallon
 

Latest Posts

Back