Driven: Scruffy Citroen C15 van - much gaffer tape!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- Joyous scenes, as HubNut puts a Citroen C15 van through its paces is this Deliciously Dreadful road test. This one is a 2002, with the DW8 diesel non-turbo engine. This video is sponsored by Lancaster Insurance - Find Lancaster Insurance at: www.lancasteri... or call 01480 587035 for a quote. Use promo code DISC15 for £15 off!
The C15 is a van version of the Citroen Visa, that remained in production until 2005!
Buy your HubNut merchandise at www.hubnut.org - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
I have a weird fascination with basic old vans - no creature comforts, no luxury, just old school diesel clatter and proper driving! 👍🏻
Yup absolutely. I have a similar obsession with dockertrigger's Morris Ital van.
Hi. I worked for the Citroën / Peugeot importers when these were current. We had to realign the bonnet trim repair and paint the fierce spot welds ,align bonnet to wing and door to wing gaps plus any dents that had occurred during import. I loved them they gave us lots of overtime lol.The body panels and trim were delicate but they soldier on and take lots of abuse mechanically. I work for the importers again now and we remember the C15 fondly for all its faults. 👍
Haha an old flame! I was called C15 Queen back in 2002-2004. Use to drive these brand new off the Roro boat at Sheerness Docks 😍 everyone else cherry picked their vehicle to drive off the boat so Tail End Charlie (me!) would always get these 😂 I got use to them and found a strange fondness to them. Brakes were utterly rubbish but hey, paid for my uni fees 😎
Love the sound of that diesel engine, music to my ears! Sounds similar to my 2004 Fiat Doblo 1.9 JTD, even the brakes are the same. Depress brake, pray, then wait, and wait......
I have a 57 plate 1.9 multijet and it sounds like this aswell but the brakes are actually pretty good.
Xud really did the rounds
revisited this vlog as a scruffy white one has appeared as a handymans vehicle outside a school near me. Love it.
We had one given to us at the garage, failed it's mot. Rust rust and more rust, so we used it for a dog kennel, she loved it.
You'll be pleased to know that the driver's seat now has a cover on. One improvement at a time...
Have you removed your dressing gown now?
Maybe the dressing gown was the cover to be..
Is the cover a different coloured duct-tape?
That was a fleece - kindly left draped over the driver's seat by the previous owner to cover up the mess underneath it...
Brakes would be nice.
I like the way you used voice control to brake, when approaching the main road, halfway through the video. That must have been very innovative for the time.
I know I will be laughed at, but that little van seems very refined, and that is a nicely laid out drivers cockpit. I bet it is a little work horse, and nice decent pay load area in the back. That little beauty would be worth saving. I love the gorgeous diesel start up at the end of the video. Another classic Hub Nut production. Thank you Sir 👍 Tam.
Not laughing at all mate. It reminds me of my Seat Inca, 1999 vintage. Had four fantastic years out of it when it was already nine years old. Little vans like these must have been a licence to print money for the companies that built them.
I find the fact that it's this knackered after 114000 miles slightly suspect...
At the end, they were sold for very small money!
Ah, le bon vieux C15 :) Lovely! My dad had one for years, it had over 370 000 km (230 000 miles) on the clock. Surprisingly quick for what it is, a lot faster than the Berlingo for instance. Thanks for the video!
As someone who likes to do a job a bit at a time, the wrapping with Gaffer tape has a lot of appeal. It almost certainly makes it invisible to radar, like a stealth bomber. Vans are born to be wild and that one is the whole Steppenwolf! Definitely a HubNut classic par excellence.
@@pietmondrianstudent6984 I wish I had thought of that!
@@pietmondrianstudent6984 Best regards to you too. Noticing your tag, I was wondering whether, if Piet Mondrian had been alive today, would all his clothes be Burberry. Cheers!
Built in Vigo Spain for years. I live in Spain and have a 1998 one with a seat in the back for tax reasons. No rot here.
I know of someone who bought a brand new c15 in 2004 had terminal rot in the bulkhead and was replaced by Citroen with a 2009 Nemo under its 7 year anti corrosion warranty. Incidentally he preferred the C15
No wonder the clutch is bad, Citroen have left the master cylinder on the left side and cobbled a linkage from the right side pedal. I'm surprised they didn't expect UK drivers to reach their left foot across to the passenger footwell.
meh ford did this with brakes on the fiestas, not really bad,
Why the heck don't you just drive on the right side like everyone else?
@@jurivlk5433 Everyone? Not Japan, India, Thailand, Indonesia, much of Africa. Quite a total population, that.
@@marioescobar1047 And why don't Brits invert the clutch with the gas pedal to conform to their weird rules? Brake pedal on the left and clutch on the right. Only that way you would have a space to rest your clutch foot!
Hi Ian I didn't realise this was Jono's I'm thinking of buying one thats on EBAY now!
I liked the red and white versions with Van Rouge or Van Blanc on the front! We had a Visa in the '80s and loved it. It had the Douvrin engine and was early enough to have the satellite controls and square instruments. Wonderful ride on rough surfaces and amazingly quiet.
What a beauty! My brother had the Romahome version and that was terrifying to try and slow down. But lord how I wish someone would give me a free C15. Such amazingly characterful machines.
Another great video Ian. Thanks 👍
Perhaps you should be sponsered by 3M.
Yay! My dad had a red one of these a few years back with the same generous application of gaffer tape on the bonnet. It was an eBay purchase, and turned up on a trailer which led us to both think, "Oh god, it broke down..." But no, it had an MoT and an utter inability to go above 55mph, just generate insane amounts of noise! And I had a weird sort of affection for the old thing.
Thanks for the detailed look at the exterior of these old motors...they are becoming quite rare so the more detail the better....cheers again
I have always loved the C15. This video has done nothing to quell that desire! The cold start was the cherry on top.
Ooh la la, I really like these vans, that cold start clatter fills my head my head with only good memories
I was amused when the C15 was introduced in the UK by Citroen's use of "Van Blanc" & Van Rouge" for the available two body colours, shortly interested in a C15 Romahome but not long enough to buy it!
That dw8 sounds mint
As someone who had always been passionate about car, especially the old ones, I really love your videos! Thank you!!
Haven't seen 'heel-and-toeing' in ages. You can slow down and double-declutch down a gear at the same time Taught myself to do that on my Dad's Austin A40.
That’s rather wonderful. I remember when all diesels sounded like that!
to be fair, there was a time when many diesels in cars were the XUD, and they were rattle-tastic in the cold. I seem to remember most if not all diesel peugeots/citroens of the era used it, as did the likes of the rover 200 diesel and possibly others i've missed.
Lada Niva, FSO Caro, Suzuki Vitara...
I owned a C15 Romahone until quIte recently, more character than one could shake a stick at. The heater/blower controls were an endless source of amusement.
Rusty as an anchor, but always entertaining to drive, 53 mpg too despite carrying the camper body.
Brakes necessitated forward planning.
Wheel thing on the right of the heater controls is indeed to direct heat into the rear compartment. Our C15 also showed a shoe and tophat..
Yes, the shoe and top hat are there too. Citroen Dyane and Acadiane had the same shoe/hat decals.
Deliciously Citroen, I fitted a set of Brembo discs and pads, new rear slave cylinders, shoes, adjusted the proportioning valve..spent hours bleeding the brake system...still had to plan ahead!
I do like these older Citroen vans. I have a 2013 Berlingo which I love and never had a problem with.
Berlingos rock! Never had to leave one of my kids behind yet when going on holiday. Massive space, very comfortable.
Just put my 59 plate with 145000 miles on it into semi-retirement from new best van i ever had.
Bought a new one in 1992. My first ever new vehicle! Used it for work. It rusted. But the engine went on forever. I had the rare petrol engine before the new diesel. Fitted a bench seat and rear windows. It was lovely!
When I saw the sludge green thumbnail I thought 'yay, another Fox video!' But this was a cool trip down memory lane too. Reminds me very much of my ex's mum's little Visa, that carried us on various day trips and weekends in the late 90s - right up until you turned the key, that is :o Hers had a temperature gauge which had to be watched like a hawk in traffic.
That 2-dr Visa cancept was a very pretty car - echoes of the DS and other bigger Citroens in the tapered 'beetle' tail I think. Pity that Peugeot felt the need to 'conventionalise' the looks as well as the mechanicals. Not that the Visa was a bad-looking supermini in its original form either. As French as warm baguettes and dodgy electrics :)
If you haven't used duck tape to get a crumbly car through an MOT you're not a true banger person. (Misty the 240 wears hers, also on the leading edge of the bonnet while I source another early 80s flat hood, with the pride of the battle-scarred veteran survivor that she is). At least (along with the driver's door bottom) it's her only major area of rust, and both are non-structural.
Very similar shape to the Fox, same colour too - well greenish, but less moss growing on it. I wonder if there is a market for second hand rust, you could corner the market there 😜😍
If there was I'd be rich, yes as well the kites, bird watching, etc etc, i rent a workshop and have ten (!) Vauxhall/Opel cars hanging around, one of which actually works !!
Hubnut had me laughing so hard with this videos opener. "Ummmm crusty. Sponsored by Lancaster insurance. Hubnut fades out the bottom of the screen." Ian really is injecting more humor into his video which I really love. How anyone could NOT subscribe to this channel is beyond me. Love Citroens too😁.
A chum has a smallholding in France and runs small vans in exactly this condition. They are getting rarer. Agree on the car-van hybrid look, very cute.
My parents had an AZU in the day, funny quirck is that the spare tire was on the left side under a body panel.
The Romanian Citroën was sold in The Netherlands as Citroën Axel.
Ian there is a good video on Your Tubes of a C15 keeping up with 2 Astons. Again gravity was a great help.
Compared to the current Berlingo it is far more attractive.
Brian Fd I had a ‘03 Berlingo van with the PSA 1.9 Diesel engine. Was like an 80s hot hatch. Pity about the brake fade and electrical problems. Then I had a ‘12 Berlingo with the 1.6 eTDi engine and it was utterly hateful.
Another quality video. There’s a J reg barn find on eBay at the moment that looks like it would be worth saving. Hmmmm...... these videos put dangerous ideas in my head!!!
Or this one ready to drive away www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2002-Citroen-C15-Champ-1-9-D-65-000-MILES-CAMBELT-WATERPUMP-DONE-2017/323610773170?hash=item4b58b486b2:g:02UAAOSwHexcG3b7:rk:3:pf:1
@@EinkOLED check the Pics of that van you'll see a blue KA up for 9950😂 or maybe 950...
No doubt used and badly abused as a Travis Perkins van, this doesn't seem too bad really. 17 years of age this year, I wonder how many similar wonderful new vans on sale in 2019, will still be running in 2036? That said, add this to the HubNut fleet and I can envisage a camp bed and sleeping bag being required........in the garage.
My thoughts exactly about it being completely abused mate
Whilst working for a piano shop, I drove their company Visa van (petrol version) all around Sussex tuning pianos. The van was fairly new at the time, and drove nicely - no problems with the braking (unlike in this video) and was enjoyable to drive. I never got to drive an actual Visa, but in retrospect I wonder why I didn't buy a Visa 5-door hatchback, given my enjoyment of driving the van... thanks for the review - another trip down memory lane for me!
The black gaffer tape counts as an aerodynamic device, as keeping the bonnet on/closed improves airflow! 😉
Had one of these as a work van years ago and it wasn't a bad old bus. Done many many miles in it. And it never let me down.
I like that van :) At 9:30 - my sister in law had a 104SL in that exact colour, with a green interior! As for warnings about overheating: my Renault 16 shared the over-temperature light with the oil pressure light... so if it lit, it was either boiling over or the sump had fallen off! Anyway... if it overheats, just 'do a Roadkill' and chuck the bonnet in the back.
A real beauty with an MOT till September. Quality!
I bought one a few years ago, for just taking stuff to the dump and general potting about. I love it, so far it seems indestructible, anything that does break is easy to fix.
You forgot too mention other optional extras available like see thru glass and pneumatic tyres
Ps i hope your up to date with your tetanus jabs
Free? He was robbed!
LOL....
By a drunken Frenchman!
was proberly just stuck to the roll of gaffer tape he bought
Yes, he should been paid handsomely to take it away DEATH TRAP!
I had one of these, really good off road and has amazing ground clearance.
Looking forward to seeing the video on the minor!
Got to love that diesel clatter of the early PSA units! Just love the utilitarian nature of it, so little to go wrong. Great video Ian
I could feel my hands automatically reaching for the angle grinder, patch plates and welder as I watched this :-). I always preferred the XUD engine despite it's foibles. Free or just handing down the restoration costs to the next chump ? I never seem to learn this lesson :-) .
Welding to cinder toffee can be challenging.
I bought one of the last new ones that must have been sold in the UK, picked it up on 1/3/06 with a fresh new 06 registration. I owned it for nine years, treated it very hard. Shepherded livestock on the Cambridgeshire Washes, over loaded it with firewood and building materials, drove it off road more often than most 4x4's ever do, thrashed it on the motorway, trundled along country roads, towed a 16' twin axle trailer......with more firewood on it and generally abused it. For the first 120k miles it averaged 51 mpg, I gave up worrying about it after that. Yes, that uncleared area of windscreen was a pain, especially as I'm 6'4"! The only disappointment was that the DW8 engine is not recommended to run on old chip oil, others had tried and ruined the injector pumps. I sold it after nine years to a mate, who continued it's abuse! A truly great vehicle, worthy of a place in the 'car derived van' hall of fame......alongside the Renault 4F6, I ruined one of those as well.
Early C15s had three stud wheels but these are quite rare now even in France. Another great video Ian
Three stud wheels identified the petrol version; I ran a 1988 C15E petrol version complete with single bed camper conversion for several years. Brilliant car/van!
I still drive one of these in Spain ,30year old ,original engine a great workhorse
I bought 2 brand new in 2003 and added them to my flleet of courier vans. They were very reliable and economical. Although they were known as the punishment vans given to drivers not looking after their own :) I sent one guy all the way down to the south of france in a c15. He had nothing but praise for the van when he got back
The C15 was loved here in Tunisia because it was soo easy to repair. They even made a new model of it it the 2000s.
A van with rather unique character.
The C15d was a great van. I had one from new when I lived in Italy. I think it was an XUD unit but it would fly on motorways and very capable on country roads. Especially good on snowy roads because of the elastic wand tyres. I would really like to have one again and use it for classic Citroen meetings.
I had one of those for a few years, it was in very good condition, and very good on fuel, eventually replaced it with a Citroen Berlingo(same engine), which had power steering and brakes, chap I sold it to lived next door, he kept it for a few years, then it disappeared. Very basic but cheap reliable transport. Thumbs up. Though she needs a fair bit of work.
C15 van could take so much weight in the back. I drove our works van back from Peterborough to lincoln loaded up with concrete slabs. The suspension didn't even go down. Great! The downside is i once went to buy an "excellent" one from Rotherham which was described as rust free. It was. The rust was free. I asked the chap who was selling it "Do you really want me to put my finger through this rust on the wing,?" "No, not really" he said
I remember working next to a Citroen dealer in 2003 and thinking good got they are still making the C15 van? It looked so dated but still had a following.
I worked for a Hardware shop many years ago, and they replaced their old Passat Estate for one of these for deliveries. I preferred driving the C15 as it suited the brown overall I had to wear. Happy days.
Big fan of slightly elderly French small diesel vans. They do them with much more charm than most other modern manufacturers. Miss my 2000 Berlingo 1.9D still.
I had a Visa many years ago and had forgotten about the heater controls. I loved the hat and shoe symbols.
they made these up to 2005? unbelievable
I love the c15. My brother in law had One of the last ones... All rotted out after not even 10 years... I'd loved to take it off his hands if it wasn't such a rust bucket since I had an AX, of which it also shared techiques with and I had a c15 as temporary vehicle at One point in time
In my early days as a working drummer (early 90s) I used to get picked up by a band leader that had a H reg white one of these. Is was quite nice when is was new. Nippy too and good handling. Certainly not a bad vehicle of that time.
Saw a really mint looking one of these at the cinema local to me. I remember seeing them everywhere as a kid - what a blast from the past.
I love the older Citroen's dad's old BX used to click click click on start up, that was the suspension rising up, I remember him having it on its highest setting to go through a road flood, we got through, a guy behind us tried in a ford escort, made it half way through and stopped, poor thing sucked up water!
I once had to use the suspension height on a BX when I beached myself pulling into a ditch to let someone pass by. No damage done, tiny mark and dent in the sump but all good otherwise. Would have been stuffed if it couldn't do that, but then had I not been driving a BX I probably wouldn't have been as adventurous in the first place. Also had to drive it once with no suspension or brake pressure at all, about a mile down the road at 20mph with left hand ready to use the handbrake. was driving it to the scrappy (still very sad about that) and felt every bump and crack in the road... still amost brings tears to my eyes thinking about it, engine was still good too but it's all probably coke cans now.
+Cal I seen a GTi one for sale recently on eBay, be good in a straight line, corners would be interesting at speed!
BX handles really well. A joy in the bends.
I would love another one, you could sit in them all day, very comfortable.
My first car a Vauxhall Nova OHV 1.0 had many duct tape modifications around certain panels and was a bloody good car! Ahh the memories.
Love These C15 vans :) a friend at work had a T reg example he converted into a camper and drove down from Derbyshire to Cornwall most weekends. Loved it's simple, lightweight tough design and economy. We have a Belingo van at work these days which is very reliable but a bit dumpy by comparison.
It would be nice to see th is van made into good condition and Peak 2CV sign writing on the side
Alas it's long gone from me now. I have Peak 2cv signage on my 2cv van!
I´m glad it didn´t fell apart - the TÜV would have sent it to the scrapyard years ago. :D But these old PSA Diesel engines were gold.
Pick mine up this Saturday, not alot of them left now!! £700 good investment as this will most certainly be a future classic sort after van. You heard it here first!
I've been doing up a 2004 C15 this year. Got through quite a bit of MIG wire so far. Loads of character though!
I had to smile when HubNut told the story of the modifications to the Visa after the Peugeot takeover. My first car was a 1986 Visa 11RE that had benefitted from these modifications.
The body looked a lot less tinny and the car had a pretty good dashboard with stalks rather than the original multifunctional satellite instrument.
For a car that size, the car was pretty roomy inside, rather quiet and comfortable. A first car is never forgotten - but this was actually quite a good buy.
The original Visa, with its satellite controls, was still Peugeot-approved. But, those wonderful controls were sadly seen as too wacky, so Peugeot items were used.
@@HubNut
You may like the satellite for its wackiness… I just imagine the tired traveler who picks up his rental car at night and then has to deal with this "wacky" thing for the first time in his life...
There was an abandoned C15 in a place in Spain were I stayed, that made me want to own one - after seeing this, that feeling is still there :)
they were build in Spain and those diesels they put in them are almost bullit proof
The petrols versions where okay but thet couldn't pull a big trailer.
The Renault express and the C15 are still driving alot in rural area's in europe.
600-800.000 km on the clock is normal for the Diesel version.
After the first gen. Peugeot Partner and Citroen Berlingo they don't build robust cars anymore
Drove a gen 1 Berlingo in Galicia, Spain - very nice; no nonsense, robust and tons of room for any old junk you may want to bring. What more can you possibly want?
@@niklaswejedal463 enough spare parts and for the C15 and Seat Terra welding equipment
Nice vid, I love the sound of small diesel engines but absolutely hate the sound of larger truck engines.
It’s honestly amazing that the C15 remained in production for as long as it did...
Thanks Ian, smashing video as always. That little van has a very nice air freshener! Looking forward to the Morris Minor vid.
All the best.
The French have some very strange priorities, like fitting a huge clock, but no temperature gauge, merde.
Need to know when it's lunchtime.
Wine o clock Andy. The French are very laid back you will always get invited out to a cafe or restaurant never their homes, because of the state they were in. I bet its different nowadays old France was brilliant and laid back
There was a familiale version in France.
I had a lovely pale blue one (not familiale) and it's my favourite of all my vehicles.
Wonderfully simple to fix, impossible to get a speeding ticket, and my dog loved it.
As a bonus fact....the single doors all blew off in the wind. They weren't a good idea.
I love these
imho the best thing invented sense windhield wipers is the squirter on the wiper, feels like your using less fluid, etc
what a pratical little van - seen one these as a camper other day cant imagine much standing room in it
Another great review. Nice little van for the price! I can't imagine it had an easy life in the hands of Travis Perkins employees. No doubt hauling bags of cement etc stacked to the ceiling. Always used to read the badge as 'CI5' and picture Bodie and Doyle in the cab.
I have a vovlo s40 sport lux diesel on a 53 plate it has a bullet proof Renault fq engine 200+ thousand miles and still goes strong, no dpf or swirl flaps etc. Just a basic turbo diesel engine with a dreaded dmf. You got to love French diesels
Surprisingly quiet inside.
A workhorse i suppose to get you to work reliably.
Absolutely love the comedy-crunch!
Have a soft spot for these and the Renault Extra of the era.
I for a a short while with one employer, I had the choice of a Citroen C15 or the Renault Express (Renault Extra). I decided on the Renault as it more comfortable seat which still could be called a seat. The Citroen seat had been damaged by someone who kept his screwdrivers in his back pockets. Both were base models with no radio's. The passenger seat on the Renault was fixed from what I remember, it had no adjustment for the back or seat position.
Nice patina a work of art.
Love the C15! Too bad you don't see them much often here anymore. I saw them a lot in southern France about two years ago.
The girlfriend hates them (for being ugly, like what?), makes me want one even more.
The two Matts on PC mag have both owned the same C15 - gloriously badly painted in Gulf Blue / Orange stripe racing livery. Instead of resorting to mere gaffa taping of the front of the bonnet that one was remedied by a joinery solution - ie a wooden replacement I seem to recall. How long it lasted I have no idea. Like many of these things their simplicity was their downfall - too plentiful and too cheap to be bothered to repair when they got scabby as there was always a better one on the cheap on the market to replace the scabby one. Was the same with the Maestro van you tested way back when and all the way back to the Bedford HA van. The Bedford - and the Minor - van were everywhere painted yellow for telecoms and red for the Post Office - so few have stayed the course.
My college girlfriend's dad was a courier driver and had one of these, I once sat in the back of it all the way from Birmingham to the Leeds Festival.
Love it HubNut. I have a Romahome that used C15 as the base (They switch to Berlingos). Rust - yes! Breaking only when the pads are really new but great engine breaking until some nimno decides to nip in front of you. And laughed my socks off at your "Does not accelerate just gathers pace!" Perfectly put. Have to preheat the plugs for perfect starting but always starts if the glowplugs are good. Ancient reliable diesel from WW1 but now Evil Diesel Dolphin Killer. Gonna keep it till they get banned or taxed out of existence! Recognise these roads and yes that was a terrible Derbyshire accent. Nice One!
The heater control on the right opens the knee high vent in the centre console which blows air into the rear between the seats. Small petrol engined Visas had 3 stud wheels, GTi and Diesels 4 studs, don't know about C15s. I think the Diesel and GTi Visas/C15s had similar (identical?) front subframes and suspension to the later 305, C15's had similar (identical?) rear subframes and suspension to later 305 estates. Poor brakes might be sliding front calipers that aren't.
Rear suspension on the C15 used horizontal springs and dampers as per the 305 estate.
use to have one of these as the works van when i worked at a garage and the shoe for feet and head wearing a hat for screeenheat always made me chuckle
I love these old things, bomb proof (the xud's) I learnt to drive in one when I was 11..
That takes me back to when I used to work at a petrol station as a student, the local farmer had a 54 plate c15 in white. I haven't seen too many of them since, and that one must of been last of the line if they stopped production 2005. The Berlingo must be like a Rolls Royce compared!
Hi mr hub nut
I also have a soft spot for vans especially pick ups that were based on saloon cars as I drove a lot of them as works vehicles. These included the p100s ford cortina mk5 pick up the ford Sierra based pick mk1 golf pick up caddy and the Skoda Fabia pick up.
My favourite out of these was the cortina pick up which was made in South Africa had a 1300 ohc petrol engine had a bench seat to fit three and. Umbrella type handbrake.Apparently good examples of these are sort after with prices rising
Keep up the good work
Thanks for the like I seem to remember that ford carried on making it long after the cortina saloon went out of production as it was new in the very late 1980s and I think the same applied to the Sierra pick up