A Spectacular Citroën DS, A Swede Wagon, And One More French Connection: Members’ Rides

Good evening Autopian friends, it’s time for another installment of Members’ Rides!  Last week, I had the opportunity to share Rob’s fantastic classic Benz, as well as his Arctic Circle exploring motorcycles. We’re going to continue the theme of classic European cars this week, but we’re moving from Germany to France – well, actually to the Netherlands, but the classic car is French!

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Meet Bram (Boeman), a product designer living just outside of Amsterdam, working on everything from coffee machines to strollers. Bram’s got a collection of quirky Euro cars that I absolutely love, and I’m sure you will too!

How did you get into cars?

My parents don’t care about cars; for them, they’re just transport. Me, I walked with a toy stroller filled with model cars. I am a product designer and always like the combination of design and clever engineering. The Citroën DS is the perfect car to demonstrate the combination. Beautiful design with groundbreaking technical innovations (at the time).

What’s currently in the garage?

• 2005 Volvo V70
• 2011 Citroën C3
• 1969 Citroën DS

How long have you had the V70?

This is actually my second V70, the first was a 2000. The old one had had a few issues in a short time. It had left us stranded once with a stuck AC compressor, which resulted in a melted drive belt. We were on a long trip, but were forced to return home without power steering and a non-charging battery. In the week after that, I heard that someone was parting with his V70. I knew the guy was meticulous with his cars, so that felt good.

What do you like about the Volvo?

First, it is a wagon. I find that to be the most practical type of car, and personally, I like the looks of a wagon. Secondly, in general, a Volvo stays reliable over the years. There are not many big wagons that are over 15 years old that you can run without too many issues. And in case something happens, we have a good Volvo specialist around the corner, so that helps. Lastly, the seats of the Volvo are great.

Is the new one basically the same as the old one?

My old one was a 2.4T, whereas the new one has the 2.5T, and as a bonus one of the previous owners has had it tuned. It produces around 235 hp and is properly quick for a family car.

How does this typically get used?

This is one of the two dailies. It actually belongs to my wife, but I drive it most often, as she prefers the smaller size of my C3. I work from home and on project sites, depending on the project. So sometimes it is used daily, sometimes hardly at all. If we drive with the family, this is the standard car.

How has it been for you?

As with any car, it can have issues. Despite it looking very tidy during the test drive, I missed the fact that the steering rack had an issue. It had a wobble, but only in high-speed corners to the left. So that needed replacing. The original interior looked ok, but had multiple worn stitches, so we replaced the interior with a quite unique two-color leather interior. In the two years that we have had the car, the rear discs and calipers have been replaced, we replaced the tires, the aircon currently is not working. But it always starts, and there are no electrical gremlins so far.

Did you consider some other wagons or know that you wanted another V70?

Before the first V70 we had two VW Passats. They were great cars, bigger on the inside than the V70, but better to maneuver because of the round nose and smaller turning circle. But they have lots of issues when they get older and not many mechanics who specialise in these cars. After the first V70 I just wanted another Volvo so we could stay with our mechanic.

What kind of shape is it in?

This one is in good shape. Paint is nice, as I said, we replaced the interior with a unique leather interior.

Anything you don’t like about the V70?

It has quite the turning circle – we always call it the supertanker if we have to turn. And it is not the most economical if you look at the gasoline consumption. We have two kids who are now adult-sized, and one of them has a boyfriend. If we are with five in the car, the backseat is complaining about the lack of leg space.

What led to the purchase of the C3?

I just started my business and needed a car. I initially thought of buying something smaller, like a Renault Twingo or Citroën C1. But the C3 is much better on the highway, you can have conversations on the phone etc. This version of the C3 is the e-hdi, a diesel with start-stop technology. It has very low emissions, and at the time of the purchase, that resulted in some subsidy from the government.

How do you like this?

I really like this car. The diesel engine is very smooth – it’s a 1.6 diesel with 90 horsepower, which is more than enough for the light car.

What’s the use case for this one?

This is the other daily. For the first eight years or so, I drove it most of the time, but my wife prefers this one over the Volvo, as it is more nimble in the city. She has to use it for work in the city and has to park it everywhere, so that makes sense. It is also the car that my daughter uses a lot from the moment she got her driver’s license.

What kind of condition is it in after nearly 15 years?

I would say not too bad, but it could be better. My wife doesn’t care about cars, and it shows. I have to take it to the carwash. And since my wife and daughter share horses as a hobby, the car is always full of horse stuff (and it smells like a horse as well). The car is nicknamed the horsemobile, do I have to say more?

Has it been pretty reliable for you?

Very reliable until last year. My daughter got stranded with a broken clutch pressure plate. It was summer, and the only option was the dealer. They replaced everything regarding the clutch, resulting in a big bill. Then, a few months ago, it started throwing engine lights. There is a bag of additives somewhere hidden in the car that had to be replaced. Then the particle filter was failing, so that was replaced. The latest issue is even worse: we are not allowed to drive it currently because of a recall. The airbags have to be replaced. They are the infamous Takata airbags, but Citroën has taken its time before they started replacing them. Recently, a woman died in France because of a faulty airbag, and we have been told not to drive it.

What’s the best thing about it?

Very, very economical with diesel. If I drive it carefully, it will manage 20-25 km/liter (47-58 mpg). The engine is also very nice to drive.

Anything you don’t like?

The seats are fine, but a little bit too small for me, so with longer trips I get tired after an hour. And because the car is so light, it is quite a handful when there is much wind. It is the Netherlands, and we live close to the sea, so often quite a lot of wind here.

Will you hold onto the C3 until it dies?

No real plan. I am a person who has had the same mobile phone for five years. Same with cars – why replace something when it still works? So it probably will stay here until it dies.

Now, how did you end up with that beautiful DS?

I have a cousin who already had quite the car collection when he finished University. He bought this DS back in 1996 when he lived in France. In the following years, he collected two more DSs, a DS break, and a DS Pallas. I really loved the looks of the car and all the technical innovations, so when he decided to sell the DSuper, I bought it – this was in 2000.

How much work have you had to put into it over the years?

It was in pretty good shape when I got it. I have driven it from the first day. The first ten years with regular maintenance, swapping parts when needed, and sometimes upgrades. After two years, I had it in storage for a year. During that time, I removed the roof and repaired the rusty bits around the front window. The roof was repainted and bolted back, and I drove for another nine years without too many problems.

In 2011, I decided to tackle the rust on the exterior panels.  I also have a dedicated mechanic for this car, and he did almost everything with this restoration. The great thing about the DS is that you can unbolt every panel from the car. All rust was removed and repaired, complete with new door boxes (the bottom half of the inside of the door). After welding, the panels were stripped of all paint with heat. Then the panels had an electrophoretic deposition (EPD), similar to modern cars. This will prevent rust for a very long time. The result was great, and now, 14 years later, the exterior still is in great shape.

Is it stock, or have you made some modern improvements?

The car has some improvements. My cousin already swapped the original four-speed gearbox for a five-speed from a later model. It runs on LPG, which has a slightly higher ignition temperature. The head was removed five years ago and replaced with a head with hardened valve seats to cope with the higher temperature. We had a lot of heat issues, mostly when we were on holiday with a fully loaded car, towing a travel trailer up the hills in France in the summer. I swapped the original two-row radiator for a three-row radiator from later models. I ran on petrol when it got hot, but still sometimes had the engine running too hot. Eight or so years ago, my mechanic found a way to install a modern aluminium radiator. Since then, I have had no heating issues anymore.

The original interior was a skai (fake leather) interior, which I still have, but when I bought it, it had a black leather interior. When I restored the exterior, I also had the interior done with new brown leather. I also have a John Gold cruise control installed. The control unit is integrated into the dashboard with custom 3D printed parts to let it blend in as much as possible. I am a product designer and have a 3D printer at home, so that one was easy.

Does this DS need anything else, or is it “done”?

Actually, it does need more – more power please! It is not a fast car, I know that. The five-speed with longer gearing doesn’t help. With the travel trailer, things were ok, but six years ago we bought an RV trailer, which is much bigger and much heavier. It is ok in the Netherlands (flat country), but it already struggles on a big bridge. So I haven’t dared to take the combination to France yet. My plan is now to upgrade the engine. The cylinder liners can be removed from the block, so by changing the liners and pistons I want to enlarge the engine from 2.0 to 2.3 litres, the biggest engine that was available for the DS. This way, we will get about 20% extra power and torque.

How often do you drive it?

Never in the winter season. After they start salt sprinkling in November/December, I keep the car inside until the next spring, and only after it has rained enough to wash away the salt. Then I have it stored in a garage with a door opening that is only five centimeters more than the width of the DS. So it takes some time to get it out. As a result, I do not use it a lot for grocery shopping.

What is your favorite thing about the DS?

So much. The looks, the comfort, the smell inside. When you drive, you get relaxed instantly. All the people smile and wave when I drive it, so it always makes me happier when I drive it.

Any chance you would ever let it go?

Never say never, but I regard the DS as part of the family, so I always say it stays forever.

Thank you for sharing, Bram!

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