[Closed] 2cv owners?

No, oh my god no...

an old girlfriend had one, never felt safe in it, flimsy as heck, slow, bouncy, noisy, leaked, crap gear shift, seats like camping chairs, shall I continue?

My parents had a few when I was a kid.

The only advice I have is: don't lean on it, especially the front wheel arches, don't overload it and don't expect it to go above 70 mph, except maybe on a steep downhill.

On the plus side (this being when you didn't need to wear rear seatbelts), it's fantastic in the back with the top down, standing up and holding on to the central support.

Oh, and the front windows never stay up.

Oh, and don't buy it if you're bothered about people thinking you're a hippy. 😯

Watch this from about 4 mins.

Ok so you won't encounter jet engines on your daily commute, but it's what happens AFTER it rolls that's the problem. The top of the passenger compartment gets destroyed. Imagine being in that in an accident.

Knew a guy that drove one to Katmandu, on the basis that most faults could be fixed by hitting it with a hammer.

My parents had one, hated it. Any kind of junction where you need a bit of oomph to get out safely... forget it. 0-60 in two days.

Thankfully the thing suffered an engine fire (not my fault!) and was a write-off.

Waiting for the stealth edit

we bought one, about 7 years old, when we first came to this part of the world- girlfriend at the time had wanted one for years.
Spent three months driving round Europe in it without a single problem. First gear up some of the alpine passes though. as More comfortable than it has any right to be, especially on bad roads.
Chassis rot is the big killer with them, not too much else to go wrong. In the three years we had it it did need a bit of welding, and the exhaust replacing, that was about it
It eventually got stolen, and was burnt out a couple of miles away. Thieves probably couldnt figure out how to change gear.
It'd do about 75 on a good day, but was horrible on the motorway, dangerously unstable due to buffeting. Brakes awful, steering vague.

EDIT: Yes, the windows. NOthing like driving along on a stiniking hot day, elbow out the window, having it nearly shattered as the window slams into it.

Ace vehicles, but 5k!!!!

I still want one of these:
[img] [/img]

2CV you say?

Only one way to go [url= http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C390123 ]3wheel it[/url]
😉

I had one as my first car which is a pretty scary thought really.

I loved it though. I was great for messing about with mates. Easy to take the seats out so you could stick bikes in or use the seat as a bench when out and about.

It was popular with my mates too, driving about London standing up out of it after a night out.

I blew mine up though on a really hot day driving down the A3 flat out (70mph) for about 30 mins - pistons overheated and gouged out the liners. It only cost a couple of hundred to fix though at the '2CV doctor' in Fulham (IIRC).

And it was brilliant on rough ground/bumps - you could do 50mph over speed bumps quite comfortably...

5k is silly money though. Mine was already pretty rusty back then which was 20 years ago.

Bloody brilliant car.
I had one and it was one of the best cars I have ever owned, I had it from new though. I have recently started to lok around for another and from the research I've done there seems to be a few things to look out for.
Chassis, yes they rot. They rot from the boot forwards so the rear seats and floor pan rot first. Then the front chassis members where the engine is bolted to. The engines are pretty good if well looked after. Not a lot to go wrong and most change the old points to electronic ignition (easy to do) The wheel bearings go on the front as theres a lot of load on them. Brakes are pretty much fine. Interiors the seats get worn on the drivers and passengers easy, the springs in the pram type seat rails stretch and the covers rip. The hoods are/can be leaky so make sure the seal around them is ok, again an easy fix.
Parts are pretty good to get hold of, 2CV Owners Club a great source of info/parts/breaking cars.

Of the 3 I've recently looked after, 2 were in excellent condition and drove really well and had the chassis replaced they were a bit more than I wanted to pay (for a third car) so I didn't buy either. The 3rd car needed some work, it has an MOT but the roof needs replacing (can be expensive) and the bars that hold the lights on were really rusty and so too the grill area. I'm still negotiating a price so we'll see.

As far a space goes, well I used to get 3 windsurf boards, 5 sails and me and my mate in it no problem. If you take the rear seat out and open the boot up you have masses of space, I used to open the roof all the time.

They are not the speediest of cars but easily do 70+mph and pull really well, its not a sports car so don't expect quick excelleration, mpg wise I had aves of 50+.

I'd have another.

I passed a dawdling French-plated 2CV one time while on a motorbiking holiday in Scotland. It was somewhere remote on a single track road heading away from Eilean Donan. Rather than push past I waited for a clear stretch of wider road and then decided to show the Frenchies how an Englishman overtakes

I overtook smoothly at warp factor 11, indicated to pull back in and right at that moment a submarine surfaced in the loch and distracted me from the rapidly approaching left-hander. I panicked and braked too hard and skidded and went down, sliding across the road in a shower of sparks and bits of plastic.

Just as I was picking myself up the 2CV approached, slowed down to walking pace and carefully manouevered around me and all the debris before carrying on its way 🙂

The only advice I have is: don't lean on it, especially the front wheel arches, don't overload it and don't expect it to go above 70 mph, except maybe on a steep downhill.

On the plus side (this being when you didn't need to wear rear seatbelts), it's fantastic in the back with the top down, standing up and holding on to the central support.

Oh, and the front windows never stay up.

Oh, and don't buy it if you're bothered about people thinking you're a hippy.

All of this.

Plus;

- be prepared to argue at MOTs as most places will fail it for things it doesn't have (ie ticking indicator sound).

- £5k sounds about right for an okay one; my mum has one of the last "Specials" since new and she's been offered £10k a few times for it. Its on its third chassis and few other bits but in general has just needed looking after. She's used it daily (about 10-15 miles each day) for the last 20 odd years! I used to draft it as road training.

There's a guy near Taunton in Somerset whose an expert in them and who can normally find decent ones for a reasonable price.

My other half's Dad makes replacement chassis for them - apparently held in very high regard amongst 2CV owners as he ships them all over the place.
Some of his customers have some lovely looking examples and I wistfully remember pootling around Galway in one with the roof open on a particularly nice summers day...

Fantastic car. Did a couple of trips fully loaded from London to Southern Spain with no problems. No need to pay French tolls It didn´t go that fast.
It could go anywhere a 4x4 could go.

Daisy Duke had a couple and a classic van IIRC. I'll drop him a note

IIRC:

Design classic, very clever suspension, usually reliable [low stress] engine.

Faults I am aware of:

Spark plugs low down- my friend had one and lived over a ford. When the water was high there was a good chance it would stall crossing the ford.

In the Dyane and perhaps the standard 2CV the Spare tyre was on top of the cardboard heat-exchanger hose, which was in turn mounted above the exhaust header. If the Hose's clips failed [rot I guess] it would fall down, sit on the exhaust and ignite pouring smoke into the interior. When you were trying to pull over to deal with that, the tyre would ignite leading to total mayhem. I think think happened twice to ours.

Occasionally the boot will open for no real reason. We had to collect the contents from the side of the motorway more that once.

Interestingly we didn't get rid until someone put milk in the gas tank, so it must have had some serious appeal [I was about 6]

until someone put milk in the gas tank

er... do tell! 😀

YES Awesome things and the Dianne's

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[img] [/img]

I've owned 2cv's consistently since 1987, current one I've had since 1989. Its not my everyday car although it was for around 9 years. Great, fun car but a million miles away from a modern car.

[i] A guy I know had one & always talked about the bad chassis, when they are gone the whole car is shot.[/i]

Depends what you mean by 'shot'. First off if you're paying £5k for one then you'll be getting a very good car and it will either have an original mint condition, rust proofed chassis or the chassis will have been replaced with a galvanized one. If you do buy one with a rusty chassis there are lots of specialists replacing them.

[i]EDIT: Yes, the windows. NOthing like driving along on a stiniking hot day, elbow out the window, having it nearly shattered as the window slams into it. [/i]

Never had this happen to me, but thats beaten by driving with the roof open.

be prepared to argue at MOTs as most places will fail it for things it doesn't have (ie ticking indicator sound).

Indeed - the ticking sound is only required if the driver is registered blind. In that case the MOT requires the vehicle is fitted with a nodding guide dog on the rear parcel shelf.

Had more 2CV's than I care to remember including vans and Dyanes. They are awesome fun machines and are now collectable. Very reliable but they do need a garage which is why I sold mine in the end. The ones to go for are the last of the french built (rather than the Spanish ones) which I think were around E or F reg. Chassis can be replaced but is expensive. They cruise at 60mph as long as it's not too windy. £5k should buy you a good one. Despite their age and design, they are a lot more "modern" than cars half they're age, like the mini or moggy minor. Motors are bullet proof as are gearboxes. One thing to look out for is a nice clean oil cooler and nice bright green brake fuild. From memory they use a special type of brake fluid. Go for it and enjoy it. If I had a garage I'd have another. Oh, lastly I would have though £5k would get a you a nicer Dyane than a 2CV, which seem to be more popular. Any more info, let me know. Oh and join the 2CV owners club.

cheers, brilliant responses as usual.

I still love them & would buy a decent one. I really the like the later special editions - the plum & custard one - so would have to pay top money I suspect.

Thanks for the advice re chassis, engine etc, much appreciated

I've seen them for sale at over £10.000 😯

Almost all everyday classics seem to be ridiculously expensive at the moment 🙁

2CVs are like camper vans. They were awful hopeless relics but dirt cheap so were bought by those penniless alternative types, such as surfers. Then well off weekend wannabe alternative types decided they were "cool", got in the market, and sent the price up - so they're now expensive hopeless relics, and thus not even remotely cool.

5k for a fun summer car? See this thread:
[url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/another-middle-aged-sports-car-thread-with-a-twist ]http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/another-middle-aged-sports-car-thread-with-a-twist[/url]

I have a charleston model which is a 'special edition' it's not that different from a normal version and you won't pay that much more for one.

I'd disagree with the bulletproof engine/gearbox comment though.

I seem to remember reading somewhere about someone driving across Africa in one. It dumped a load of oil from the diff or something, and since they couldn't get hold of any oil, just rammed the diff full of ripe bananas and finished the journey adequately lubricated and incident free.

So there's always that...

My best friend's mum had one when I was a kid - standing on the back seat with the roof open, holding onto the crossbar was ace, especially on the motorway.

Then, coming off a slip road, she somehow managed to shift from 4th into reverse - the whole engine rotated 90 degrees and fell out of the bottom of the car, and that was the end of that.

[i]Then, coming off a slip road, she somehow managed to shift from 4th into reverse - the whole engine rotated 90 degrees and fell out of the bottom of the car, and that was the end of that.[/i]

mmm wonder how the engine managed to squeeze its way past the chassis crossmembers.

I can understand if you had said 'and the gearbox 'unwound'.

Loved my Dyanne, just what was required when I was skint. Fantastic on camping/climbing trips to Lakes and Scotland. Desperate on motorways (truly scary) but this "It could go anywhere a 4x4 could go" is true. Drove round struggling RAF mountain rescue Land Rover in Borrowdale once, the look on their faces was ace.

It's a long time ago now but just looking at one gives me great memories and I seem to have forgotten all the hassle of pushing it down the street to start it everytime is was damp. At least it was a one man push.

mmm wonder how the engine managed to squeeze its way past the chassis crossmembers.

I can understand if you had said 'and the gearbox 'unwound'.

It may well have been that - I was only 7 or 8. All I remember is a massive bang, the car stopped very quickly with lots of sparks, and when we looked the engine had dug a nice trench in the road.

Got one stuck in a field once, in a big rut. Put it in reverse, pulled the choke out, got the wheels spinning, full lock on, then got out and lifted the front end clear of the rut, chased it down the field and jumped in. Ace cars.

oh and they have a starting handle that actually works. That is reason enough as far as I'm concerned to own one and don't get me started on the way you can change the front brake pads in five mins without evening having to remove the front wheels. True genuis....

get funky with the grease gun to. There are loads of grease points that need lots of tlc. Kingpins can be an issue and some MOT places who don't know the qurks of 2CV ownership think they're worn and will fail the car. Oh I want another now 🙂

Or how about a Renault 4l?

Not such silly money and if you find one with a sunroof they're almost as good as convertible as a 2CV.

Here's mine 😉

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Our old Dyane.

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Surprised no one shown this

[url=[url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5337/8959557903_a881a7717c.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5337/8959557903_a881a7717c.jp g"/> [/img][/url] [url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/94678103@N05/8959557903/ ]i039311[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/94678103@N05/ ]bobgarrod[/url], on Flickr]null

Theres a 6 seater on ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1989-CITROEN-2-CV6-SPECIAL-BLACK-CREAM-STRETCHED-6-Seater-/200930282854?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item2ec860cd66

[IMG] [/IMG]

This is actually a Citroen body on a VW Beetle floorpan.

Daisy_Duke - Member
get funky with the grease gun to. There are loads of grease points that need lots of tlc. Kingpins can be an issue and some MOT places who don't know the qurks of 2CV ownership think they're worn and will fail the car. Oh I want another now

Amazing cars, we've had 3...people don't think, you really have to DRIVE them, think ahead and wind up what power you have, plus be confident on corners....it's a drivers car

Lovely when its sunny and brilliant in snow.

But a bugger to start when its wet.

Traded last one in for a Renault 5 turbo, dealers face was a picture

Silly but fun cars, mates had them, when I had Beetles.
You could turn it into one of these:
[img] [/img]

[url] http://www.burtoncar.nl/ [/url]

A friend of mine races them, does 24hr events in them. They look great from afar, but get close and you can see all of them are bodged together with odds and sods.
Oh, and they don't go very fast. The minis run rings around them, and then go bang. The 2CVs go for a lot longer before going bang.

They're great to drive - if you drive from Fréjus to St Tropez on a sunny day in September. Further or in the rain isn't much fun.

They're really easy to work on - just as well as you'll spend a lot of time working on it.

They're slow and inspire cautious driving - make a mistake (or get involved in someone else's mistake) and it will hurt a lot.

They're economical even by today's standards.

They're less ecologically unfriendly than running a new car that will probably consume more petrol.

No depreciation if you look after it.

I prefer Citroën's bigger cars. If I buy one it will either be a late model Traction or a C6 which go for 2CV money at five years old.

This is actually a Citroen body on a VW Beetle floorpan.

I always wanted one till i saw this

Sorry to spoil the party

Apparently the original design specification for the suspension was that it had to be able to drive across a ploughed field with a basket of of eggs on the back seat without any breaking. I'd like to see a modern supermini do that.

Take it off road!

My folks had a few. I learnt to drive in one.

Amazing car with very trick suspension. Body roll is hilarious but I've tried to roll one but failed. Got it up on two wheels tho! Surprisingly quick on the bends

I snapped the chassis by consistently getting airborne off a local bridge. That's the weak link. Plus the cardboard air ducts need to be removed otherwise they can catch on fire.

But that's it. I really want one but the reality is any form of crash with any other (overweight) modern car will end things for you.

Puddle Jumpers....
I have grim memories of these with me sitting in the back as a kid with the folks smoking like troopers in the front and the bloody thing rolling around like mad.... God I used to get so car sick.

Might have to get one just to piss the kids off.

I am trying to buy a Citroen Mehari. A 2cv but without all the sturdy bodywork. Now hugely expensive. Used to be able to pick them up for £500 or whatever currency applied. Should have done it then but we all know that now and we didn't have the money then which is why they are so expensive now.

I second the call for a Renault 4.

Increasingly rare too

The memories, looking at that R4 reminded me that I also owned a 1st gen R5, the one with the gear stick in the dash & the pram roof.

You've got me on the hunt now you buggers. ..

That Renault 4 brought back memories, used to go all over the North on climbing trips in one of those. Crude but reliable, went anywhere it was asked to go.

My folks had one in late 70s/early 80s. A cream Dianne.
My dad purchased it off the bassist from the Small Faces, Ronnie Laine. It even features on the back cover of his LP in what looks like a farm/ hippy camp in the Soith Downs.

It got replaced by a white Talbot Horizon-mmm.

I remember seeing the road flashing by between my feet through a hole in the floor.
I also recall my dad spinning round to grab (save!) my nan as she fell through the malfunctioning door on the Archway roundabout in Laaandon.

iPhone double up

I did about 70,000 miles in mine.

They are brilliant.

http://www.renault4.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=9

There's a lovely white 4l for sale on the Renault 4 forum.

Mates sister bought a 2CV. Bad move for someone living in Glenelg and working on the other side of the hill 🙂
350M ascent in about 3 miles

It was a long slog in first gear.

They are the epitome of car design - nicer to drive than a Beetle and easier to work on than a Mini.

Will transport 4 people wherever they want to go in a state of cheerfulness.
You don't need to go any faster.
You can see out.
You actually have a relationship with the vehicle.
They are amazing fun to drive.
They have superb handling and roadholding (despite what Clarkson has 'taught' you) - which is different to grip.
They are a bit dangerous, a 4 wheeled motorbike basically - which is good, as it stops you driving like a **** - you are part of the journey - your actions have consequenses for you and those you love.
Bauhaus meets Art Deco.
Easy to mend.
Had a Meccano set? Can fix a bike? - Never pay garage bills again.
You can tune them.
Full length sunroof as standard.
The more battered they are the better they look.
Proof that arseholes who automatically sneer at anything French are in fact, immature, anally retentive psychopaths who should have been castrated at puberty.
They work perfectly as a personality test - I tend to like people who like Citroens. The miserable, snobbish, vain, legs welded together, don't buy a round, insecure remainder of humanity can piss off and enjoy their BMW's.

Ta.

They work perfectly as a personality test - I tend to like people who like Citroens.

Oh yes. 😀

My first car was a Dyane 6 8)

My Citroen History

Dyane FAB
2cv not as nice as Dyane
GS X3 Amazing just amazing
CX The Best spaceship
Visa bit dull
Xantia better than a BM*
BX light surfboard

I had an AX 1.1 (echo?) - fantastic little tin can.

Mate had an AX GT - scared the sh** out of me.

Older mate had a 2CV, 3 of us standing up could bunny-hop it; I know - without pictures it didn't happen 🙂

My Citroen ownership has been pretty large too!

GS Estate
Gsa Estate x 2 of
Citroen CX estate, prestige, and Turbo 2 Plus normal saloon that had been owned by Roger Moore
Citroen AX Echo
Lomax Built with my Dad
Citroen Visas x 2 with 650cc engines (best car ever)
Citroen Visa with 1.1 Boring
Citroen Visa with 1.9Turbo Diesel (scariest car ever)
Citroen Xantia
Citroen Dyane (best looking)
Ami Super (converted it into a Sidewinder (2CV body on top, that was rapid too)
Ami estate
2CV with full racing Engine went very well!
4 or 5 Citroen BX's over the years

All in all quite a few over the years then!

Confession time, I did the annual 24hr race in Ireland for 2CV's in 1996, bloody brilliant fun, after 3 stints of 3 hours in the car you become so sensitive to it you could even feel it accelerating!

Qualified 4th out of 36 cars and manged to be placed in every position but first thru the race, loosing a couple of hours with mechanical problems and finishing 9th.

We did change a set of fronts after 20 hours which I thought was a big improvement on any other racing car!

Still giggle thinking back on the event, only time I've been a 'pay driver'.

Not so sure I'd recommend one though.......

dont forget to check the oil and it will run forever .

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alpine-Renault-A110-1300-/161038958043?clk_rvr_id=488022930789

alternative renault

Will transport 4 people wherever they want to go in a state of cheerfulness.
You don't need to go any faster.
You can see out.
You actually have a relationship with the vehicle.
They are amazing fun to drive.
They have superb handling and roadholding (despite what Clarkson has 'taught' you) - which is different to grip.
They are a bit dangerous, a 4 wheeled motorbike basically - which is good, as it stops you driving like a **** - you are part of the journey - your actions have consequenses for you and those you love.
[b]Bauhaus meets Art Deco.[/b]
Easy to mend.
Had a Meccano set? Can fix a bike? - Never pay garage bills again.
You can tune them.
Full length sunroof as standard.
The more battered they are the better they look.
Proof that arseholes who automatically sneer at anything French are in fact, immature, anally retentive psychopaths who should have been castrated at puberty.
They work perfectly as a personality test - I tend to like people who like Citroens. The miserable, snobbish, vain, legs welded together, don't buy a round, insecure remainder of humanity can piss off and enjoy their BMW's.

Ta.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1978-CITROEN-DYANE-6-YELLOW-/261225073378?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3cd23a4ae2

I tried to convince MissStripes to sell the Twingo, but it 'aint happening.

I'd buy that in a second!

I used to have a Renault 4 F6 van and it was simply brilliant.

pepper loving the Gordini wheels on your 4 😆

Older French cars were great, my old Bx 19 was the coolest car, it was just so different inside to anything else. All the controlls were switches no stalks. Now French cars just seem like all the rest.

I'm toying with putting the engine in out of the Gordini too. 😉

They are a bit dangerous, a 4 wheeled motorbike basically - which is good, as it stops you driving like a **** - you are part of the journey - your actions have consequenses for you and those you love.

The problem is other people's actions.. they also have consequences....

Molgrips is Ernest moss...

The problem is other people's actions.. they also have consequences....

Of course.
Everyone makes their own decisions about things like this.
Same with carrying a kid on a bike or in a trailer, riding on the road, carrying a pillion on a motorbike etc etc.

The sensible solution, which will be implemented as soon the British population see sense and elect me Life President, will be to ban all cars EXCEPT the 2CV.

Nah not really, just know too many people who've been wiped out in car crashes.

I've posted this link in other threads, but I love Ollie Erkkila's site - [url= http://www.ollierkkila.com/ ]Linky.[/url]

He makes real cars, bikes and motorbikes, but I like his digital 2CV images best:

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[img] [/img]

Molgrips understands Dr Buskers Health and safety too!

😉

That de-fendered 2CV looks awesome.

Had a Charleston years ago. Bombproof. Surprisingly fun to drive (it was my first non-mini after 6 of those). Properly looked after would run forever - did Peterborough to Inverness non-stop (other than petrol) in mine with my foot on the floor pretty much the whole way for most of the journey (mine would JUST about do 80 flat out).

I love 2Cv's and Dyanes - there is lots of really clever design in the cars and they are great fun to drive. The best car I've ever owned was a (this is one for the Citroen nerds!) Dyane body on and Ami Super chassis, with a 1300 GSA engine and 5 speed box with lowered stiffened suspension - it was a real street sleeper and handled brilliantly! I've also had a 4x4 Dyane (more ground clearance and travel than a Landy and still under 700kgs) and a couple of race cars - the 24 hour race is amazing.

My mate is currently developing a kit to put a BMW bike engine in them...

[url=

PS I realise it's not the most exciting video in the world if you don't like 2CVs!