dollywobbler Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 IIRC, the Activa only came in three-pedal form. Would still love to try one, but am having to settle for Hydractive at the moment rather than the full Activa experience. They are insane value given how bonkers they are. chrisjvm, KruJoe, STUNO and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjvm Posted November 5, 2014 Author Share Posted November 5, 2014 My Activa's still waiting to share its grin inducing handling with a new owner ... So far just had a few timewasting chancers make enquiries .... Only one of that sort from this forum may I add! Let's call them 'Mr Cambelt?' One idiot took me to task because I'd stated 'No rust anywhere for that matter' ( I was referring to the bodywork) But he wanted to know if there was any rust (including surface rust) on any of the hydraulic pipes underneath ... On a Rare 17 year old Citroen ??? that I want a miserly £650 for FFS! .... "because they're no longer available" !!! 'Oh yes mate ... It's got FSH and I've spent 4k on maintenance in the 2 years and 1500 miles I've owned it ... It's been kept in its own centrally heated penthouse on a bed of marshmallows .... How's about I give you a bullseye to take it off my hands?' Ok rant over ... And as per my original heading'I HATE SELLING CARS'! .... I'm sure there's a Shitter out there somewhere with their name on this fine vehicle! raggerminder and xtriple 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kadams1970 Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Okay I'll bite. Email me your number and we'll have a chat. I have one in the family and could do with another - I'm on keith@classiccarweekly.co.uk and should be able to sort this out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kadams1970 Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 That'll be the second autoshite car in a month... CortinaDave, cort16 and trigger 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skattrd Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 An Avantime and an Activa, that would be truly living the dream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HillmanImp Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Bolleaux. I am aghast. One was hoping nobody would express an interest in this French filly and it would soon be gracing the leafy suburbs of Bradford. In light of this latest development, I shall be wanging some winter tyres on the Jag post haste. To black circles Whistlejacket, gallop like you have never galloped before! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kadams1970 Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 I have a Lancia, too, skattrd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjvm Posted November 12, 2014 Author Share Posted November 12, 2014 Activa has now been sold to the first person to view it .... Good luck with the Jaaag Mr Imp ... Would've loved it but can't afford to run it at present .... Life in the slow lane for me now,in my T25 1.6td Camper. beko1987 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bren Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 Like I have said many times before about the xantia - arguably the most underrated car ever made. chrisjvm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HillmanImp Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 Activa has now been sold to the first person to view it .... Good luck with the Jaaag Mr Imp ... Would've loved it but can't afford to run it at present .... Life in the slow lane for me now,in my T25 1.6td Camper. No matter, it was worth a try. I am quite happy with the Shaguar for now. Glad it was a pain free sale. chrisjvm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kadams1970 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Good to have a Citroën Xantia Activa properly on the fleet again. I bought this one on 12 November, but it’s only taken until today to actually pick it up, thanks to a combination of the NEC Classic Motor Show, and a last-minute drive down to Marrakesh (as you do). The new car came via Autoshite after long-time AROnline fan and contributor Ben Adams pointed it out to me, via the happy medium of Facebook. The car in question ended up costing me the pricely sum of £600 after an opening offer of £500 for a car that had been advertised at £650. In its favour is the relatively low mileage of 85,000, as well as continuous specialist history (including a few stamps from my favourite Citroen guy in Blackpool, Dave Ashworth). Downsides are some cosmetic issues. The headlights and stereo weren’t working when I tested it, but once home, a new key fob fixed the first problem (the alarm was going off – and the speaker had been turned off – so the relay had been removed to stop the flashing lights; while the stereo just needed de-coding). There’s also a hydraulic leak from the front suspension ram, but I’ll get down to that in the New Year. I’d forgotten how superior these cars car dynamically, combining superb ride comfort and tenacious handling in a way that the car industry is only really beginning to catch up with, almost 20 years after its launch. The drive back from Birmingham (in convoy with my son in his Activa), where I bought the car, was event-free, and reminded me – once again – just why I love these cars. But it did once again have me asking the same questions: Why, oh why didn’t Citroën persevere with the system, and introduce it on to all subsequent hydro models? Imagine the C6 so equipped? More than that, why has no other mass producer come up with something similar? Surely, as our roads get increasingly potholed, ride comfort should be in increasing priority. It would have been awesome to drive more cars with properly (re)active suspension. Oh well, it’s nice to enjoy a bit of future we never really had the chance to fully experience. Finally, I’ve found some time to give my new £600 Citroen Xantia Activa the cosmetic attention it deserves. And the news is mixed, but not disastrous. The car, which I picked up a couple of weeks ago looked quite sorry for itself, having suffered from paint damage over the years – as they all do – and one well-intentioned rattle-can repair. Being a Xantia, it’s one of those cars that looks much, much worse for being dirty (see image below to get what I mean). You know how some cars can get away with a coating of road grime, and get away with it? Well, this is most certainly not one of them – when a car like this looks dirty, not only does it suggest to other road users that I’m poor, but it also gives the impression that I’m also lazy. No comment on both. But the lacquer peel on the tailgate, paint crazing on the bonnet, and the home-sprayed roof were cause for concern. So, I took a deep breath, and battled the inclement weather, to have a proper look, and start attacking the worst of the problems. The crazed bonnet is the most obvious issue, and given that the scores look quite deep, a respray of this panel is the only lasting solution. But as it’s approaching Christmas, that was never going to happen. So I thought that given enough polish, we could at least disguise it. So, out came the machine polisher, and after three treatments, it’s certainly looking shinier. And at an angle, from 10 feet, you can’t see the marking anymore – thanks to the deep, lustrous reflections. The rest of the car, I treated to a coat of Meguiar’s Tech Wax, so at least it’s superficially good all over. Trouble is that there’s huge amounts of overspray contamination from when the roof was rattle-canned, and the only way to rid the car of that is to clay bar it, and go to town. A job for when it gets warmer, methinks. Same with the roof – that’s going to need a full respray, but I might try that with the machine polisher, too, in order to see if there’s any life an consistency in the paint that’s on there.We’ll see. Of course, I’m enjoying the ride – the car’s handling and poise never fails to impress, as a quick run up the B660 to work yesterday confirmed. The (re)active suspension system truly is remarkable – I just wish the steering had some (any) feel. But despite this, and it’s all-round brilliance, the Activa still feels less than special as an overall package. Yes, it has handling to die for, but I still find tooling around in my Avantime far more satisfying. Wonder what that says about me? mouseflakes, Lacquer Peel, KruJoe and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UltraWomble Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I do have a soft spot for Xantias.Would rather like another HDi 90 in Wicked red. LX or Forte spec. Yes, I know Im a bit odd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kadams1970 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Great cars - in many ways, the best mid-sized car Citroen ever made... K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Maybe you need to speak to BL Autos and get a V6 shoved in it. That would liven things up a bit. Though I have to say, the biggest problem with the Activa is that it's just a Xantia at the end of the day. Having driven a Xant back to back with an XM, only one actually feels special - even though they have so much in common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kadams1970 Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Thanks for the advice. http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=29323 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete-M Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 The Xantia Activa is the only Citroën with spheres I've ever really enjoyed driving. The V6 Activa would have done rather well here I suspect. One thing with the Activa, only fit tyres with stiff sidewalls. I think they were supplied new with Michelin Pilot HX jobs which they really worked well on. Replacing the Michelins with Discount Ditchfinder Deluxe Teflon Terrors really destroyed the steering feel to the extent that even the car hire firm I worked for would pay the extra for new Michelins after they tried one on crap tyres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kadams1970 Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Absolutely. Couldn't agree more. My son fit new Contintals all round to his, and it's had a very negative effect. When the time comes to do mine (assuming I still have it), I'll most certainly be talking to the man from Michelin K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lord Sward Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 So how do you find a tyre with ultra-stiff sidewalls? Do you look for XL-loaded tyres? Or run flats? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kadams1970 Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Finally, I have a blog rolling for this excellent car. For anyone who's interested, you can find it here. There's also a piece going in next week's CCW. Question is - is it a classic or not? We already know the answer, of course http://torque-steer.com/category/blogs/keith-adams-blogs/citroen-xantia-activa/ skattrd 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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