NEW SENSIBLE FAMILY CAR! Did I manage it this time? 

Great purchase, Ian. Makes complete sense, please just don't junk it if you decide it needs a new clutch. If the car is essentially ok, spend a few hundred on it because it ticks the boxes for practicality 100%. It's also thoroughly HubNut. Well done, and hopefully it means that you have eased that burden of needing to source the basic daily.

Awww let Miss HubNut have a little caravan.. it can be called 'Snot' (as in, it snot happening, says Ian) and Bogey the Berlingo will be a perfect partner

When HubNut couldn't get anymore HubNut Ian: I'm clearing room in the unit because I have too many cars Also Ian: Buys new family car Ah Ian never stop being HubNut sir, you are amazing.

Loving the green interior, proper thing. Bit of a tidy, some proper Citroen wheel trims and a bit of TLC, it'll be a very decent daily.

I had a 2003 206 SW with this engine. I did about 28k a year at an average 50 mpg - the 2.0 is a much better engine than the 1.6. The chap who bought it off me scrapped it at well over 200k. If the timing belt has done 90k, I would be looking at changing it sooner rather than later. Love the colour!

Love the color. Similar to my Passat. And no clear coat peel! A good polish. A lick of black paint on the wheels and some cheap snap on wheel covers will transform the look of her. Looks like a sensible purchase.

We've got two of those at work to use as run arounds. Affectionately known as bellendo 1 and 2...... Bellendo 2 has a non turbo diesel which is woeful to drive. Bellendo 1 has a tu petrol 1.4 which is less dismal. Both are supremely reliable, just needing more sill patches every mot time.

As long as you service it regularly it will last forever. Mine has 370k on the clock and is still going strong...

Excellent choice! The greenness reminds me of my dad's 1982 metallic green citroen CX, with its green interior trim (dashboard and all) and green seats. Wonderful. And is this the first collection caper with miss Hubnut? Doesn't matter, miss Hubnut's presence always improves the videos

Really pleased to see the Berlingo join the fleet! It looks very good for its age and the interior is splendid. They're brilliantly designed, not bad to work on, reliable and the most Citroenesque of modern Citroens.

Ian, great choice for a family car. As it has a tow bar, have the rear beam suspension checked, as they do love to go soggy or just snap when you least expect it! Our one was petrol and it still returned 46 mpg. Happy family motoring!

Ian Sooooooo happy I love mine, it is the best car I've ever owned. The whole family love it, it's so versatile and practical. I know I've been banging on about one for ages, this is by far my favourite purchase of yours. I know she'll give you and the family many years of happy memories.

That reminds me of the very first car Clarkson reviewed on the new Top Gear in 2002. Mainly because it was a green Berlingo. Please hang onto this one for a bit longer than 5 minutes, Ian... this is actually a really neat looking family motor.

Congrats on the new purchase. Good luck and safe travels. These pre-facelift models still look quit sharp even 20 years on. (did like the facelift models at all actually) Fun seeing the standard '90's PSA switchgear from the Xsara and 306 in another car.

We have a grotty 1.6HDi Berlingo facelift van at work that we use as a general runaround, parts fetcher and tip run vehicle. It has had minimal love other than basic servicing and is now on 130k miles.. It's battered and stinky (someone fitted a roof beacon and bolted the lamp through the front head-lining - it now leaks in the rain and the seats get wet), we said we'd keep it until it went wrong and throw it away but that was 5+ years ago and it refuses to die. I've become quite fond of it 👍

Ian,I used the berlingo and partner vans.for courier work,last 20 years.the later 1.6hdi,not as reliable.loves the early mkt 1,2.0hdi.90bhp.loved it.so good on fuel.performance good.just change cambelt/water pump,then no problems..regular oil.good one mate.

My dad had the exact same model but in silver and it was a brilliant bus. Had blue belts and dash! As for it being not too sluggish, we had 130 out of it in Germany. On the Nurburgring! Sadly it died when he crashed it and the insurance refused to let us buy the salvage back and it was scrapped. Enjoy it, they're loyal servants if given a bit of love.

I have had 4 work Berlingo vans, from the first 1.9 na to the current last of the old shape 1.6tdi nice to drive and reliable. The worst of the bunch was a 1.6 hdi as my back struggled with the drivers seat so it was swapped for a colleagues older one. None of the other Berlingos caused a back issue but two of my colleagues struggled with the same van, if you go newer, take a decent test drive. The last two were fine. Enjoy, they are great vans.

Great buy, Ian. We had one of these where I used to work. It was an absolute workhorse and I loved it. Such a good, practical car. Looking forward to seeing how you get on with it.

Love it, those are absolutely cracking vehicles, tough as old boots but amazingly smooth to drive. Massive MPG and with the 2.0hdi decently responsive, I doubt there has actually ever been a better all around family car for those that aren't obsessed with posher things....plus, I feel like I'm the only person in Britain that actually fits new wiper blades....if you do plan on towing with it, the rear floor can distort with too much weight, much like 306s etc used to do, they can't manage a heavy trailer

Tip with these orthopaedic shoe-cars ... once you've got a parcel shelf, get yourself some good strong dog bars for it ... you can then load the boot area right up to the roof without the risk of things landing on small people's heads! The perfect family car.

Best of luck with it! DW10 engines are pretty bulletproof and good for 300k+ miles as long as the important stuff is done, like the timing belt which I think is officially 100k miles/10 years. Injectors might need reconditioning if idling is rough. It might leak oil around the valve cover and elsewhere, so keep an eye out for that. Broken EGR valve may lead to trouble with cold starts in winter (no glow plug pre-heating unless it's below zero), though maybe that was just a rare issue that I had with my similarly aged 406.

I remember having a Berlingo van a few years ago - non turbo 1.9 D. Omg it was no Ferrari, but I loved it. It was comfy and fairly smooth for a van. I even chucked a mattress in the back and slept in it. I see yours is just a tad less utilitarian. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Great vehicles...

you've definitely bought into a good ecosystem with the berlingo, you'll have no issues finding parts for it, and it's rare that they go wrong

Nice. A friend had one in blue and it was indestructible, very useful for Cornish lanes and their incredibly hard hedge rows.

I absolutely love it! At least you can say that the fleet has gotten a lot more green!

Gosh I'm surprised. You've finally got one. Right call certainly the right vehicle, given age, mileage and price, but I think you've done well with this. Worth doing the cambelt on it. The 2.0hdi is good engine.

Spares are readily available for Berlingos these days so mirrors should be easy to get hold of. The painted panel on the mirror does just pop off so no need to respray anything. On my Berlingo I replaced the drivers side wiper blade with a longer one and it does make a difference to the triangle of doom! I think when Miss Hubnut passes her test you won't be able to get it off her, it's amazing just how useful they are to have around.

First saw these at the NEC ( the 2 door ) when they were 1st released, 1997 from memory. Always said we needed one. My missus got a brand new one as a mobility car recently. Despite a few mod cons, it is as practical as the original and the most common sense car on the road. I can't imagine us ever wanting any other car now.

2.0 hdi is just brilliant! Welcome to the club! Seems like you definitely bought one in purest hubnut spec!

That is SO Hubnut! Great stuff. As long as it survives longer than the Camry then all good.

This is the finest family car available. If it wasn't for your business model (periodically new old car), I would suggest you have found motoring heaven here. Yes, the mirror caps are clipped and glued on and can be transferred to an aftermarket mirror (if you snap off the clips and re-glue) Have fun. Fit two bicycles in the back with only the double bench folded. Fit a ton sized hippobag in the back or even 2 standard domestic appliances. This car is a miracle. You will want to keep it.

Fantastic Purchase, loving the interior, I can see this being here for the long haul because they're such an all round practical motor.

Great purchase sir! Don’t worry about the mileage or small issues, there is plenty life left in that. There really is no finer family wagon/workhorse out there.

Well done on this. I have 2007 1.6 16v petrol 115 bhp. It is near silent, smooth, swift, gorgeous ride and comfortable. On the continent very very popular. I intend to keep mine until it is very very old and scrap. I absolutely love it. I dont like diesel but the fabric of the car is fantastic.

Congrats on this wonderful addition to the HubNut fleet! LOVE the green, it's just fantastic. BMW used to do similar all-green interiors although I can't remember if the safetybelts were green (they probably were; BMW had rather outlandish interiors back then). Those Because HubNut cable ties are a blast, in my view one of the BEST channel branded item Ever.

Good choice, very practical, fairly cheap to run, robust and got a towbar...what's not to like?

Very nice. Reminds me of the xsara Picasso you almost bought. Had the same rear wiper issue. I had a xsara 1.4 forte in the same colour

My 89 AX has the same window winders. Clearly a quality piece of design Great choice Ian, hope this one serves you and the family well for a while

We had one of these. We loved it. Loads of space, character and flexibility. Somehow also fun to drive. Cheap and cheerful. Still on top of my list.

Love the way you subtlety changed the subject from caravans to smooth torque delivery.

Your bus journey took me right back to when i was an arriva driver based in Aberystwyth in the mid to late 2000's doing the 32 to Dolgellau and then the x32 which continued onwards to Bangor, beautiful bus route (as was the 28 which swang a left past dyfi bridge) Wyn Lloyd of Lloyds motors was just a driver at arriva once upon a time, from then to where he is now you have to take your hat off to the guy, hes got a good fleet and a good reputation. Great video as always

Really looking forward to seeing you do this up and all the adventures you'll have.

Good purchase! That 2.0 HDi will last forever and you should find 50mpg within reach; I achieved it with a 406 Estate. You dodged a bullet by avoiding the 1.6 When (not If) you get the caravan, bear in mind that the Berlingo only takes a noseweight of 50kg maximum, so nothing too front heavy!

What I really love about your videos is that they are not only about interesting cars but also that you are often showing us how breathtakingly beautiful Wales is. I think I will have to go visit your lovely country one day.

Great Purchase, will make sensible family transport and we know you always wanted one. A great addition to the fleet.

I'm another Berlingo convert - mine is a 7 seater 3rd Generation bought in March 2020 as an ex-demonstrator from the main dealer with 1000 miles on the clock. First registered in November 2019 on a 69 plate, it has all the bells and whistles, with a 1.5 turbo diesel. My reason for getting the 7 seater version is the campervan kit that I also bought - plenty of leg room!

Green everywhere, loving the green seatbelts. Nice to hear it's a sort of test Berlingo, it's not a bad price considering the current car market but would definitely love to see a really nice and high spec one in the future if it does work old but this car will probably still be tough as old boots. Can probably use and abuse it and it'll be perfectly fine.

Perfect Hubnut mobile. I’ve had 4 berlingos and 2 Citroen dispatch vans. Loved them all. Previous VW owner too.

An old friend of mine had one. It is quite amazing what you can get in them, it did two moves for my son and a part house clearance for me. Before that he had a C4 VTS 1.6 that was terrible.

Yes Ian that's the one good family transport very good I like the Berlingo/partner great purchase

Betty and Giselle breath a huge sigh of relief as a new vehicle comes in to do the hard work.. I use to drive a Van version of these for Work.. Was a nice drive.. Nice purchase. :)

A friend of mine used to have I think 4 of this generation Berlingo vans for his engineers. He rated them as cheap to run and maintain, resilient to abuse and suitable suspension for London speed bumps and potholes without the inconvenience of slowing down.

A good choice for your family . If it breaks( a bit )please fix it ,if it's not too expensive . I think it'll be worth some expenditure. And it's not cost much to start with . Peace and love brother 👍🏻☮❤

Nice purchase Ian they are a great thing to have, when you fold the back seats down you have a great wee van, best of luck, health and happiness with it.

A symphony in green! Congrats to your new old Citroën! Have a nice trip. 🍀🍀🍀

Looks a sensible buy at last! Just needs some nice stock Citroen wheel trims, would tidy up the appearance somewhat. Can usually add cruise control fairly easily to PSA vehicles. Plug in the stalk. Activate with Lexia or a decent Launch computers. Worthwhile looking into as it definitely works on 04+ models.

That looks sweet, glad you finally got one, 2.0 HDI too! I still prefer how the Partner looks exterior wise, but I see what you mean with the interior, especially in green. Sad that the Camry didn't work out, will forever miss the twin rear wipers unless you decide to buy another one in the future

At last! I have a 12 plate Berlingo , slightly bigger , it’s my work vehicle ( gardening) and my recreational vehicle. At moment it has my Kitesurf gear plus mountain bike . Also have an Amdro Bootjump which is a camping unit with Double bed and cooker… hope you enjoy yours as much as I do ! I’m up for Berlingo merch! Cheers, Simon 👍😄

Great move, I own a 2003 16v 1600 petrol, which I've had for 13 years, with the 'Hippo' front end. It's always been used as a 2nd car, but I love it, and I think they are brilliant. Typical French smooth ride, design, and excellent build quality. Only problem I had early days was a leaking heater matrix (misting windscreen) which was a pig to replace. Also Ian, those front door speaker grilles, if you kick them by accident, getting in or out, they tend to fly off easily. so I've 'tethered' my grilles with some fishing line just long enough to clear the door shut. I also still own a Dyane which I bought new in 1979 from Normans of Westminster, Wandsworth Rd SW London, whose showroom was on the exact footprint of the 'Vauxhall Iron Works' the birthplace of Vauxhall Motors, Happy days.

Blanking plugs and windy windows are a sign of electric things that can't go wrong. Absolutely crucial for buying French cars. The more the better. Great purchase, Ian!

Excellent choice. I finally sold mine ('06 partner) last weekend after 12 years. The 1.6 diesel had been suffering the usual lubrication issues for a few years and the trailing arms were worn to the point of the tyres rubbing the arches (problems you've avoided on this one). Otherwise not a spot of rust and I'm sure it will be a good 'fixer upper' for someone with the time and skills to swap out the rear sub frame. It's the most practical and frugal vehicle I've owned. When driven carefully I could just eke out 700 miles before the fuel light came on. It was replaced this week... with a newer Peugeot Partnee. What else?

Love the rambling, love the car, love the commentary - she's a keeper for sure!

My ex had the newer version of the Citroen Berlingo and it was the perfect car for a family of five, plus great for picking up things from the hardware shop. With all five of us on board there was loads of boot space for shopping or holiday luggage. I can also attest to the airbags working well when she drove into the back of someone. No hospital treatment needed, thankfully, but the car was a write-off. One thing that did puzzle me about it was the number of headlight bulbs we went through. I replaced about three per year. Just 12V bulbs, nothing fancy, I've just never replaced headlight bulbs so often on a car before. The sliding doors are great for supermarket parking and kids wanting to jump out quickly :-)

I'd be seriously tempted by a Berlingo as a second car. Not because I have a family, but because I run events and the van-like practicality would suit my needs. Looking forward to further videos!

Welcome to the club, Ian! It's such an excellent cruiser, I made a lot of road trips through the Andes in one of those with the NA 1.9 XUD. Unbreakable, comfortable and frugal. Just a little detail, the Argentinian Berlingo/Partner has the stereo in that hidden compartment like the 405. I guess it had to do with stereo robbery, but it still made it a cleaner dashboard. Enjoy it as much as you can!

🙂Maybe not the most exciting vehicle you've owned, but certainly one of the most practical and sensible for family daily driving and general mixed duties - if it's reliable (which it should be). The Belingos I drove for the utility company a decade back had huge mileages and were doing up to 35K a year with few problems, helped by being regularly serviced 'by the book' at a big local authority depot. But as you say, if you like the general character of the things, you can always swap it for a newer one later on.

Oh, my memories came back. D Many times I drove (my sister's) externally & internally IDENTICAL Berlingo, however with 1.9D engine, richy equippment (front electric windows & AC!). It offered leveled-sofa ride and MUCH better roadholding than van appearance suggested. And even 51 kW was enough for me (excluding +50 mph overtakes :) because 1.9D had good torque on low-to-medium rpm. I called it Donkey. :D And the car is still alive, with next owner.

I love it! How delightfully Hubnut! Hopefully this ones a keeper!

Well done! I look forward to learning about this one.

Welcome to the Berlingo club at last... You will find the release bolt for the spare wheel cradle on the edge of the boot floor, if you have the original jack winding handle there is a fitment on the end of it. Good luck.

That was my first airport taxi. Same colour and green/yellow interior. A brilliant car. My current one is the Peugeot variant mk2 with the 8 valve 1.6hdi engine and is about to clock over 200,000 miles. It’s family transport, our camper van for the weekend and at times a builders van when I bring home materials. I don’t care about the dents, the crisp packets and my little pony juice all over the seats from my little one and the scratches we have accumulated along the way. Only luxury is air con but it’s not a deal breaker if it wasn’t there. You have the non dual mass flywheel engine I’m thinking. Cheap clutches and happy days!

Excellent choice! I was lucky enough to happen across a 2005 Fiat Doblo just over 5 years ago and it's still my regular daily. Not a wildly different concept although I'm impressed with the Doblo's 55mpg (it is the rather leisurely 1.3 multijet but does all the jobs I need). Aircon still blows icy after 125k too! The great thing for me, as a biker, is the fact I can get a full size 750 in the back with relative ease, after removing the back seats (two bolts each) and, like your Blingo, it has a towbar, so another bike on the trailer. If you want to do caravanning though, you might find the maximum towing weight a little light; I doubt it's much different from the Doblo's 800kg. All the best and have fun!

Just tap the rear door mechanism with your foot when closing. Becomes an all in one movement soon enough! First car I drove was my dad's one- in gold (I was allowed to pick colour when I was 5) enjoy!

Love the car, colour and all this practicality.

I've got the 1.6 on a 2016 plate mine went to Germany on a fule tank great cars I think there based on Vans but with seats Great video keep up with the good work 😄👍

Very impressed! I was hoping it was going to be a 'van with windows' of the French or Italian variety. 😀 Furthermore: yet ANOTHER Citroen added to the fleet. You both could consider opening a Citroen museum at this rate.

Such a cool car! I'd love to own one someday, would be great once my GF and I finally buy our first home and need to move our stuff :)

Wow, your diesel prices are right up with ours. I'm amazed! This shall be an interesting vehicle to follow, though :)

Lovely Jubbly the HubNut's, a sensible purchase I even like the colour which I think they used on the AX special editions.

Ah happy Memories of Family motoring, Wife number one, two young boys (now in their twenties) and being asked to ‘park AWAY from my School because I don’t want to be seen in ‘that car.’ Joyous memories of them playing with their ‘game boys’ in the back and all powered by a lead from the cigarette lighter! Memories space and taking building rubble down to the tip in the back. Recalling beautiful rear sliding doors that could not be clanged into other vehicles when the boys unloaded. It was the basic I think 1.6 diesel. Had the aero dynamics of a house brick, and the performance of a jam sponge. Mind you low range torque meant starting off in second gear was a cinch and as a diesel I was nearly impossible to stall. Got keyed within weeks of having it new. Think we knew the kid who did it but never got the panel done as he’d likely on,y key it again. Think it was a 51 plate and there was a recall and mod on front suspension. Good luck and yes, happy Memories Oh the wonderful Green seatbelts! They were so cool. Actually took it to France! Those door mirrors are massive and give great rear vision! Ours had a green gear shift knob…Matched the seat belts. Happy memories. Ah yes, nearly forgot the underfloor storage. Great for hiding the boys game boys when they did not want to carry them

It seems pleasant ! I've been thinking of getting one of these to convert into a micro camper ( doing it in such a way it could be returned to it's original condition if needed )

Extra points for it for having the bonnet release on the driver's side.

The towbar moment at 7:10 was so classic Top Gear 😅 “Can we sort tha-“ “No” and walks off 😂

Looks quite a practical car, plenty of load space, liking the green theme too.

Great car, with a tow bar! Cheap bike racks that mount to the tow bar are a great asset,

I will give you credit Mr H, your very consistent at buying a certain type of car, I will leave it at that!

Nice, love the 2 tone interior. Also loved the section of double decker bus top deck travel.

That's a bit new for a HubNut car! On a 52 plate, it's also the last of the pre-facelifts. It's always nice to see another Citroen on HubNut. I quite like the colour of this one. My youngest daughter's first car was a 1999 Saxo East Coast in Wicked Red and each seat belt was a totally different bright colour! She replaced it with an Aegean Blue 206 Sport HDi with the same 90bhp 2.0 engine as this Berlingo, it was a pretty quick little car. And I don't think the condition of it is too bad. There are 2 and 3 year old vans in my area that are horribly battered, and there is no rust on this Berlingo as far as I can see. My Honda FRV is 3 years newer but rust is forming everywhere on that now.

I had a 09 plate 1.6hdi Xtr Berlingo in silver, Great car and sometimes wish I hadn't sold it but very reliable daily driver.

Yay! HDi ‘Lingo’. Gets my vote. I was in Porthmadog last bank holiday sampling the delights of the Ffestiniog railway, which is absolutely wonderful (shameless plug). I was going to suggest a Doblo JTD which is essentially same but bolognaise flavour. I’m more than happy to fit you a 12s socket to your tow bar next time your up my way on a social 😁. A worthy purchase good sir.

Love the green colour, Ian!!! I think, providing it is reliable, it'll be a good addition to the fleet! :)

Nice purchase Ian, a good choice for the family man. As a personal preference, i would of gone for the non turbo, but horses for courses. Looking forward to lots of videos on this one.

Great colour scheme + I have a proper soft spot for the 2.0 hdi 😊 just like the noise for some reason, not entirely sure why... 🤔 My 2 penneth, if it needs rear suspension work at some point just get a recon rear axle. Trying to replace potentially 20 year old arm bearings gets old fast (had lots of 'fun' with a 206 years ago). The theory is simple, practicality is a headache! Hopefully wont need to but there you go. Wishing you many happy miles together!

Congratulation with Bertie Berlingo and welcome to Vanning. Once you get used to the room and space, any other car will feel inferior. The car you bought is the most HubNut of Berlingos. My 2011 VW Caddy is similar and by far the most practical car I have ever owned. One warning - beware of car boot sales, jumble sales, skips and recycling centres - the risks of filling your car with free old furrniture or cheap second hand good increases 100 times with van ownership.

Smart new attire! Hope the new fleet workhose will deliver, looks suitable for Summer, a car review/people carrier. Amazing sights of Wales in Spring, so much green. Perhaps install a bangin' stereo, is there a local audio install company you can work with? Thank you.

Knew it would be one of these! Hope it provides reliable family transport!

Absolutely brilliant Ian well done

Oh yes I approve!!! Congrats happy Hubnut motoring in your new purchase 🚙🚙💨💨💨

The 1.6hdi, if the oil is changed on time it is usually trouble free, when you miss the service schedule, that is when the turbo busting happens. When you remove the plastic strainer from the oil inlet on the turbo you'll have no problems with it. Here in Finland we have a 207 1.6hdi in -30°c and +30°c no issues, the turbo strainer has been removed and oil done on time, 125000mi now