My wife wants a Citron, please help!

A Citroen is on my bucket list of foolish cars to own, at least for a little while.

Wonder if I can ever find one to rent for a weekend...

Supposedly one of the most comfortable cars to drive, ever. According to The Internet. Yes, I want one; it seems like the ultimate cruising car.

Jay wrote: I thought all DS were manual? I've never seen an automatic (I'm in Europe, you do see them here occasionally...) She might just have to learn.

IIRC, the IDs (Base trim) were manuals with a "standard" pedal configuration. The DSs (deluxe trim) were automatics with a button on the floor for brakes. I tried to buy a '68 ID19 not long after I got out of high school, but the owner waited too long to decide on a price. I had already bought something else by the time he made up his mind.

I'd say go for it. I (for reasons unbeknownst to me) love old French cars. I even like Columbo's Peugeot. Probably a good thing I don't have the funds to indulge these weird 'likes'.

DS is a weird automatic/manual controlled by the hydraulic system right? I havent ever seen an ID or an SM, but I know alot of SMs are a regular manual. Id say get an SM if you get one, that way you not only get to enjoy the complicated french hydraulics, but also the well thought out and high quality engineering of a maserati engine :P

Which one was the model that was sold in the US through the mid (late?) 1980's? I remember going to the auto show every year as a teenager and it was one of the cars I'd always sit and stare at. It looked a lot like the DS. Was it called the CM?

Citroen DS 21 Decapotable (1963-1971)

Decopatable = Decapitated?

Car is sooooo cool but I'm really getting a chubby over the Caddy behind it!

Incredible cars, and when you compare them to Brit cars of the same generation, the Brit stuff looks like Fred Flintstones technology.

Guy by the name of Satch Carlson who wrote for AutoWeek used to own and write about his Citroen MS. Can't say as I would run out and buy one as transportation based on his musings, but as an Object d'art it seems to serve a purpose.

My late uncle owned two of them, a 1964 DS-21 and a 1972 D Special. Had to be the most oddball car I've ever ridden in (I was too young to drive at the time). The '64 had a little button on the floorboard instead of a brake pedal; it had less than an inch of travel. It didn't come with a jack; instead you put the suspension up to its highest position, inserted a jack stand, then dropped the lever down to its lowest position and watched as the wheel magically rose up into the well. He did a clutch replacement at my house once - it took all day because you had to pull the engine.

Klayfish wrote: Which one was the model that was sold in the US through the mid (late?) 1980's? I remember going to the auto show every year as a teenager and it was one of the cars I'd always sit and stare at. It looked a lot like the DS. Was it called the CM?

You're thinking of the Maserati-powered SM that others have mentioned.

iceracer wrote: I have a friend who runs a Citroen restore and repair business. Another that has a SM that he drives quite regularly. Interesting cars.

Imagine having a hobby that you enjoy AND can make money at!
I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around that one.

Dan

If your wife wants a Citroen, let her buy one. And pay to have one of the 3 Citroen specialists left in the world to fix it.

Honestly, I can not stand people who see a car, like it, and want to buy one, without any information or research.

SM ended in 74. First diesel CXs, then later gas CXs and XMs were imported later and sold in small amounts.

EvanR wrote: Honestly, I can not stand people who see a car, like it, and want to buy one, without any information or research.

You've just described every car enthusiast, ever. Do you claim that there's not a single car out there that you have an irrational craving for? Do you have a pulse?

EvanR wrote: Honestly, I can not stand people who see a car, like it, and want to buy one, without any information or research.

Which is exactly why I came here to ask about it(after finding less than I'd hoped on Google).

Honestly, looking at the prices on a good one, we're a year or 2 out on buying something like that. Though if I found a rough but mechanically sorted driver for a couple grand I could do evil things with it.

EvanR wrote: If your wife wants a Citroen, let her buy one. And pay to have one of the 3 Citroen specialists left in the world to fix it. Honestly, I can not stand people who see a car, like it, and want to buy one, without any information or research.

I hear you.

"But it' so cuTe"

dculberson wrote:

EvanR wrote: Honestly, I can not stand people who see a car, like it, and want to buy one, without any information or research.

You've just described every car enthusiast, ever. Do you claim that there's not a single car out there that you have an irrational craving for? Do you have a pulse?

Well, sure there are. I want a Bugeye Sprite. Doesn't mean I'm gonna buy one.

amg_rx7 wrote:

EvanR wrote: If your wife wants a Citroen, let her buy one. And pay to have one of the 3 Citroen specialists left in the world to fix it. Honestly, I can not stand people who see a car, like it, and want to buy one, without any information or research.

I hear you. "But it' so cuTe"

That right here is exactly how i came to pay for an Escort GT.

Travis_K wrote: ... I havent ever seen an ID or an SM, but I know alot of SMs are a regular manual...

You might have seen an ID and not known it as it differs little visually from a DS. It's just a lower trim level/less optioned car of the same body style.

I have only ever seen 3, and I got to see them up close, (and follow one on a windy road too, it was surprisingly fast).

EvanR wrote: Well, sure there are. I want a Bugeye Sprite. Doesn't mean I'm gonna buy one.

See, you want one, but haven't bought one. Pete's wife hasn't bought a Citroen, either..

My roomate in college had a DS19. It was always parked at the back of the lot with my TR4, and it was always a challenge to get either to run two days in a row! To be honest, it was usually the hydrolic system on his that was the issue. They are very complex and run EVERYTHING. It usually was sitting on the ground not able to rise to the correct height to be driven. Motor-wise I think it was very reliable.

When it was running, it was a revelation if you weren't used to it. It handled pretty well, but you could barely feel bumps of any kind. Lots of room inside too. I always wanted to trade cars when I had a date.

The trick to one is getting one with a restored hydrolic system, and have paperwork to back it up. I think some trimp pieces are also very difficult to source, so make sure it is complete. Personally, I really liked it. And I'd definitely take one over an SM. While it is faster and nicer, it lacks some of the DS's charm, and is a whole lot more troublesome. And I don't think it drives all that much better.

I still regret not buying a 2CV Van that I could have gotten cheap, but have never run across a good DS. I say if she wants one, start looking!

Sounds like it has something in common with the mercedes 6.9er in that if the suspension craps out the car is toast. I hear on the mercedes it is like 5000$ to rebuild the hydraulic suspension if you can find someone who knows what they are doing.

You see DS around periodically but never SM. For all the jokes and stuff about the french it is obvious they take engineering pretty seriously. Thanks, now I want one! The DS is so quirky looking it stands alone, you aren't going to mistake it for something else in the parking lot.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/2234723102.html

The SM's I've driven had some strange characteristics for a FWD car... like snap oversteer.

Design wise the DS's real failing is the agricultural engine... the SM fixes that but introduces a high level of complexity. Too bad there wasn't something in between.

The good news is that the DS hydraulics are (relatively) reliable and (relatively) inexpensive to fix. I wouldn't put them in the same class as a 6.3

There are also ID's out there (a stripped down DS with no power steering, no power braking, and no semi-automatic hydraulic gearbox) but I'd go for a 5sp manual trans DS.