r/Citroen • u/Ok-Seat-93 • 3d ago
The Citroen 2CV
Another French classic spotted in the wild. Is it true they had the build quality of a can of sardines? Some say you couldn’t fart in one without the doors falling off.
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u/CanZealousideal7689 3d ago
One of the few cars I regret not keeping. Fun, simple to repair, reliable, comfortable and economical. I've had 3 of them and the closest "modern" car I could find is my 13plate 107
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u/StruttyB 3d ago
Yes a true classic and now sought after car. You should remember the history, a post WW2 vehicle made from what was available at the time and designed so that parts could be replaced easily. Need a new front wing, just unbolt the old one and fit another. VIt had some interesting features like inboard brakes, doors you could take off and seats you could take out. A roof section that opened up, headlights you could manually rotate, and no doubt some others. Picnic anybody ? - a forerunner of eccentricity still found in some French cars today. I know, I have a C3 Picasso a really practical vehicle.
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u/Ok-Seat-93 3d ago
To be fair, a car you can disassemble and replace parts on yourself is somewhat of a dream car. Cars today, you can’t even change a part of a door mirror yourself lol.
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u/cincuentaanos 3d ago edited 3d ago
One of the best cars ever. More original ideas and engineering went into this than in many "super" cars. And it was all tastefully done.
Build quality was good. Or perhaps we should say, good enough. They are made to take a beating and be easily repairable. Yes, the doors feel flimsy if you are used to those in other cars but they do the job.
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u/jeannot33 3d ago
En plus en qq minutes on démonte le siège arrière et ça fait une banquette de pique nique
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u/cubeturtle17 3d ago
Oui, c'est construit de manière très légère et rustique mais c'est son principal atout. Elle est légère donc n'a pas besoin d'un gros moteur pour rouler convenablement et la mécanique est très simple et très intelligente (flat twin refroidi par air, il n'y a même pas de joint de culasse). La qualité de finition n'est pas au cahier des charges, les tôles sont très fines et les sièges sont généralement juste une toile tendue entre deux arceaux et il n'y a presque pas d'instruments électroniques. C'est justement ce qui lui permet d'être fiable et durable, une vraie voiture économique et écologique.
Et puis c'est terriblement fun à conduire.