Top Gear Clip Show: James May on 'The Goddess'

"KirkyV" (KirkyV) 06/29/2014 at 12:14 • Filed to: Citroen, DS, Top Gear, James May

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Someday, I will own a car with hydro-pneumatic suspension. I shall make sure of it.

Jayhawk Jake > KirkyV 06/29/2014 at 12:23

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Hydropneumatic would be great, but I'll take magnetic ride control over it any day

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > KirkyV 06/29/2014 at 12:28

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"Someday, I will own a car with hydro-pneumatic suspension. I shall make sure of it."

You're a braver man than I...

KirkyV > Jayhawk Jake 06/29/2014 at 12:31

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Magnetic ride control is cool, but it doesn't have the classic charm of hydropneumatic suspension, and - correct me if I'm wrong - doesn't allow for quite the same degree of party-piece ride-height adjustment. And besides, where I live, cars with hydropneumatic are a fair bit easier to get hold of.

KirkyV > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 06/29/2014 at 12:33

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Ah, yes, I didn't say I'd try to work on it myself. Those magic green balls are well beyond me. I've heard that the system's reputation for less-than-stellar reliability is somewhat exaggerated, so I'm hoping that, if I get hold of, say, a half-decent CX and maintain it, it won't require too much specialist work.

Of course, this is all a matter of hope for the future. My next car might well be a Citroen, but it'll certainly have conventional suspension.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > KirkyV 06/29/2014 at 12:54

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I have my eye on a citroen at the moment too. C4 1.6 hdi. Probably going to view it on tuesday. The electrics on those scare me almost as much as that suspension though...

KirkyV > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 06/29/2014 at 13:02

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I have simple needs; the Citroen I'm looking at is a Saxo VTR. Still the potential for electrical maladies, but there's not nearly as much to go wrong—and besides, I've had a 106 for two years, and it's been perfectly reliable.

Good luck with the C4! If I were looking for something along those lines, I'd probably get a Focus - they're supposedly better to drive, and there's absolutely no shortage of decent examples - but the C4's certainly a more interesting choice, and you have to love the steering wheel.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > KirkyV 06/29/2014 at 13:13

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C4 is mainly because its interesting but also very cheap. £1'000 and has fresh timing belt and in great condition with full tax and mot. Might not like it since havent had a good look yet but cant hurt to view it.

Saxo VTRs have a bit of a reputation around here as a popular boy racer car so I'd be really wary of it having been thrashed. Would need a very thorough inspection.

KirkyV > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 06/29/2014 at 13:23

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Focii tend to be cheap as, too - the sheer number of examples sees to that - but you would be getting an older car for the same amount of money, and you can't argue with a decent service history, a lot of tax, and close to a year's MOT.

As for the Saxo, it'll almost certainly have received some measure of thrashing. But they're really cheap, with cheap parts, and cheap labour costs - 106s and Saxos are really easy to work on, according to the garage where I have my car serviced, and so jobs generally don't take all that long - so I should be able to get away with it. The two things you've really got to look out for are the torsion beam and head gasket.

Insurance on 106 GTis seems to have dropped in price significantly over the last week - my new cheapest quote is £1500 - so I'm thinking of just saving up a little extra and getting one of those. I've done some working out, and it looks like it'd only cost me about £5-600 more than the VTR, factoring in insurance and cost of purchase. And it's definitely £600 more car.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > KirkyV 06/29/2014 at 13:32

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Yeah I'd be happy to pay the extra for a gti. Saxos and pugs probably are very easy to work on, I do a lot of car work and cars that age and size tend to be like a big meccano set, just with a little more rust... Focii tend to be surprisingly expensive for a rust free (i hate rust) example and the diesels are surprisingly rare too. I'm looking at £1500 for an acceptable one which may be what I end up with if the C4 isnt to my tastes.

Jedidiah > KirkyV 06/29/2014 at 14:33

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I appreciate how progressive the cars were and I will take a comfortable suspension any day over a firm one, but I just don't see why people consider these beautiful.

Are they just calling it beautiful because it is so different? They just don't look pleasing to my eye; a bunch of awkward little details and awkward proportions.

KirkyV > Jedidiah 06/29/2014 at 15:23

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Oh, hydropneumatic suspension doesn't just do comfortable. That Xantia's completely standard.

Aesthetics are entirely subjective, of course, but I do genuinely find the DS - particularly in facelifted, swivelling-headlight form - beautiful.

Jedidiah > KirkyV 06/29/2014 at 16:05

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I have nothing against the car; they were incredibly important and I love good suspensions more than anything else in the world.

I think alot of people associate the progressivism with beauty. I guess I like cars that are more traditional better.