Best Spec

[cooter]

We are currently on the lookout for our first Berlingo having had Ford Galaxys for the past 12 years or so. We don't need the 7 seats anymore, the 150pd diesel in our Galaxy has never been great on fuel and when the clutch went at 130,000 miles it cost just over £800 to replace the DMF assembly. So looking around and chatting to a mechanic friend of mine who has had a Partner van forever he suggested we go and look at the M59 Berlingo and its Partner twin and buy the best one we can within our budget. I am not bothered about whether I have a petrol or diesel one, Mechanic friend loves the 2.0hdi but isn't too keen on the 1.6hdi engine, maybe he has just seen more of them with problems than the 2.0ltr one. I think I quite fancy a petrol one, they don't seem to be as expensive to buy and looking after one appears to be cheaper with regard to parts etc. Hunting around on eBay and gumtree turns up loads of them, but what spec or model name is the best one? I like the versions with the small sunroofs (modutops?) and would like to have the air con that we currently have,but not sure whether it was ever fitted as standard? Any info on what I should be looking at would be appreciated

thanks   Mark

[ajcommercial]

Have you tried looking up the Berlingo on Wiki ? There is some useful information on engines etc there..

  I personally go for simplicity, air con and ABS etc are not for me, too much to go wrong for my liking..

 I have two 'Lingos, one a van which has PAS and electric windows and central locking and other than bushes etc I have had few issues and non I can't fix myself.. My other 'Lingo is a Multispace ( glass roof ) this is similar, electric windows, central locking, power ass steering but also has sliding side doors. Both vehicles are 2005 and 1.9D ( simple and fixable at home ).

 I did think about the 1.6HDI but the early ones had issues that seem to be contributed mainly to poor maintenance, some company vehicles don't get the treatment that you and I give our privately owned vehicles. It would seem the 1.6HDI needs a very expensive oil and the advice is to cut down the service intervals from 12k miles to 10k miles or something similar.. The second generation of 1.6HDI are supposed to be much more reliable as long as the advice regarding the service intervals is adhered to. There is also a 1.4HDI but I don't know if it is the Berlingo  yet.

 An option is arm rests, my Multispace has them but I find them pretty useless against the VW version.
 Another is the 'roof boxes', my Multispace has them and I am struggling to find a use for them, the hinges are pretty weak too..
 There are lots of other things to look out for such as wheel size and a service history is important unless you are competent with spanners ( as I am ).
 Air con ? some have it but I think it was and Option so not too many around.
 Some have a full length cloth sun roof too...
 Front fog lights, not all have them.
 Rear axles are a weak spot on all models.

 I have been to look at quite a few and rust on the underside seems more common than I was expecting, even the MOT tester tells me both mine are in great condition as far as rust goes. Exterior damage is what lets them down, other drivers just see a cheap Citroen and don't seem to be bothered when they bash their car doors into the side ggrrr, I have caught people and they don't even apologise..

[RevManiac]

Hey Mark!
I've had my 07 lingo for two months and it's been pretty faultless up to now. It's 1.6hdi bought with 100k on the clock with full service history. That's what the book says anyway...
Lovely engine and as aj and many others on here have said they are reportedly problem free if serviced properly. Like most engines...
Nice to drive and gives me 600 miles per tank mainly city driving. It's the Desire model and has everything I think I need except for air con and cruise control.
Loads of space and storage bins in floor and roof are handy. Kids call it the airplane car because of the cool roof boxes. (Watch the weak hinges)
Summer happened last week and I wished I had looked for a full length sunroof model when buying but maybe next time. Summer is finished anyway...

Things that annoy me?
Blind spot is huge in my view. See what I did there? I've bought some cheap stick on blind spot mirrors which have fixed that issue.
I don't like the flimsy sliding door handles which are (in my opinion) not great when closing the doors. I cringe watching passengers looking for something to hold on to. I much prefer the handles on later models.
My 5ft3" wife refuses to drive it as she claims she can't reach the pedals properly.
There are hundreds on the road. Not very exclusive. But maybe that is a good thing.
It's always shorter than I think it is. On different occasions I've shifted loads (doors/rabbit hutch) that are a bit too long for the cargo area. Make sure you measure first!
This link will probably help with specs but I can't vouch for accuracy. It doesn't give much info on air con though.
http://www.parkers.co.uk/citroen/berling...998/specs/

Hope that helps!
Happy shopping!
Rev