This is actually my daughter’s car but I thought I’d give it a review on her behalf as I do use it a lot of the time. After much debate, we decided to get the VTS which is quite a sporty little thing and quite easy to drive quickly. It has quite an engaging drive also and is very easy to throw about in windy corners with really rather good steering.
We were originally looking at a Saxo but after reading a few safety-related horror stories, we decided this C2 would be a much safer bet. It’s difficult to explain but it’s also a very easy car to drive, you simply point the wheel and put your foot down, you get a good burst of power and away you go, I really like that about the car.
I think the quality of the car trumps the Saxo, it isn’t out of this world but its good enough, especially for a first car. The dash however is quite unique and because of this, actually really rather difficult to read which is a pain for obvious reasons. We rarely use this car for more than two people and its just as well because the space in the back is really minimal and the luggage space isn’t great although we’ve had no real reason to load it up fully.
As a first car, we needed something fairly cheap to run and I think it does this, we got a decent price, the insurance was reasonable, it has a good economy of about 40mpg and the service intervals are pretty wide.
I feel like a bit of an idiot really driving this. Not because it looks daft, I still think it looks really sleek and nice. I feel stupid because it's got so much going wrong with it, and that would have been so obvious to me if I'd done a bit of reading around internet forums and stuff before handing over thousands to a car dealer who after the sale didn't want to hear from me about any problems I might be having.
My Citroen C2 just makes me sad most days. It has regular, everyday problems like the constant rattling (which I swear is getting louder), the teeny weeeny little seats in the back which are increasingly tight for our kids who are only young teens.
Then it has the bigger 'surprise' problems, i.e. when things go wrong, sometimes really wrong. The senso drive is a big part of the problem, easily hundreds of pounds worth of repairs on electrical and gearbox problems over the years. It's out of warranty now, but even when it was in warranty Citroen seemed skilled at denying things were actually wrong, and finding ways that our problems weren't covered by the warranty.
Other things have gone wrong, and things that just make you think what on earth is this car made of? Like one of the steering wheels stalks just sort of came to pieces a year ago. I've never known that to happen in any car ever! But the Citroen C2 has a few little things like that. The paintwork is very poor too, attracts chips very easily, and as a result allows rust to develop.
I put the running costs at two out of five because that's a sort of balance between what is admittedly a pretty good day to day fuel economy, as against the high ongoing cost of repairs. Basically I feel like a fool for just not doing even a little bit of reading up on people's experiences, cos I definitely would have avoided it. We're hoping to switch to a Kia next year when we can afford it, and we'll be putting RELIABILITY above everything else from now on. It's so sad to have a car you just can't rely on.
I had to mark comfort down here just on account of the seats in the back of the Citroen C2. That doesn't actually matter to us much as we don't have back passengers often, but when our kids visit or if we're taking my parents somewhere, then it's REAL pain. The back seats are awful, and even though we don't often have people in the back it really is something I'd bear in mind when buying another car, simply because of the experience of having such tiny chairs this time around. It's silly really because the Citroen C2's front seats we find nice and spacious, it's just at the expense of those in the back, which is not good design. I mean it does make the car easy to manoeuvre given the small size, which is also helped by the nice big rear windows, but seriously, making back seats that size is almost not worth doing.
On the same note, the 3 doors are another big problem for getting people in and out. Again we thought it wouldn't be a bother if we only seldom have people in the back, but it's REALLY ANNOYING when you do have to get everyone out just to get the back people out. And they also have to go through the acrobatics of getting out and back in again. And the front seats also don't easily go back to the position they were in, which is annoying too. Plus, the thing about having the 3 door version of the Citroen C2 is a problem for another reason that just never occurred to us. The doors are HUGE, which means if someone parks closely next to you, you either need to lose some weight to get into your car, or clamber in the boot maybe. It's not great.
Oh dear I've just complained a lot! That's silly because our Citroen C2 is mostly very good to us. It's very powerful for a diesel, and we don't really hear the engine (you think of diesels as noisy but it's fine really). We haven't had any big repairs needing. It's done about 50 thousand miles now, and we've had it since 2006, and it's going strong. There are some creaks and squeaks from some of the interiors rubbing up against each other. Some of these we tracked down and fixed by sticking gaffer tape on some of the joints, but some others remain. It's the sort of thing you learn to blank out though.
The fuel economy is a great thing to end on. Fab, really. Over 60 miles a gallon, just great. Diesel is a tad more expensive than petrol but the extra efficiency really makes up for it.
The Citroen C2 has been a bit of a liability for me, ok sometimes, other times I wish I'd never got it. Most of the problems come down to the engine control unit which had an early problem that Citroen said they couldn't work out. It cuts out sometimes while driving, and is generally grumpy at other times, eg about starting up in the morning.
There have been other problems, like with one of the front shocks and various bits of interior coming loose and generally being rubbish. What I mean is it's really not giving me any confidence. It's only about 3 years old!
Also, Citroen were really nasty about sorting out warranty claims for the first couple of years. They've improved a bit recently, but I don't know whether that's just our local dealer or a Citroen-wide thing. Hopefully the latter, but don't quote me on it.
Driving wise it's a bit of a pain too. For a year or so it was reasonably smooth going, but then the clutch started playing up and I think the ride got worse overall. The seats I find uncomfy on anything longer than a test drive (sigh...), and the back seats, forget it. You can get children and amputees back there.
The tiny space and overall size of the car means it's really easy to drive, and the power to weight ratio (when it has power) is agreeable. I do enjoy it most of the time I should say, as I do short trips and it's generally working. But having a car that's generally working is not what I want. I want a car that's almost always working. Meh...
It's just a pretty normal car, nowt much else to say about the Citroen C2. That's basically what we were after so it's fine, and it's good not having to pay for repairs all the time like we had with our old Multipla, but if you're looking for an exciting ride then look elsewhere!
The best thing about our Citroen C2 is that it's nice and compact, as we live in the city so it's good to be able to park in a tiny little spot without too much trouble. The driving position I find really good, my other half a bit less so. He says it's too close to the ground, but to solve that you'd be looking at a totally different type of car so that's not a reason to pick something other than the Citroen C2 but in the same sort of class of cars.
A problem to point out is the back seats. You don't really think to check that much during a test drive, especially on a 3 door, but really the back seats in the Citroen C2 are pretty daft. It's hard enough to get back there in the first place (it really is a performance even with the front seat right forwards), but you're not rewarded for your efforts put it that way. The leg room back there is really cramped, and the head room sorts of tails off a bit too early.
The Citroen C2 is good on petrol we find, altho we don't drive stupidly. Speaking of which, we got ours second hand and the brake pads were shot. I reckon the C2 might attract young boy racers a bit so it might be something to watch out for. Having said that, the insurance is pretty good so they can't be getting crashed too much.
The only other problem was the central locks in the winter, often didn't play ball. Apart from that it's been fine really, just like I said, not useful for carrying adults in the back.
The Citroen C2 isn't exactly a cool car when you're 23, but it more than does the job when you're trying to save money. I've always loved cars but that the moment I'm trying to save for a house, so logic needs to come in a little.
The C2 has a lot of disadvantages: it's not very tall, not very big, the boot is puny and it's not fast at all. But despite all of these negatives, I still like it. It's crazy cheap with regards to running costs. Tax, insurance and petrol are all unbelievably low, which always makes me happier.
Inside, its basic Citroen. Bad plastics, awful seats and about as much style as cheese. But i suppose once you get used to it, it's fine.
I'd recommend this car for people who are trying to save a lot of money and for parents who need a cheap car to run.
I think the only real problem I could report with the Citroen C2 is the rattling inside when you drive. It doesn't feel like there's anything big coming loose inside the engine or anything, although I admit I don't really know much about mechanics, it just feels like the bits of trim inside the car aren't really screwed in very well and are coming loose bit by bit. Once you get used to it you sort of zone it out, but it's not exactly a pleasant noise. It gets quite a bit worse at motorway speeds too, so if you're test driving one then make sure you do that.
Apart from that, great car. No big repairs needed in five years (from second hand), pretty much trouble free driving at nice low costs. I had heard that the C1 gets better mileage, but I wanted a little extra space and some of the features in the Citroen C2. I like the way the back seats can be rolled backwards and forwards to make more leg room or boot space to suit. That's been handy a few times.
The driving seat is surprisingly high up which is handy. It's not a van, but still not as low as a lot of little cars out there. It's also so easy to see all around. The back window is right next to the actual back of the car so it's easier to judge distances, and the bonnet is so small anyway you can't really go wrong with parking.
There is one other thing with my Citroen C2. The battery light comes on occasionally, like not just when it's started up but whenever it wants to. I've had the battery checked and it's fine, so I don't know what it's on about. It doesn't worry me really, just obviously a dodgy connection, but worth mentioning. Overall it's doing well so far.
Seriously, it isn't just for the ladies. I reckon it looks the business, far manlier than a Clio (my wife's car). It's an okay mover but actually, to be honest, can be a bit sluggish. It gets up to 60mph in I think 14 seconds, which can be a bit of a drag. I know there's a Citroen C2 1.4 litre version that does better though, which makes sense because it's such a lightweight car.
Space-wise, I've had my two little angels in the back but from the looks of it they'll start complaining once they grow up. That wasn't a concern for me right now, but worth bearing in mind. Equally the boot is a little bit daft, but suits our needs.
The real reason for having a C2 though is that it's SO CHEAP to run. It's a cheap car up front, but really, it gets about 65 MPG, which these days really makes a massive difference.
I have been really pleased with my C2 GT. I bought it as my first car at 17 and it really has been a pleasure to own. Incredibly cheap to run and that most important of things, can be insured reasonably by young lads! The performance is very good and its a good nippy little car with fantastic handling and brakes.
44mpg average is very attainable, the car has been very reliable since i bought it (54,000 miles, now at 69,000) and have only had problems with things that i caused although the rear bump stops had fallen off! The car is also a lot quicker than it seems on paper as the car does 58mph in second gear so the 0-60 time looks slower than real life driving would suggest.
I would reccomend this car to any young person or someone wanting a small, cheap runabout. The build quality is a bit "french" but its not as bad as everyone seems to make out. The rear seats arn't the biggest but iv had 3 passengers in the car, all well over 6 foot (dont think they were too comfy though!). The split folding boot is quite cool too!
Bought this car because it cute, cheaper road tax, cheap to insure and saves fuel costs.
After drving for 14 months now, I realised that, true, it's small and easy to park, it can be rather noisy at times and C2 isn't the best motorway car because its so light and compact, not the best companion for long drives.
It saves loadssss on diesel though!!
Not the best car but saves lots of money each year.