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 – video or photo. I started to browse the internet and check if it was a model or an already running product. It turned out that it can be bought, but not in Poland, and even abroad is a real challenge.

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

I ordered Ami in Belgium, because according to my knowledge, it is the only country that allows you to buy Ami abroad. I bought it privately, the purchase includes setting up the hardware version in the online store (the hardware includes choosing the color of the hardware or the package with the spoiler). I paid the initial payment of 99€ by card and waited for the progress. It was November 2022, I was given an automatic delivery date of early May 2023 when ordering. The date was set. On April 18, I received information that the car was already in Belgium, a payment reminder was sent. After the transfer, the documents were sent to me, which 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 don’t have to worry about Polish VAT, because according to the law, a car with low power and high speed is not considered 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. And interestingly, due to the fact that the purchase is done remotely in the online store, there is also a 2-week period for returning 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 by trailer is of course a personal matter, you have to calculate PLN 2 per 1 km. Ami is exempted from tax because he is an electrician.

Therefore, the total cost is the total price of the car, tow truck, invoice translation (homologation translation was not required), registration and additional inspection aimed at adding the missing registration data (the transport department sent me an additional inspection, called DIP ).

It’s interesting – in France and Belgium there is an offer (of course for people with residence in these countries) that includes a payment of about 3500 €, and then every month the payment is between 30 and 50 €, which is more or less the same as a passport every month. At the end, after three years, you have the right to buy Ami out or just give it away.

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

Ami is a one of a kind car. You cannot compare it with a normal passenger car, even a smart one, because the basis of Ami is completely different from a car. Ami is an alternative to a motorcycle, aimed mainly at young people. Amy 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 a year-round vehicle.

As of today, I believe that buying a used Citroen Ami does not make economic sense, because their prices are the same as the prices of new Amis from the showroom. Catalysts are 2-3 year old cars with some mileage, old battery type and no “childhood disease” modifications. Copies from the first 12-18 months of production struggled with, for example, the problem of leaking doors when standing or driving in the rain, as well as the connection of the rear wheels. The current articles have corrected these points. It should be emphasized that cars used frequently after collisions are sent to Poland, mainly from France.

Some people may like the Opel Rocks-e, the twin brother of the Citroën Ami, the difference in the badge, the color of the bodywork, or rather the plastic bumpers, and the price, which is about 1000€ higher than the Citroen. The advantage of Opel is that it can be picked up at a showroom in eastern Germany, such as Görlitz or Frankfurt (Oder). For some, the purchase of an Opel may still be more profitable due to the cost of transportation of the tow truck.

See also: How I went to Poland for Citroën Xanti’s 30th birthday. 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 (based on the suspension from the 2x Citroen C1/Toyota Aygo), loud and … that’s about its limitations. As an electrician, he always leaves the light first, and thanks to his dimensions, it fits perfectly anywhere. And what you need to get used to – everyone is watching him. In my opinion, it beats microcars with diesel engines primarily with work culture. Ami is not shaking at all. I once drove an Aixam with a two-cylinder diesel and 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 fare against this background and is it not difficult to switch to a small Citroën later?

Yes, the automotive industry 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 driving, it’s no wonder driving an Ami after driving a Mercedes EQS. 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 Citroen Ami, do you drive it daily or rather occasionally?

I take Ami shopping, and whenever I have something to do in the middle of nowhere and I know I’m going to have trouble parking a normal car. I always put Ami somewhere, I usually stand on it. I never take a full-size parking spot when I see a crowded parking lot.

In addition, Ami is the hero of my channel on 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 such as: top 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 value declared by the manufacturer is 75 km, and the battery has a capacity of 5.5 kWh. The experience of Ami users from previous years (2021 and 2022) showed that I can count 60-65 kilometers, of which the last few kilometers with less power and speed. Imagine my surprise when my Ami stopped showing the odometer just after reaching 77 km and … it was still running at top speed. I don’t know how far I would go, I think 2-3km.

The day before yesterday I did the route from Zielona Góra to Nowy Tomyśl and back, that is 70 km one way. I knew about the person driving the car. I arrived in Nowy Tomysl with a reserve of 10 km, and on the way back I brought 14 km. This shows a range of 80-84 km despite the manufacturer announcing 75 km.

In terms of 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 limit in the controller and reach even 80 km per hour. At the moment, I am blocking this modification, because in the city where Ami was created, 45 km / h is, contrary to appearance, perfectly sufficient. I will also show on YouTube how wrong some people are when they call the Citroen Ami a mess.

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

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

What are the other people’s feelings when they see Ami?

Like I said, almost everyone does. This is usually a “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 for speed, because it will be very difficult, and curiously – it seems in the West this is a normal situation 🙂