Going to view this tonight, any advice?

[pandamonium]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

 

[Cavcraft]

Any advice?

 

Just go and buy it. That looks a treat for the money, very well priced indeed. For more help/ideas: http://www.bxproject.co.uk/phpbb3/portal.php and don't forget to do the Citroen aerobics test on the car.

[hairnet]

just check for the dreaded brown

 

as long as susp work and makes not groaning noises

 

and it dont leak too much

 

do it

 

non turbo? (go on forever)

 

bought yet??

 

how about now

[jonny69]

Yes, walk away. It's crap/French/old/unreliable/slow/complicated/basic/unsafe* / *delete other non-Autoshite reason.

 

My dad used these for years as work vans and they are practically bulletproof. If you REALLY overload them all the time the suspension eventually gives up the ghost, but they soldier on regardless. He taught me about clutch control on the hills around Crystal Palace when I was learning, so I can also say the clutch is capable of standing up to abuse.

[skattrd]

Single wipers are almost as good a reason to buy a car as pop-up headlights ... Do it.

[Rocket88]

Get it bought............epic collecting road trip report required............

[Micrashed]

Rust in the usual places*

Brown gloop rather than green LHM

Suspension works and isnt hard, no creaks from arse end as it rises / falls

OMG HGF!

 

To be honest mechanical stuff is easy enough to fixorate, its the rust in weird and hidden (and not so hidden) places that is a PITA and can kill them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

*anywhere made of metal

[catsinthewelder]

Looks a goodun

 

Leaks and rot are the main thing to check for, if all the green stuff is pumping round nicely check the inner wings, around the front door hinges, the base of the b and c posts and under the boot floor for tinworm. We all know that NA XUD's are bombproof so check that it hasn't been ignored enough to HGF and beyond that it should be fine.

[warren t claim]

Don't let Watanabe collect it for you. Advice over.

[vulgalour]

I have nothing to add beyond the fact that just about every spare part you need can be got usually for very little from AEP: http://www.aepdirect.com/ and DW should be along shortly to fill in any blanks the rest of us have missed. I have nothing but praise for my leaky rusty old BX-state even if it is sat on the garden at the moment, waiting it's turn to be fixorrated with the magic melty wand.

[dollywobbler]

A good check for rot is immediately behind the rear bumper. Be wary of reaching under a BX that isn't on axle stands, but it's a key rot area. Watch for bubbling around the sides of the rear bumper too. Otherwise, usual stuff. Sills, A posts (esp door hinges), bottom of B posts, bottom of C posts. Also have a peek at the rear of the front inner wheelarches.

 

Listen for the pump cutting in. It should chirrup every 20 seconds or so. 10 seconds is just about ok, but less suggests the accumulator sphere needs replacing. Not a difficult job. Find out when the cambelt was last changed. More than 40k miles or 5 years and it'll need doing again. Check for oil leaks but don't be surprised if there's a fair bit of oil floating around. Usually the cam cover gasket.

[SambaS]

It's red. Buy it

[carlo]

A good check for rot is immediately behind the rear bumper. Be wary of reaching under a BX that isn't on axle stands, but it's a key rot area. Watch for bubbling around the sides of the rear bumper too. Otherwise, usual stuff. Sills, A posts (esp door hinges), bottom of B posts, bottom of C posts. Also have a peek at the rear of the front inner wheelarches.

 

Listen for the pump cutting in. It should chirrup every 20 seconds or so. 10 seconds is just about ok, but less suggests the accumulator sphere needs replacing. Not a difficult job. Find out when the cambelt was last changed. More than 40k miles or 5 years and it'll need doing again. Check for oil leaks but don't be surprised if there's a fair bit of oil floating around. Usually the cam cover gasket.

 

I didn't think BXs (well, certainly Mk IIs anyway) were known for rusting at all. Most 90s French cars seem to have pretty good rust prevention.

[dollywobbler]

Oh they rust alright! Pretty good for their time, but the youngest is 19 years old now.

[vulgalour]

Actually, for a good indication of where an estate will rot, check out my build thread: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16005 Particularly the more recent pages. I'd say mine's average on the rot with the exception of the rear wing, which is slightly more advanced than most and the picture you've put up of the red one hints at being a better example.

[pandamonium]

I walked away.

 

Suspension took a couple of attempts to rise, had to move stick back and forward.

There was a weird hiss every so often from under the bonnet.

The cap to the LHM tank? was off and there was gooey stuff everywhere around it.

I got a whiff of coolant after driving it.

[MrDuke]

 

The last two points don't sound at all good, so probably for the best; my suspension was very sticky as the previous owner never moved it, but loosened up after a while. I stand to be corrected, but I think the PAS pump is constantly pressurised, and has a weird blow-off valve that hisses sometimes as a matter of course.

[Cavcraft]

The hissing will be the FDV valve thing won't it? Normal for these and no problem.

[dollywobbler]

The hissing would just be the LHM pump I would have thought. Entirely normal. Some clatter, some hiss. Goo around the reservoir would just have been spilt LHM. They're a sod to top up without getting the stuff everywhere. The fact you needed to yank the lever about to get it rise does suggest height corrector issues though. Still a cheap BX.

 

 

The last two points don't sound at all good, so probably for the best; my suspension was very sticky as the previous owner never moved it, but loosened up after a while. I stand to be corrected, but I think the PAS pump is constantly pressurised, and has a weird blow-off valve that hisses sometimes as a matter of course.

 

Not quite. The pump spins continuously, but only cuts in when the accumulator sphere has insufficient pressure. Should be every 30 seconds or so, just a quick burst to keep it up to pressure. There is no PAS pump - the high-pressure pump powers the steering, suspension and brakes.