Someone buy this $5,000 Citroen DS so I don't have to.

"Jim Spanfeller" (awesomeaustinv)
10/06/2020 at 14:35 • Filed to: Citroën

My dream car. For a ridiculously low price. In Washington, so it’s not insanely far away. Looks complete and solid with the exception of some rust on the trunk. And it has the green globe system, which I think is the good one. And I even like the color. If I had five grand and a place to put it, I’d probably buy this in a heartbeat. But I don’t, so I can’t, so I’m showing this to all of you so you can struggle to find excuses not to buy it also.

https://spokane.craigslist.org/cto/d/medical-lake-71-citron-ds-21/7205831032.html

Of course, it most likely doesn’t run and the hydropneumatic suspension will most likely require a lot of work, but even so... It’s a freakin’ DS! For five grand! And it doesn’t look like total garbage! Sigh...

DISCUSSION (27)

MM54 > Jim Spanfeller
10/06/2020 at 14:40

I like it, but it’s on the other side of the country from me and I really don’t need another project right now.

Jim Spanfeller > MM54
10/06/2020 at 14:43

So it’s a road trip excuse! And what’s one more project?

Okay, listening to me is probably unwise.

lone_liberal > Jim Spanfeller
10/06/2020 at 14:43

It’s about 40 minutes from me, but I like being married so I’ll have to pass.

Jim Spanfeller > lone_liberal
10/06/2020 at 14:45

Eh... That’s probably fair.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Jim Spanfeller
10/06/2020 at 14:45

Kinja'd!!!

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Jim Spanfeller
10/06/2020 at 14:45

Green globe suspension system

I’m not convinced this guy really knows a lot about what he has but clearly he knows some . I’m really tempted by this. It’s one of my favorite cars of all time for a really low price, but I simply can’t afford to buy a cheap Citroen.

CURSE YOU FOR LETTING ME KNOW WHAT I’M MISSING!

And what is this trash photography? I want to see it, dangit!

Jim Spanfeller > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
10/06/2020 at 14:47

I would, but I don’t have the money. Like, even if I don’t eat or buy anything else for the rest of the year, I can’t afford it. I have enough money to buy groceries every now and then and keep my T-bird running and that’s about it. Such is the life of a college student.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Jim Spanfeller
10/06/2020 at 14:48

So, you’re saying you are putting all your money into luxury items...

I mean, you can always find another family, but where are you going to find another resto-grade DS on this continent?

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Jim Spanfeller
10/06/2020 at 14:48

I don’t like the ones with the newer dash, it looks much worse, the older one is so cool. I don’t remember the year it changes but it’s around 69. I have always wanted one, they sold them in San Francisco and there are still a few around. I’m told that there are two mechanics in SF that can work on them, I ran into an sf French Car Club dude one time, in his DS Safari!

Kinja'd!!!

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > lone_liberal
10/06/2020 at 14:49

Marriage is OK, I guess, but does it have to be THIS marriage when a resto-ready DS hangs in the balance?

-- Asking for a Socially-Challenged Friend

Jim Spanfeller > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
10/06/2020 at 14:52

It’s in a barn or shed or something, which I imagine makes it a bit tricky to get the whole thing in a shot. And if it doesn’t run, it probably seems like to much work to drag it into the sunlight for photos only to push it back in. Still, I’m with you on wanting more photos. And I imagine this is one of those things where “If you can’t afford an expensive one, you can’t afford a cheap one”. Though maybe getting it running and fixing the suspension would be enough. If I have to live with a rusty trunk and old paint, I can. I just want to experience what’s it’s like to drive a DS.

krustywantout > Jim Spanfeller
10/06/2020 at 14:55

From what little I know about the complex hydro- p ne umatic suspension , I think he can give it to you for free and you’d still be underwater. These cars need constant maintenance to survive and this one doesn’t look like it has. Unless you are an expert in these cars and can rebuild everything yourself, you will be wasting a lot of money on parts or paying someone else to rebuild them . CP

Jim Spanfeller > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
10/06/2020 at 14:57

I’m trying to convince myself that someday I’ll see another cheap DS like this.. . Ever notice how e veryone on Oppo is like that little cartoon devil that stands on people’s shoulders in cartoons and argues back and forth with the angel on the other shoulder?

Jim Spanfeller > krustywantout
10/06/2020 at 14:59

Thanks, I needed that. Th ough I’m sure some experienced DS restorer is gonna love this. These things are worth like 20-70 grand in good condition, that’s a good amount of wiggle room for fixing things up.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Jim Spanfeller
10/06/2020 at 15:11

It can be difficult to photograph something in close quarters but the seller definitely could have done better without dragging it out into the sunlight.

I’d be more than happy to let my luggage fall out of rust holes in the trunk if it meant I got to drive one of these things. I don’t have the mechanical know how to do even a basic engine refresh on the comparatively simple four cylinder engine, much less fiddle with the hydropneumatic suspension. And I sure can’t afford to pay someone else to do it. I probably couldn’t even get it back to my home state on a flatbed with my shoestring budget.

krustywantout > Jim Spanfeller
10/06/2020 at 15:14

Trying to restore a car like this is like like having a relationship with a prostitute. You think you can change them with love, understanding, and financial stability. But they’ll take all of your money and all you’ll be left with is an STD; in this car’s case teta nus.

Jim Spanfeller > krustywantout
10/06/2020 at 15:42

But it’s really fun when it works, right? ;)

onlytwowheels > Jim Spanfeller
10/06/2020 at 16:48

I don’t see $5k as cheap for this.

MM54 > Jim Spanfeller
10/06/2020 at 18:08

If you can get me out of my upcoming few weeks of work travel and somehow exchange it to going out to get this, sure.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Jim Spanfeller
10/06/2020 at 18:55

It would require work to get sorted again, but ONCE they are sorted, they are more reliable than people give them credit for. The suspension and accumulator spheres can last like, 40k kms before needing to be rebuilt. You just have to make sure the hydraulic hoses and the like are in good shape and that the LHM is topped off.

I know because a semi-retired fellow I sometimes work with for my side gig doing computer repairs at a local community company owns a Citroen SM (GORGEOUS) and used to own a DS before that and I’ve talked to him at length about both one day and he said it was usually minor preventative maintenance rather than huge replacement costs and the like! He uses the SM fairly regularly in the summer too, and...I mean...the SM is a Citroen with a Maserati engine, so that’s like two of the supposedly most unreliable brands stuck together and it’s been fine for him!

His SM:

Kinja'd!!!

Jim Spanfeller > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
10/06/2020 at 19:33

Niiiice!

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > Jim Spanfeller
10/06/2020 at 20:52

There’s a guy that lives near me that has one. I actually saw it on the road the other day.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Jim Spanfeller
10/06/2020 at 21:35

It is pretty damn awesome. I saw it again not too long ago too!

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/dots-fancy-french-edition-1844741553

Jb boin > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
10/06/2020 at 22:04

Exactely, it’s not overly complicated, it’s just hydraulic !

Spheres for DS are still available on normal online parts store from at least 4 or 5 different parts manufacturers and cost between 25€ and 60€ (depending on which model and the part manufacturer) .

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Jb boin
10/06/2020 at 22:35

Yup, a lot of people (especially us North Americans), seem to claim their reliability was really bad from being so complicated, but that really wasn’t true...they were just harder to work on over here because back in the day, it was harder to get parts and harder to find shops that understood HOW to work on them. They’re really not as complicated as people think!

duurtlang > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
10/07/2020 at 06:36

No they really aren’t. They are not the most reliable cars in the world ever made nor are they the most simple. However, if maintained normally they are reliable for their era and not over complicated. Just different . And parts availability is downright excellent, when taking the era into account.

I see tons of them during nice days in the Netherlands. The DS is one of the most common classic cars there.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > duurtlang
10/07/2020 at 06:54

Well, I never said they were the most reliable in the world, I just meant that they are no less reliable than other cars if upkept correctly :)

Parts availability was great in Europe, but over here, Citroen wasn’t exactly as commonplace, so they were considered unreliable HERE because Clem at the local gas station didn’t know how to work on them compared to something like a simple-as-bricks Chevy Impala land yacht and parts were harder to get because far fewer dealerships and everything had to be imported. :)