Hugely practical motor that Jeremy Clarkson said ‘rides more smoothly than a Jaguar’ can be yours for less than £3k
A MOTOR which Jeremy Clarkson says “rides more smoothly than a Jaguar” can be yours for less than £3,000.
The Grand Tour star heaped praise on the model’s storage space and fuel economy, all for an astonishingly low price even when it was new.
Reviewing it for The Times in 2008, Clarkson dubbed the Citroen Berlingo a “good car for bad times” thanks to its affordable and practical platform.
Back then it cost just £11,000 for the base model, which is equivalent to about £17,000 today.
And you got plenty for your money thanks to its hefty size, innovative roof box and comfortable drive.
Clarkson wrote: “Prices start at less than £11,000, which is very low for something with this amount of interior space.
“It rides more smoothly than a Jaguar XJ8… and it is the first car ever to come with a loft.
“There is an internal roof box into which, I’m fairly certain, you could fit a pair of modern-day skis.
“And that’s just the start…There are so many cubbyholes and oddment stowage boxes that you could hide a priest in there and never find him again.”
Today, though, the Berlingo is available at even better bargain rates despite the ringing endorsement from the ex-Top Gear man.
One listing on Auto Trader offers a 2008 Berlingo with 127,000 miles on the clock for just £2,750.
The ad states that it “starts and drives amazing” and has experienced “no issues at all”.
Plus it sits in a pretty low road tax bracket and in insurance group four, taking annual running costs down close to £1,000.
However, Clarkson was less complimentary of the Berlingo’s design, saying: “The old one was just a van with windows and it struck a chord.
“Sadly, with the new version, they’ve tried to disguise the window cleaner origins with chrome this and flared that.
“What they’ve ended up with is a plumber in a tux.
“It looks and feels completely wrong.”
Yet he added that it would be a “mistake” to rule out buying one on that basis and said: “It’s a good car, the Berlingo. And in these difficult times, it makes even more sense than usual.”