17-09-2012, 08:20 PM
For anyone interested in the older B's for financial or other reasons, thought we'd report on our first serious long trip with our 2002 Mk1 1.6i petrol (TU5JP4 engine) that we bought last February.
From Amsterdam via visiting friends in Middelburg, Brussels, Luxembourg, Carcassonne, to holiday house near Olivetta just North of Ventimiglia. Then a month there, driving back and forth over mountain roads to Sospel, Menton, Breil, and so on, carrying up to 500 kilos of cement and sand etc. Plus 10 days with the family's younger generation - 3 kids and parents - down to the beach and back.
Then back to amsterdam.
Total 5000 kilometres, mostly heavy-laden. Trip home included around 4 hours traffic jams.
Mpg for entire holiday came out at almost dead on 40 (1 litre gave us just over 14 kilometres, for the continentals). Oil consumption under half a litre for the whole holiday.
On the motorways we try and keep the speed under 110 kph (3000 revs) - not always easy, because the lady (that's the car) likes to go faster. We both tried to restrain ourselves on those fun windy mountain roads but that's not easy either, because the Blingo does them well!
Backgound: We were happy Citroen 1.9D drivers for many years - BX break and then ZX. BX did over 400,000 K's, ZX 375,000. We WANTED a Berlingo next, but had been doing fewer kilometres the last couple of years, so with the Dutch taxing system another diesel would not have been viable financially. So we decided for petrol this time, and found this lady after doing a lot of research, largely on this forum. Ironically, we now like her so much we are both driving far more - so we'd have been better off with an HDI, financially! Not going to change her now, though, no way, because she's just, erm, well you may know what I mean!
Since February, we've done around 12,000 k's. Niggles? Not many. Guests can''t open or close rear doors - been discussed here. On the track up and down to our valley in Italy, we miss the 1.9's 'unstoppability'. With the BX and its fantastic turning circle, you just stuck it into 2nd, put the suspension on 'high' got it going and then took your foot off all the pedals - she just did all the corners and steep bits for 2 miles all on her own. With the little 1.6 petrol engine you have to work the clutch and throttle, and the Berlingo turning circle means that some corners need 2 go's!
I have the impression, from reading lots of threads here and from our experience, that the 2002 models are quite a good bet - they have some of the good electronic bits and pieces which are good to have, without the extra goodies later which seem to have become a bit unreliable.
Our lady was bought with 140,000 k's on the clock, one owner and full service history. Underneath she looked incredibly clean when we looked her over - I think she must have lived in a garage at home. So we were lucky and found a good 'un! Only thing I've had to do was replace the heater control unit - and I still owe the forum a promised how-to on that as soon as I can find where I put my notes!
Bottom line is - after 6 months we both still smile every time we get into the car! She's quiet, comfortable and a pleasure to drive. And when I started this post I was just planning to briefly cratch: report on MPG figures........
From Amsterdam via visiting friends in Middelburg, Brussels, Luxembourg, Carcassonne, to holiday house near Olivetta just North of Ventimiglia. Then a month there, driving back and forth over mountain roads to Sospel, Menton, Breil, and so on, carrying up to 500 kilos of cement and sand etc. Plus 10 days with the family's younger generation - 3 kids and parents - down to the beach and back.
Then back to amsterdam.
Total 5000 kilometres, mostly heavy-laden. Trip home included around 4 hours traffic jams.
Mpg for entire holiday came out at almost dead on 40 (1 litre gave us just over 14 kilometres, for the continentals). Oil consumption under half a litre for the whole holiday.
On the motorways we try and keep the speed under 110 kph (3000 revs) - not always easy, because the lady (that's the car) likes to go faster. We both tried to restrain ourselves on those fun windy mountain roads but that's not easy either, because the Blingo does them well!
Backgound: We were happy Citroen 1.9D drivers for many years - BX break and then ZX. BX did over 400,000 K's, ZX 375,000. We WANTED a Berlingo next, but had been doing fewer kilometres the last couple of years, so with the Dutch taxing system another diesel would not have been viable financially. So we decided for petrol this time, and found this lady after doing a lot of research, largely on this forum. Ironically, we now like her so much we are both driving far more - so we'd have been better off with an HDI, financially! Not going to change her now, though, no way, because she's just, erm, well you may know what I mean!
Since February, we've done around 12,000 k's. Niggles? Not many. Guests can''t open or close rear doors - been discussed here. On the track up and down to our valley in Italy, we miss the 1.9's 'unstoppability'. With the BX and its fantastic turning circle, you just stuck it into 2nd, put the suspension on 'high' got it going and then took your foot off all the pedals - she just did all the corners and steep bits for 2 miles all on her own. With the little 1.6 petrol engine you have to work the clutch and throttle, and the Berlingo turning circle means that some corners need 2 go's!
I have the impression, from reading lots of threads here and from our experience, that the 2002 models are quite a good bet - they have some of the good electronic bits and pieces which are good to have, without the extra goodies later which seem to have become a bit unreliable.
Our lady was bought with 140,000 k's on the clock, one owner and full service history. Underneath she looked incredibly clean when we looked her over - I think she must have lived in a garage at home. So we were lucky and found a good 'un! Only thing I've had to do was replace the heater control unit - and I still owe the forum a promised how-to on that as soon as I can find where I put my notes!
Bottom line is - after 6 months we both still smile every time we get into the car! She's quiet, comfortable and a pleasure to drive. And when I started this post I was just planning to briefly cratch: report on MPG figures........