No Budget Reviews (£50 Austerity Edition): 2004 Citroen C3 1.1 Desire - Lloyd Vehicle Consulting

[@chriseseigbe9768]

Too many cars are scarped from Britain's roads these days which is ridiculous , and a lot of times, they can be repaired. I personally don't look at the value of the car, ie how much it is worth. If I like a car, l will fix it. That is what mechanics and body work shops, are there for. Yes, the car is not a very good shape, but it can be fixed ie body work, breaks etc. For only £50, it's an absolute bargain. This car can be fixed completely. In many developing countries, a lot of people will be glad to buy a fix a car like this. As long as the car is not a right off, I see nothing wrong with the car. If I had bought this car, l would have first changed the cam belt, body work and brakes, because £50 is very extremely cheap. I would not scarp it😎. Many a time, people don't bother fixing cars because they only look at how much the car is worth and sometimes, they say that it rather better to scarp the car and buy another car. However, what such people forget is that they are still spending money buying another car which might turn out to be more money than if they struck to their car and fixed it. I have a friend who drives an X reg Ford Focus, which was one of the the first Ford Focus cars on British roads, but the car is in immaculate condition regularly serviced and body scoff repaired when the need arises. Yes the ford focus might be about 20 years old, but the car is well looked after. My advice is for people to strick with their cars if they like the car, fix/service it and car will run for ever. It will surprise many that my friend's ford focus has done over 250, 000 miles on the same engine, even though there is this misconception that ford cars hardly go over 100,000 before the engine goes or starts giving problems. How about that??? Word of advice: maintain your older car and keep your money in the bank, not buying a newer car😎

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

This car would have failed an MOT on over 100 separate points. It was in an extremely dangerous condition. It was worth more in scrap value than was paid for it. This is not just a case of being uneconomical to repair (which it definitely was), but removing something from the road which could easily have killed someone. I run a 2003 Rover 45 2.0 V6 Connoisseur. It is not worth a lot of money, but we have put a fair bit of money into it, probably more than what it is worth, to keep it running, so I understand what you are saying But it isn't inherently dangerous like this. One look at the sills filled with rust and expanding bathroom foam and the boiling brakes will show that. We could have showed even more dangerous faults, but we had to draw the line somewhere. It had actually had a timing belt in 2018, so that wouldn't have needed doing, but that is academic, really.

[@deancook06]

I have the 1.4 petrol desire. Cost me £100 outside body is mint. In dark blue. Cambelt was already done i did check. So easy to look on this car. Tyres a year old. It had been serviced every single year since new at the same garage. Everything works Air con is ice cold. All i done was a clutch didnt cost to must. Not one bit of rust on it. What more can i ask for. It uses hardly any fuel. The final bit that was amazing 39000miles genuine. £100...........BARGAIN.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yours sounds as if it is in much better condition than this one is, which was a bit of a death trap, despite having an MOT!

[@michelle-louiseburrows2248]

If you love Citroen C3s, like I do, then, if you are an afficionado, £50 is probably worth thinking about, even though it will cost you 10-15 times as much to bring her up to MOT spec. I know that sounds daft but if you are looking for a "project car" then it's tempting. My current one is an 07 reg Petrol 1.4 engine - and you are right, Joseph, in saying that that is the bare minimum engine you should be looking for on a car such as a C3 - and I know it is car (like most French cars) you either love or hate but I adore C3s.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you, yes, don't get one with sills that have been mended with bathroom foam and not properly repaired as well... The 1.1 was painfully slow, I was getting overtaken by bicycles. With crazy secondhand car prices at the moment, Austerity Edition cars aren't really around any more!

[@mattsbeamer]

Lol, great video! That MOT station who re-tested that c3 should be ashamed of themselves.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I think we reckon it would have failed on 32 separate items if it had been subjected to an MOT the day before filming....

[@mattsbeamer]

Lloyd Vehicle Consulting crazy

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

A cautionary tale for all, sir...

[@MattysCars]

Just watched this. Very entertaining! You know my opinions of the mk1 C3 all too well Joseph! I don't admire the type of people who "don't care what they drive" but this is a different level. How does anyone justify buying one of these used when they have been riddled with problems ever since they left the factory

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Well sir, I expect that you were happy to see the back of this one! We had a lot fun filming it, especially with chronic brake fade, terrible sill repairs, burnouts, handbrake turns, bits falling off and other automotive hijinks and general japery. Not really my sort of car, and not yours either!

[@andrejxyxy2020]

My sister has one from 2003 runs in 2021 and after 190 000km perfectly well with usual wear and tear.

[@pizzalover3]

Briefly had a 2007 1.6 hdi Exclusive but it had every extra including the world's most comfortable leather seats. Great MPG , great tax rate. Stereo sound quality was shocking though like most Citroens of that age.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

There is a slight issue with your comment, sir. I think that you know what it might be... Thank you for looking up this ancient video.

[@usfouru2]

What does Mr Coleman think of the influx of electric cars and is he qualified to work on electric cars?

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I don't think he is too keen on them at the moment. He has worked on electric cars before, I believe, he has certainly worked on hybrids...

[@geoffnoyes520]

This is one of those cars that really needs a man walking in front of it with a red flag! Great fun, and hilarious, many thank sirs.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

This car was an absolute liability and should never have been on the road. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting!

[@willswheels283]

I’ve bought sub £100 cars in the past, cars that now would be substantially more nowadays, Austin Allegro, Talbot Samba, Vw Jetta mk1, My first car was a VW Polo mk2 bread van that I paid just £60 for, but that didn’t have an MOT. The best bargain was a mk4 Ford Escort that I paid £110 for and it came with 9 months MOT, I got 9 months out of the car before it was sadly scrapped due to corrosion and damage to one of the doors. Citroen C3 wasn’t a fantastic car which is why you don’t see many about these days. Great vid mr Lloyd/Coleman.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thanks very much indeed, sir! The Mark II Polo Breadvan is something I am very familiar with, as I explained in last year's Christmas Special when I drove a G40. I remember lots of Mark IV Escorts being very rusty when I was younger. Yes, this Citroen C3 was in terrible condition, despite having an MOT and they aren't great cars anyway.

[@FuelPower]

Neat walkaround. Although it's a bit (using the term loosely here from what you and Mr Coleman were saying at BMM) of a rustbucket, it wouldn't be a bad car for £50 unless you crash it

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, an absolute rust bucket and a dangerous one at that! Still don't know how it got through that MOT... We did have plenty of fun with her before she died, though!

[@FuelPower]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting It's amazing it got through...especially with those rear seat stains 🤢 it would fail just on that in my book 😂

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@FuelPower, now you know why I didn't sit in the back, it's all a bit too suspicious!

[@mickles1975]

There's no excuse for cars rusting nowadays. My 2005 astra is spotless in that regard. The underneath was white when I bought it. If only it was mechanically as sound I wouldn't be looking for a replacement.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

C3s, Mazda3s and many other cars of this era do still rust terribly, I am afraid... The Vauxhall Astra H doesn't, though, and our Twintop was the same, very good underneath indeed.

[@mickles1975]

Out of interest. I was looking at a C4 Picasso. Are they also prone to rust?

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Don't buy one, sir... Terrible reliability.

[@mickles1975]

Thank you, Mister Lloyd.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

You know where I am!

[@trabali5168]

Hooligans, i tell you hooligans!!!!!!!!..................................Lloyd Vandalism consulting?, nice handbrake turns!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

We were demonstrating some sensible consumer advice about very cheap cars, sir! May as well have some fun with them before we banish them from the road... Mr Coleman is a ridiculously good driver!

[@alansimpson835]

I noticed the Scottish registration (Glasgow area) on this car. I'm sure the Scottish winters did this car's sills no favours. Still it had a fun send off and at least with a goosed engine now as well as shot bodywork there is less chance of someone taking the time to do a dodgy repair to get it back on the road.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

That sill repair was as dodgy as it comes. Clearly both sides were done at different times due to the different colour they used to cover them up. Absolutely, Scottish winters would not have helped in any way! If you are a licensed vehicle disposal agent (as Mr Coleman is), you have to disable the engine before the scrapyard will accept it, which is what he did. There is no chance of going back on the road as it will go straight into a recycling furnace and end up as a fridge!

[@petergouldbourn2312]

Very enjoyable video.i too am glad that death trap is now in that great scrap yard in the sky. Pete 🇬🇧

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

You aren't the only one! We emptied the fuel tank after it died and used the petrol to fill up our lovely Rovers (he has a 620 SLi manual that also has its own episode of No Budget Reviews, and I have a 45 V6) so that we could get to the BMC and Leyland Show the next day. Probably about £25 worth of fuel! The gift that keeps on giving...

[@furiousdriving]

That sill...

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

It's not just that, sir! Mr Coleman estimated that if it had been put through an MOT the day before filming, it would have failed on 32 separate points.

[@colinhicks4174]

furiousdriving Made your Hyundai Coupe’s sills look mint. 😁

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@colinhicks4174 , that is putting it mildly, sir...

[@lucindafergusonart]

Great little cars, I have one and use it for one of my jobs, I have 2007,C3 Exclusive 16 HDi it's great, cost £700 three years ago seems like a lot compared to the one you are testing but my one has foldy mirrors (work perfect), Air con (doesn't often work), cruise control (doesn't often work), Engine pulls like a train, I wouldn't bother with petrol versions, and my one has 206 GT Alloys (looks well cool), it corners sort of on its side but, oh heck your welcome to come test it but I imagine you probably have had enough of them now.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you, yes, I think we have probably had our fun with Citroen C3s for now, particularly as we don't talk about diesels on the channel... The 1.1 engine was very, very underpowered in the one we tested. Thank you ever so much indeed for the offer, though!

[@darylyatestransportblogs]

Another car Im familiar with, my dad had a battered 1.4 SX for years before he got his Focus felt to bits but kept on going as French cars seem to do well.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

The engine actually seemed pretty strong, unfortunately the terrible rust (and some other things) condemned this to be taken off the road before it became too dangerous.

[@darylyatestransportblogs]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting the only sensible thing to do but considering the car was only £50 it was good for a short stop gap, my dads C3 didn’t have any rust on it surprisingly

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@darylyatestransportblogs , Mr Coleman genuinely did use this for a couple of weeks as a stop gap! It was worth more in scrap than as a car with an MOT, though... The rust at the rear of the sills is surprisingly common, seen quite a few like that.

[@seancooke4127]

Cutting edge motoring journalism brings the consumer some very sharp cutting edge, mainly along the sills, practical demonstrations of the pitfalls of poor maintenance and ropey repair work. Stretch serviceing advice at your peril! Cameraman Joseph Lloyd Technical Advisor James Coleman Driver Danny Doughnut Assistant to Mr Doughnut Harry Handbrake. A Rev Limiter Production in association with No Name Part Worns. Thanks to Asbo Brake Linings and Scorch & Slip Clutch Parts.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, we always aim to be at the cutting edge of motoring journalism here on No Budget Reviews. I think you are right about the neglect of maintenance (although bizarrely, the cambelt had been done in 2018), and doing a terrible job of dealing with corrosion. This car's destruction was certainly aided by Danny Doughnut and Harry Handbrake, and it was definitely best to take it off the road.

[@johnbradshaw5900]

That video looked like a lot of fun to make! 80k miles and 16 years really isn't that old for a car to have deteriorated to this state. I still see plenty of super minis older than that which seem roadworthy. Citroen's of that era weren't great, awful velour upholstery, backwards looking interiors and sold at massive discounts to maintain sales. They were always running "VAT free" promotions so you got 17.5% off SRP before even starting to drive a deal. Even then they didn't strike me as good value.

[@owensteele1274]

From about 1998 until the 2009 Scrappage Scheme, Citroen were also offering free tax and insurance for the first year, on all their new cars to over-18's as well iirc. I'd be surprised if the original owner paid more than about £6500 for this C3 in 2004.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@owensteele1274 , that makes perfect sense, I do remember Citroens being offered at absolutely bargain bin prices and being targeted at younger drivers with the free insurance offer. This wouldn't have been an expensive car even when it was new, that is for sure!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, it's not done very well, but it has lived at least some of its life in Scotland, and the rust I have seen in some coastal areas there on surprisingly new cars is like nowhere else I have seen in this country. Probably didn't help, but it is still an unimpressive showing as you say!

[@johnbradshaw5900]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Citroën seemed to rediscover some of their old mojo after this generation of cars and slowly moved out of existing in a market segment based on massive discounts and giveaways. Although not to all tastes they found some style and even a touch of the old quirkiness. The DS3 was quite a hit and I really liked the DS4. A far cry from that awful Picasso MPV, 70's leftover velour upholstery and bargain bin discounting of the 90's and 00's.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@johnbradshaw5900 , yes, the cars have got a bit better since the original C3. Still not really my sort of thing, but they have at least got to a niche which seems very appropriate for them. I have driven a DS3 and it was much better than I expected. Gosh, the best said about the Xsara Picasso the better!

[@johnmusk4991]

Great video guys 😎

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thanks ever so much indeed, John! We had a lot of fun filming this.

[@mickles1975]

Damn. I wish I could find cars for fifty quid.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Trust me, sir, you don't want to drive around in a £50 car. They tend to be cheap for a reason.

[@danieltaylor3755]

@21:53 I became quite anxious and very disturbed. Very sad end with this car. Triggered.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

It was essentially a piece of scrap and should never have been given an MOT.

[@bbz.119]

I searched the number plate and it came up with a Peugeot 206 with 69,898 miles the C3 was its rival same parts in the car to WIERD Also watching this 9 months later is it still with u or scrapped?? Also 21:26 he literally ragged it!!! But it served it purpose to be scrapped

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

If you look at the end of the video, you will see it was disabled by cutting the cambelt so it could not go back on the road and be a danger to anyone.

[@bbz.119]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting I already commented at the start of vid but appreciate ur reply

[@bbz.119]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting 😉 I’ve already watched this vid lots of times before

[@chriswood1832]

At least I know which car to buy now to drive round in a top hat😂

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I suppose that is one of the advantages of one of these!

[@mariojager43]

It would be funny to see if one of these cars could make it to the French Alps or Barcelona for example?

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I didn't really want to drive it beyond the end of the street, to be honest, but if may have done. Not sure if that would be legal, though...

[@darrenwilson8042]

who puts £51 worth of expanding foam into a car to then sell it for £50 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Someone clearly did...

[@terrificspokesman7416]

Weirdly I love that chime

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

This is, was one of the worst cars I have ever driven. We had a lot of fun, though!

[@terrificspokesman7416]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting no I like the chime that it makes when you put the key in

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@terrificspokesman7416 , oh really? Ever since I reviewed the MG ZS EV, I have had a distaste for anything which beeps and bongs apart from a headlight reminder...

[@richardhowlett9424]

Quality ! What a car! Actually first glance it doesn’t look too bad !

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

It's an amazing car for £50, sir, but if you watched the video all the way through, you will understand why we had to do what we did...

[@richardhowlett9424]

I watched till the end . Interested to know how much MOT was left because the station that passed it should be done . I fear that people without the knowledge of Mr Coleman might have paid £500 for the same car and be driving a fully legal death trap.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@richardhowlett9424, we don't know how that got through the last MOT, but we suspect that someone might not have done their job properly. One of the reasons why we destroyed it was literally to get it off the road so that no one else was in any danger. It had about three months left.

[@richardhowlett9424]

I wonder how many cars that MOT station passed in similar condition? They need to be named and closed down. Along with other places passing cars like that, this is a scandal that needs to be brought to attention. You are the man.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

One thing to bear in mind is that the Citroën was subject to the government 18 month extension. It is likely that it would have been scrapped a couple of months ago had it been tested within the normal framework. Nevertheless, the test it had done last summer was clearly inadequate. There are probably hundreds of thousands of cars in this sort of situation. Watch out for a more detailed video of the underneath coming soon to The Rubbish Mechanic channel...

[@mattwalker4034]

That was hilarious, where do you buy a £50 car?

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

It was either on Facebook Marketplace or directly through a mutual friend, can't exactly recall which... Glad you enjoyed it, sir!

[@jsaxby6561]

That was great fun!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

We aim to please, sir!

[@jsaxby6561]

Why is it that this was uploaded 12 hours ago but there are comments from 4 days ago? 🤔

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I am trialling a new system of Early Access Content ahead of possibly setting up a Patreon Page at some point in the future. At the moment, just a few people get personal invitations to view certain videos ahead of time. I hope that makes sense!

[@jsaxby6561]

Oh, I thought KZbin was being silly again!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@jsaxby6561, no, not at all, you were right to ask the question!

[@rodrigo4379]

this car had an ecu repro?

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

No, the ECU was entirely standard.

[@rodrigo4379]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting you said it was making 70 ish from 60 hp

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

It had a couple of modifications, the ECU wasn't touched.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

The throttle restrictor screw was removed, that was the main thing.

[@rodrigo4379]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting ok thanks! A friend has the same car 2002 1.1 61hp we might do that

[@alaricbragg7843]

Thanks for referring me to this video! Apart from saying this would still cost a king's ransom in New Zealand and enquiring if it is worse than the Peugeot 307 I can only say 😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😃😃😃😃 Could you crash it into a swimming pool like Peter Sellers and his 2CV van?

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

This was undoubtedly one of the worst cars we have ever had on the channel, can't believe it would be still worth a fair price in New Zealand! We should have crashed it into a swimming pool...

[@alaricbragg7843]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting I half expected you to get stuck in reverse and cause havoc! You certainly get what you pay for. In New Zealand of course they don't rust...which leaves you biting your nails over the cam belt!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@alaricbragg7843 , yes, cars seem to last longer over there, possibly explains why they are a bit more expensive. The havoc was mainly caused by champion banger racer Mr Coleman....

[@frothe42]

This would be road legal here in the US.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Does that worry you in any way?

[@frothe42]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Absolutely. I have seen cars driving around with worst rust than that Citroën, scraping brake discs because brake work needs to be done, and I couldn't watch the destruction of the engine. And there are many here who buy very cheap cars like this only to have to sink big money into just getting it workable. And yes, I have been guilty of having cheap vehicles that I couldn't afford to repair properly. I guess nothing on this vehicle is salvageable.

[@frothe42]

Oh, and brake work is on much newer vehicles than this, I should have originally stated! People DO NOT UNDERSTAND how DANGEROUS it is to drive with no brake pads and scraping metal upon metal upon the brake rotors (discs)! That, I believe, just destroys the entire vehicle brake system over time. I hear this because I walk so much over town. It also shows how cheap people are here in the US. I simply cannot afford a vehicle, it is a money pit, and trust me, I know. If you keep up on maintenance, it shouldn't be a problem.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@frothe42 , grinding brake discs is really not very good... The rust in this car was pretty catastrophic, what sort of inspection system do you have in your state? You are absolutely right, running this car for more than a few weeks could very much be a false economy.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@frothe42 , yes, that sound would principally be to do with mileage, but the discs can deteriorate over time if the car is not used, of course. I completely agree, you need to keep on top of the maintenance if you run a car.

[@colinhicks4174]

When we had to hire cars our company was so stingy that all we got was Peugeot 106s. Now if you were lucky you got a 1.4. Which was a nice engine and actually quite fun. Ideal city engine. The 1.1 was terrible. No acceleration, in any gear. The cars came with a rev counter, which waved the needle a bit but the car went no faster. I’ve only driven one slower 90s car. A Micra 1.0cvt.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Oh my goodness me! I learned to drive in a 1.1 Citroën Saxo, of which I actually reviewed an example on my channel last year, and they really aren't very fast. Safe for the driving school, I suppose, but no good for open roads, unless you absolutely thrash them. You are right, the 1.4 was much, much better. I have also driven a 1.0 K11 Micra and that was also deadly slow and handled like a yacht!

[@colinhicks4174]

Lloyd Vehicle Consulting Because I had numerous issues with the Primera I bought in 2001 I got to sample, I think, all engine variants of the K11(?) Micra. The 1.4 was nearly as entertaining as the PSA 1.4. The 1.0 manual was slow but at least the gears did something. It was 1.0 cvt that was terrible. So slow up even 30mph. And laughably it had a sport button. Which made a loud transmission, louder. But no faster.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Oh, the Primera... Was that the P12? Oh gosh, I don't think that I ever want to drive that 1.0 automatic. I did drive the 1.3 automatic and that was fine, the 1.4 was a slightly different version of the 1.3, I believe.

[@colinhicks4174]

Lloyd Vehicle Consulting The Primera was a 96 P reg 2.0 SE hatch. A nice car, but the issue was that the main dealer steam cleaned the engine and got water into the cylinders. The engine was not the same again.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@colinhicks4174 , that's pretty bad. Would that make it a late P10 Primera, then? I reviewed one of the earliest P10s on my channel last year, and really liked it, although it was a 1.6 with a carburettor and so it didn't have that much equipment...