EuroCar Imports, a specialty Citroen mechanic and vintage Citroen dealership, is offering Citroen enthusiasts important tips needed to keep their vehicle running smooth all winter long.

With winter weather upon most of the country, now is the time for Citroen owners to take the time and inspect their vehicle’s fluids and charging systems. Cold weather, frost, and ice can all take a toll Citroen vehicles. Here are some tips from EuroCar Imports to ensure your car is winter weather ready.

1. Check your battery and electrical systems: Using the heat and windshield wipers can put additional strain on those systems. Besides providing comfort, these systems are also important to your safety by providing visibility.

2. Check and Change Fluids: Temperatures at night will drop low enough that antifreeze coolant or winter windshield wiper fluid is necessary to get the car going (not applicable for Citroen 2CVs). Find out if your engine needs lower-viscosity oil for the winter weather.

3. Check Windshield Wipers: Even if your battery is working and you have winter windshield wiper fluid, an old or damaged set of windshield wipers may not keep the windshield clean. Windshield wipers are essential for proper visibility in the snow, sleet and rain.

4. Check your tires: With any kind of precipitation comes the increased risk of losing traction. You should also check the tire pressure, its important that they are properly inflated to guarantee the best traction possible.  For Citroen owners who use their vehicle as an every day car, EuroCar Imports offers snow tires and chains.

5. Check your Heat: While this one might seem obvious it has been a pretty mild fall and you never know how well it works until you need it. Try it out before you have to drive to work freezing.

To have a complete and thorough inspection of your Citroen performed, call EuroCar Imports and let the experts ensure that your car is safe and ready to tackle winter weather.

Call 732-279-6453

We just sold this Citroen 2CV and in her preparation of her departure, we’re giving her a fresh coat of paint. Here she is in her before shot and we have a few updated ‘during’ photos as well.  We’ll post her ‘after’ photos in just a little bit.

During

During

We were so excited to see that one of our clients, Mr William Garrett of Long Island City shared his love of the Citroen 2CV with two Citroen enthusiasts from France.  Read their captivating story about their whirl wind of a road trip in a 2CV and what brought the 2 French men to Long Island City to connect with Mr Garrett.

Have Citroen, Will Travel

(this story was originally posted online at NYTimes.com and was written by Richard S Chang)

In 2003, two Frenchmen, Edouard Cortes and Jean-Baptiste Flichy, drove a 1977 Citroën 2CV from Paris to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon. They subsequently wrote a book about their 10,000-mile adventure across Europe and Asia, and in the epilogue they told readers they had left the car in Cambodia. If anyone wanted to bring it back to Paris, they added, they would gladly hand over the keys.

“Jean-Baptiste said he got 50 calls, but no one came,” said Tristan Villemain, a friendly 23-year-old from Nantes, France.

Mr. Villemain, a student, was the one who finally picked up the keys. He later found the car in a muddy field. With his friend, Quentin Renaud, 26, he embarked on a journey back to Paris — the long way.

The 2CV is the French equivalent of the Volkswagen Beetle. The quirky Citroën is a beloved car, in part because it remained relatively unchanged for more than 40 years, until production ended in 1990. The two men took their 2CV through Vietnam down to Malaysia and shipped the car to Australia, where the car was then sent to Chile.

They drove up through South and Central America. They headed north through Mexico into the United States and Canada, before hooking down through the Midwest and driving back east to New York.

They have crossed four continents and traveled 25,000 miles — all in a car powered (barely) by a 2-cylinder engine with a top speed of around 50 miles per hour. But speed wasn’t the primary concern. “It’s very comfortable,” Mr. Villemain said.

Mr. Villemain and Mr. Renaud were in New York last weekend as the guests of honor at a fund-raising barbecue in Long Island City. (Their Web site, letapesuivante.free.fr, said they raised about $15,000 through donations and sponsorships.) Outside of Evandro Tech Motors, the garage where the car was being stored, burgers and sausages were sizzling on a grill. A bluegrass band played inside the garage where the Citroën was the center of attention.

Mr. Villemain was standing next to the black-and-tan car, drinking red wine. He wore a white shirt and jeans, the only pair he brought for the trip, he said, though he and Mr. Renaud looked freshly scrubbed and well relaxed for two people going around the world in an old car with no top.

Mr. Renaud, who has known Mr. Villemain for five years, explained that he had had no intention of joining his friend. But shortly before Mr. Villemain was to depart for Vietnam, Mr. Renaud asked if he had found a co-pilot. Mr. Villemain said no.

“I thought that was not right,” said Mr. Renaud, a carpenter. A week later, he showed up at Mr. Villemain’s apartment with his letter of resignation.

“He came into my house with a letter,” Mr. Villemain said. “He told me, ‘I left my job, I sell my car, I give back my apartment. I am free. I am coming with you.’ ”

The two men travel light. The 2CV carries no more than a bag for each, a cooler for drinks, spare parts and a toolbox. Food is stored in a wine box, and each have a pair of gloves for driving.

A Paris mechanic who is a friend of Mr. Villemain traveled to Vietnam to get the car in shape for the trip — it needed a new engine and chassis because of a flood — and it has pretty much held up. The car had a flat tire in Australia, and they had to change some parts in Lima, Peru, and Bogotá, Colombia, where they bought a colorful blanket that covers the front bench seat.

They said they enjoyed their travels through South America and Mexico the most, in part because the hospitality there was so at odds with the warnings of danger they had received. “Everyone was so nice,” Mr. Villemain said, adding that they never felt threatened anywhere they went.

Indeed, he said that he and Mr. Renaud had not paid for meals or lodging at all during the trip. The car is such a novelty that they were treated as minor celebrities, and townspeople would open their homes to the amiable Frenchmen. Arriving in a village, they gave rides to children. “We also use the French touch,” he said. “A bouquet of flowers for the grandmother, a bottle of wine for the father.”

In New York, they were the guests of William Garrett of Long Island City, a 2CV enthusiast who lives near the garage. Mr. Garrett had never met the men either, but had read about them.

“In the world of people with 2CVs, it’s a super-friendly, nice community,” Mr. Garrett said. “Of course, I cleared it with my wife.”

Mr. Villemain and Mr. Renaud maintain a travel blog that Mr. Renaud updates occasionally from the road. From the United States, the two will ship the car to Senegal, where they will begin the final leg of a journey through Africa and into Europe that Mr. Villemain says has changed his life. He is planning to write a book about the yearlong drive.

“For me, it’s O.K.,” Mr. Villemain said. “For my mother, it’s difficult.”

This is the latest Citroen Truckette to arrive at EuroCar Imports from Arizona. This model is from the early 50′s and we are going to upgrade it with the larger 602cc engine, new disc brake gearbox, LHM brakes and 12 volt electrics.

We get tons of requests from all over the country for Citroen Truckettes.  People want to buy them to use for their current businesses.  Not only do they get excellent gas mileage, but they have an unmistakable classic look that demands attention on the road.  For small businesses, the Citroen Truckette make great promotional and transport vehicles.  The Truckette is roomy enough to transport goods and materials and eye-catching enough to attract more awareness to your business.  They can be outfitted with any custom colors and lettered with your business name.

This one will be done soon so be on the lookout for updated photos!

Citroen Truckette Photos

See more photos of Citroen Truckettes at our Flickr Photo album.

Wow! I am like a kid in the candy store today!  Just got word that we will be soon be getting a vintage Citroen SM for restoration.  Just in time for the SM’s birthday (it turned 40 on March 11th!), we will be having a celebration of our own when it arrives!  Can you believe it was back in 1970 that the world first met the SM? It was at the Geneva auto show that the SM made its mark in history and was considered incredibly advanced for its time.

SM stands for Sports Maserati (though some argue it stands for Sa Majesté in reference to the DS – i.e. Goddess, i.e. La déesse’).  Citroën purchased Maserati in 1968. As such, they were able to use the new 90-degree V6 Maserati had developed. Essentially a V8 with two-cylinders lopped off, the SM’s V6 (also shared with the Maserati Merak) is one of the most fantastically complex engines ever conceived.  The SM featured the world’s first variable-assist power steering system (known as DIRAVI) and one-turn to lock. All were powered by an oil-based hydraulic system.  Besides the steering the suspension, headlights, brakes and transmission were all run off the SM’s hydraulic system. It was and still is an amazing car!

Check out some photos of the SM as she sits now waiting for us to work our magic. Don’t worry, I will be updating you frequently on the restoration progress!

Citroen SM for Sale

The SM will be for sale once the restoration is complete, but I advise anyone who is serious about purchasing it to contact Eurocar Imports today.  Our vehicles do not last long and this will surely be a hot item.

A few weeks ago we told you about a maroon and black Citroen 2CV that we were restoring as a wedding present for one of our customers to give to his son on his wedding day.  The car is going to be waiting outside of the church as a surprise when the bride and groom come out.  We just finished putting the final touches on her and I took these gorgeous photos to share with you.  These restored vintage cars make excellent gifts for car lovers. The look and perform like brand new and there is nothing like owning a true piece of history!

Here are some BEFORE photos of the car:

Citroen Car Wedding Present Completed!