Citroen Ami in Poland! We are talking to the owner of the model. “It was love at first sight” | French.pl

Where did the idea to buy Ami come from?

It was love at first sight. I’ve always liked different, unusual cars, I’ve never driven anything “typical”. I saw Ami somewhere on the Internet – some video or photo. I started browsing the Internet and checking if it was a prototype or a product that already works. It turned out that it is possible to buy, but not in Poland, and even abroad it is quite a challenge.

Where did you buy it? Did you order the car yourself or through an intermediary?

I ordered Ami in Belgium because, to my knowledge, it is the only country that allows you to buy Ami abroad. I bought it privately, the purchase involves configuring the hardware version in the online store (the hardware involves choosing the color of the hardware or bag and spoiler). I paid a prepayment of €99 to the card and waited for events to happen. It was November 2022, and when I ordered, I was automatically given a delivery date of early May 2023. The deadline was met. On April 18, I received information that the car was already in Belgium and a payment reminder had been sent. After the transfer, I was sent documents that I took Ami to the showroom in Belgium on April 28.

What is the cost of buying and bringing a model to Poland?

The Ami itself in the Orange package costs more than €8,000 total. When buying privately, we do not worry about Polish VAT, because according to the act, a car with low power and high speed is not considered as new. Therefore, we pay Belgian VAT (21%) and after ordering we do not have to pay VAT in Poland, which is the same as if we buy a washing machine in Belgium. Interestingly, due to the fact that the purchase is done remotely in the online store, there is also a deadline of 2 weeks to return the product without giving a reason.

See also: Citroen AMI, Opel Rocks-e or maybe Fiat Topolino? Do we need brands at all?

Bringing Ami with a tow truck is, of course, a personal matter, you have to calculate PLN 2 per 1 km. Ami is exempt from tax because he is an electrician.

Therefore, all the costs are the total price of the car, the carrier, the translation of the invoice (the translation of the authorization was not required), the registration and an additional check aimed at adding the missing registration data (the communication department sent me that additional check, called DIP) .

Interestingly, in France and Belgium there is an offer (of course for people with registration in these countries) that includes a payment of about €3,500, and then the monthly payment is between €30 and €50, which is more or less the same. as a monthly ticket. Finally, after three years, you have the right to buy Ami or simply return it.

Was it worth buying a Citroen Ami and what advice would you give to people who would also like to own this model?

Ami is a one of a kind car. You can’t compare it with a normal passenger car, even a Smart car, because the basis of Ami is completely different from that of a car. Ami is an alternative to motorcycles, aimed mainly at young people. Ami belongs to the so-called Microcars, very popular in France and Italy. Thanks to the roof and four wheels, as opposed to two wheels, it is an all-season vehicle.

At the moment, I believe that buying a used Citroën Ami is not economically justified, because their prices are the same as the prices of new Amis from the showroom. Used cars are cars 2-3 years old with some mileage, old batteries and no “childhood sickness” fixes. Articles from the first 12-18 months of production struggled, for example, the problem of leaking doors when parked or driving in the rain, as well as with the balance of the rear wheel. The current articles have corrected these points. It should be emphasized that the cars used most often after collisions come to Poland, mainly from France.

Some people may like Opel Rocks-e, twin brother of Citroën Ami, which differs in badge, body color, or rather plastic bumpers, and also in price, which is about €1,000 higher than Citroen. The advantage of Opel is that it can be picked up at a showroom in eastern Germany, eg Görlitz or Frankfurt (Oder). For some people, buying an Opel may be more profitable due to the cost of transportation in a tow truck.

See also: How I went to Poland for the 30th birthday of Citroën Xanti. Our country through the eyes of a Japanese journalist, part 1

What is your first impression of owning a four-wheeled motorcycle?

I knew what I was buying. Ami is very stiff (according to the suspension from the Citroen C1 / Toyota Aygo twice), noisy and … that’s about its disadvantages. As an electric car, it is always the first to stop at the traffic lights, and because of its size, it can fit anywhere. And what you have to get used to – everyone takes care of him. In my opinion, it beats microcars with diesel engines mainly because of its work culture. Ami is not shaking at all. I once drove an Aixam with a two cylinder diesel and it ended up with a headache. The advantage of combustion microcars over Ami is the high speed, which in Ami is only 45 km / h.

From what I’ve seen on your YouTube channel, you test a lot of new cars, often luxury ones. How does the Ami stand against this background and is it not difficult to convert into a small Citroën?

Yes, driving is my passion, so sometimes I try different cars. Due to the fact that I have been interested in electric cars for 9 years, and the electric car has been the main car in our house for more than 3 years, I am only trying electric cars. However, these are not just luxury cars. I only test cars that could be my next car.

When you know what you’re after, driving the Ami right after driving the Mercedes EQS is no surprise. Like switching from a Harley to a scooter to conquer the urban jungle more easily.

What do you do every day – is it also a car?

I have been a salesman in a construction company for 12 years.

What do you use the Citroen Ami for? Do you run it daily or rather occasionally?

I take Ami shopping, and also whenever I have something to do in the city center and I know I will have a problem parking a regular car. Every time I push Ami somewhere, I always stand on her. I don’t substitute a full size parking lot when I see a crowded parking lot.

Other than that, Ami is the hero of my channel YouTube – I have several related travel plans, which I want to report to the station. There are many people who are interested in this model, including many who only learned about the existence of this model from me and want to learn more.

Have you already checked parameters like maximum speed, acceleration, range, charging time? Do they differ from the manufacturer’s data?

Yes, on the first day I checked the battery capacity in the city from 100% until the on-board computer stopped showing the range. The declared value of the manufacturer is 75 km, and the battery has a capacity of 5.5 kWh. The experience of Ami users from previous models (2021 and 2022) showed that I can count 60-65 kilometers, which last few kilometers with less power and speed. Imagine my surprise when my Ami stopped showing the range just after reaching 77 km and … it was still driving at high speed. I don’t know how far I would go, I think 2-3 km.

The day before yesterday I did the route from Zielona Góra to Nowy Tomyśl and back, that is, 70 km one way. I was aware of driving on the edge. I arrived in Nowy Tomysl with 10 km to spare, and on the way back I drove 14 km. This shows a range of 80-84 km, despite the 75 km declared by the manufacturer.

Regarding the speed – the maximum speed of 45 km / h is limited by electricity. You can feel and hear that Ami would like to go faster. I know that there are users in Italy and Turkey who were able to remove the restriction in the controller and reach up to 80 km/h. I refrain from this modification for now, because in the city where Ami was created, 45 km / h is, contrary to appearance, perfectly sufficient. I will also show on YouTube how some people are wrong when they call Citroen Ami an expensive car.

See also: Citroën My Ami Buggy 2023; new limited series

Charging time – from 0 to 100% takes 3.5 hours. The Ami is charged from a standard socket, but can also be charged from public charging stations if you buy a so-called Type 2 adapter. Schuko, that is, a common hole. Ami is charged with a power of 1.7 to 1.9 kW, of course from one phase.

What do others think of seeing Ami?

As I said, almost everyone turns. This is a classic neck breaker. I dare say that more heads will turn to the Citroen Ami than any Lambo or Ferrari. Now I’m just waiting for the police to stop me. And not at speed, because that would be too difficult, and curiously – it seems to be a common situation in the West 🙂

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