Bye bye Berlingo

[njkmr]

Well fellas its sad time to say "goodbye" to the 2003 Berlingo we have had since new.77K on the clock and still going strong.
Few clunks from underneath and possibly the suspension/steering .Clutch may be getting worn and a leak into the drivers footwell which I have not tracked down the root cause of.

But overall it has been almost 10 yrs of trouble free motoring.Only had to replace a battery that let me down one morning about 7 yrs ago.Car not worth much now so I don't want to start spending on something that has no value. It has basically been used for ferrying the kids about and also a mobile skip taking all sorts of rubbish to the tip from building rubble to garden waste.It really has earned its money for me ,including a few long trips for holidays in France thrown in ,without any dramas at all.

But the good news is we pick up our new one in a few days.!!!!
Gone for the vtr airdream model.
Never liked the gear mechanism/shift on our old one as it was like a stick in a bucket !! Hence saw the auto box model and thought give it a go.Thought long and hard about getting something different but nothing fits the bill like the Berlingo. We use ours all the time for collecting wood for the log burner ,moving my sons cricket stuff about for him and collecting large items for us and family and friends so nothing else can beat the Berlingo in my book.Kids took some persuading ,so I said I would black out the rear windows for incognito travel for them !!Cheeky beggars.
Road tax is only £30 as opposed to £175 so that makes sense also, not to mention the potential 60 mpg.
Going to put a set of 17 inch alloys on as I like it to look a little different (had the leopard alloys on the old one),to go with the tints.May also chrome the handles and wing mirror covers.
I have had all manner of cars in the past and am a petrol head but theres something about the Berlingo (probably the practicality and reliability) that has me coming back for more.
Looking forward to another 10 yrs of Berlingo ownership.
Apols for the long post brothers !!:lol:

[eame64]

Nice write up,enjoy the new model.

[njkmr]

Yep im sure we will enjoy the new one.Thank You
Regards
Rob

[demag]

You sound a bit like me njkmr. Usually trips to the tip, moving stuff for the family, trips to the seaside etc. I have owned many Citroens over the years and had a few, but not that many problems. I always wanted a Berlingo but somehow never got round to actually buying one. My first similar car was a Fiat Multipla about 5 years ago. It was the 115hp diesel but when fully loaded with 6 adults was a bit flat. So I chipped it to about 125hp and that made a LOT of difference! It was a nice car, very quirky, but the heater was useless and the clutch pedal was on the floor which is a common fault with them. Then I bought a Reno Grand Scenic. Big mistake! That was moved on very quickly. Next was a 54 plate Kia Carens diesel auto. A lovely solid motor but mpg was dreadful so I p/x'd that for my current Skoda Roomster a couple of years ago. The Skoda is spot on, doing 50-60mpg all the time. However it does have a few flaws. The heater is very mediocre, it doesn't really get hot but more warm and stuffy. It's not possible to have warm/hot air on your feet and cool air on your face. Everything is the same uncomfortable temperature. I had to change the headlamp bulbs for aftermarket ones because they were like two candles and it is just a touch small for me. So, I pick my Vtr Hdi Berlingo up on Saturday all being well. I hope all goes well with yours.

[njkmr]

Excellent demag,
I am sure you will be pleased with it.
I cant really fault ours for the last ten years service it gave us. I am hoping the new one will be just as good. They are a bit quirky and not really something you brag about in the pub but , you can just get in and go. Five of us to the south of France fully loaded returning about 50 mpg is what its all about these days. Low loading area at the back makes getting things in so easy .Just sweep it out if it gets dirty, just so practical.
Then we talk about 30 quid road tax .I just cant wait to have to renew it . I am feeling "smug" already !!
Hoping to get ours this weekend if we get chance to go for it ,amongst all the other things we have to do at weekends .
What colour did you go for? Any other bits on it ?
Regards
Rob.

[peterm6148]

Well fellas its sad time to say "goodbye" to the 2003 Berlingo we have had since new.77K on the clock and still going strong.
Few clunks from underneath and possibly the suspension/steering .Clutch may be getting worn and a leak into the drivers footwell which I have not tracked down the root cause of.

But overall it has been almost 10 yrs of trouble free motoring.Only had to replace a battery that let me down one morning about 7 yrs ago.Car not worth much now so I don't want to start spending on something that has no value. It has basically been used for ferrying the kids about and also a mobile skip taking all sorts of rubbish to the tip from building rubble to garden waste.It really has earned its money for me ,including a few long trips for holidays in France thrown in ,without any dramas at all.

But the good news is we pick up our new one in a few days.!!!!
Gone for the vtr airdream model.
Never liked the gear mechanism/shift on our old one as it was like a stick in a bucket !! Hence saw the auto box model and thought give it a go.Thought long and hard about getting something different but nothing fits the bill like the Berlingo. We use ours all the time for collecting wood for the log burner ,moving my sons cricket stuff about for him and collecting large items for us and family and friends so nothing else can beat the Berlingo in my book.Kids took some persuading ,so I said I would black out the rear windows for incognito travel for them !!Cheeky beggars.
Road tax is only £30 as opposed to £175 so that makes sense also, not to mention the potential 60 mpg.
Going to put a set of 17 inch alloys on as I like it to look a little different (had the leopard alloys on the old one),to go with the tints.May also chrome the handles and wing mirror covers.
I have had all manner of cars in the past and am a petrol head but theres something about the Berlingo (probably the practicality and reliability) that has me coming back for more.
Looking forward to another 10 yrs of Berlingo ownership.
Apols for the long post brothers !!:lol:

Its been a good work horse for you,and don't owe you anything.
Good look with the new one.

[demag]

Hiya Rob it's metallic blue, it's not new but 08 plate. If you check my posts I did put some pics on here the other day. I went for a test drive in the week and it was really enjoyable, I liked it straightaway. It has the Modutop which I really like. I didn't even know it was fitted until I got to the garage to view it. It also has rear parking sensors and aircon so a few extras fitted. There may be more stuff that I don't know about. What I like is fuel economy is reported to be only slightly worse than the Roomster which is amazing for such a large vehicle. My road tax is £125 I think or something similar. The Roomster is the same but the Berlingo is a much lower insurance group so all in all I think running costs will be more or less the same. I only do 8000 miles a year anyway, most of the time I'm within 20 miles of home. I like quirky, the nearest thing I did to "normal" was the Scenic and that was a disaster. My first run will be to Llandudno in July and I'm quite looking forward to it. I'll get the oil and filter done first. I always liked the Mk II's but don't they hold their value. They fetch big money even with huge miles on. But I saw this one and although it's average miles at 48k and a very early Mk III, the price was right so I did the deal.

[njkmr]

Hiya Rob it's metallic blue, it's not new but 08 plate. If you check my posts I did put some pics on here the other day. I went for a test drive in the week and it was really enjoyable, I liked it straightaway. It has the Modutop which I really like. I didn't even know it was fitted until I got to the garage to view it. It also has rear parking sensors and aircon so a few extras fitted. There may be more stuff that I don't know about. What I like is fuel economy is reported to be only slightly worse than the Roomster which is amazing for such a large vehicle. My road tax is £125 I think or something similar. The Roomster is the same but the Berlingo is a much lower insurance group so all in all I think running costs will be more or less the same. I only do 8000 miles a year anyway, most of the time I'm within 20 miles of home. I like quirky, the nearest thing I did to "normal" was the Scenic and that was a disaster. My first run will be to Llandudno in July and I'm quite looking forward to it. I'll get the oil and filter done first. I always liked the Mk II's but don't they hold their value. They fetch big money even with huge miles on. But I saw this one and although it's average miles at 48k and a very early Mk III, the price was right so I did the deal.

Excellent.
I will have a look for the pics.
Enjoy.

[njkmr]

Hi Guys,
quick update. Picked the new one up tonight and enjoyed the nice 40 mile drive home.
Obviously early days yet with only 50 odd miles on the clock but went well down the motorway. Auto feels pretty good ,cruise is easy to use and the comfort felt really good. Think my old seats were a little worn so the new ones seem much better as well as having the height adjustment.
Just need to decide on what size alloys to put on it. I was thinking of 17,s but I am now thinking 18,s might be a bit better ,looks wise. I know the comfort will suffer a bit with the 18,s but I am more into the look than the ride.
Whats your opinions on the wheel size fellas.?
Your views appreciated.
Regards
Rob.

[demag]

Well done on the new one Rob glad you liked it. I have to admit I don't like alloys but the Roomster had them on and they were ok. Personally I would go with the 17's more for reliability than anything else. I think the smaller the tyre wall the more chance of damage to both the tyre and the rim. I don't know what the roads are like by you but they are awful here. Did you take out gap insurance? Citroen tried to push their product rather aggressively, probably good commission for the sales staff. But I went with ALA. I transferred the policy from the Skoda and paid 40 quid to top it back up.