Last weekend's haul o' shite

[wuvvum]

Been a bit of a busy few days...

 

 

I picked the CX up on Thursday night. It's lovely - just the right amount of scruffy for a series 1 CX, but it drives spot on - in fact it's the best driving CX I've owned. It drove back from Streatham without a hitch, and adopting a Dan_Hirst style 60-65mph trundle and keeping the green light on the econometer lit as much as possible meant it managed nearly 40mpg, which is not bad at all for a big old petrol engined car. I reckon this one's a keeper, unless it fails its MoT dramatically on something I haven't spotted yet.

 

The Moggy was the result of a long search for something old and cheap to play with over the summer - the price of tax exempt classics seems to have gone a bit mental recently. It's just out of MoT but has a valid tax disc until the end of next January, which gives me plenty of time to play with it without risking the wrath of the Council. It needs a fair bit of welding underneath but it's not terminal, and because it was so cheap I'm going to use it to teach myself to weld properly, on the grounds that if I balls it up completely I've not destroyed an expensive and/or rare car. To give it its due it managed the 130-mile drive home from Buckinghamshire OK, cruising at an indicated 65mph (58 on the satnav) although it did lose most of its exhaust just outside Cambridge, and although the break was aft of the "silencer", it was also just below one of the holes in the floor, so the rest of the drive was rather noisy and smelly.

 

The SD1 is the 2600 from Thetford that was described in the eBay listing as "tatty and a shed", and that pretty much sums it up. It looks a lot better in the pics than it does in real life. It's also the second car I've bought in as many weeks with a whiny gearbox, although this is more of a general "I'm a bit worn, me" sort of whine which is sort of in keeping with the rest of the car, rather than the "OMG IMMINENT BEARING EXPLOSHUN" whine of the Galant. It drives OK other than that though - the carbs need a tune as it splutters a bit at low revs, but it doesn't get hot and oil pressure is good. It even came with half a tank of super unleaded, which can't be bad. And it's tested till just before Christmas, so there's plenty of time before I need to worry about it failing a test - not that it's rotten anyway.

 

Interestingly, all three sellers were "our type of people" - the chap with the CX also had a Dyane and, prior to the CX, had owned a 1970 Renault 12 saloon; the Morris seller had a beetleback Vanguard, an HB Viva, an Austin A50, a pair of Cortina-shape P100s, a Mk1 Golf and a Mk2 Polo "breadvan", along with a pair of BSA Bantams; and the SD1 man was heavily into old buses, and is currently selling a Leyland National 2 on eBay to make way for the ex-Green Line Leyland Tiger / Duple Dominant that he's picking up from Wales at the weekend.

 

So all in all a fun-filled few days, but extremely tiring (especially the haul home in the Morris), so I'm going to try and take a short break from shite-purchaseage for a while, unless they're very near to home of course.

[Mr Lobster]

Heroic stuff Mr Wuv! CX looks nice, I like the idea of slightly tatty around the edges CX rather than some concours thing.And to think I'm currently moaning that I have too many cars and no time to work on them! You are an inspiration to us all

[Guest]

CX Looks great-can we/I see more pics.....

[dollywobbler]

Cracking! Love all three of 'em!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Have you located a new 'nookie corner' for stashing all these cars in? I remember you saying that having moved house you also had a lot less space to play with than previously.

[wuvvum]

Have you located a new 'nookie corner' for stashing all these cars in? I remember you saying that having moved house you also had a lot less space to play with than previously.

There's a convenient little car park a couple of hundred yards up the road - nothing like as big as the car park at my last place, but I can keep a couple of cars on there. That's where the pic was taken. Having said that, all three of the above motors are currently taxed, so I can park them on the street if need be. I've also started using the grass area outside my garage / shed to park cars on - previously I'd only ever stood cars on the concrete, but an afternoon with a strimmer and hedge trimmer cleared enough space to fit another two cars in.

[CortinaDave]

You sir, are a god amongst autoshiters for buying that SD1. glad to see its not ended up in bits

[Spottedlaurel]

Nice set of additions to the fleet there. Rover and CX must effectively have been competing in the same market when new.

[MrRegieRitmo]

Rover and CX must effectively have been competing in the same market when new.

I was going to say, this picture makes you realise they have a fairly similar shape to them. CX didn't get to anything like 3500cc though did it?

[dollywobbler]

I was going to say, this picture makes you realise they have a fairly similar shape to them. CX didn't get to anything like 3500cc though did it?

No, but it did get a turbocharged 2.5! Now I wouldn't mind conducting a test between a CX GTi Turbo and an SD1 Vitesse. In fact, I now very much need to do it!

[Guest]

It drove back from Streatham without a hitch, and adopting a Dan_Hirst style 60-65mph trundle and keeping the green light on the econometer lit as much as possible meant it managed nearly 40mpg, which is not bad at all for a big old petrol engined car.

Hey now! I've been driving pretty quick lately (up to 90mph on a privately owned motorway) as I've been late to work on account of drinking too much. I flashed a 318i out of the way the other day. Move it!

[wuvvum]

I was going to say, this picture makes you realise they have a fairly similar shape to them. CX didn't get to anything like 3500cc though did it?

No, but it did get a turbocharged 2.5! Now I wouldn't mind conducting a test between a CX GTi Turbo and an SD1 Vitesse. In fact, I now very much need to do it!

Having owned a CX Turbo and had a passenger ride in a Vitesse I reckon it'd be a close run thing on performance, even if the CX is nominally 25 bhp down. The torque produced by the Citroen engine is phenomenal.

[Split_Pin]

Nice purchases - I like the vynl roof on the CX

[Guest greenvanman]

That CX is great Any chance of a few more pictures please?

[andrew e]

A cracking buy sir!

[mouseflakes]

Good work wuvs. I like all of these - even the Minor. This is how I remember them from my youth - well used. I went off them when they became ridiculously expensive, polished and pampered. This looks just right - enjoy the welding practice!Does the CX sellers 1970 R12 still exist or did he run it into the ground?

[VWPowered]

brilliant

[michiel]

Top work!

[MrRegieRitmo]

I was going to say, this picture makes you realise they have a fairly similar shape to them. CX didn't get to anything like 3500cc though did it?

No, but it did get a turbocharged 2.5! Now I wouldn't mind conducting a test between a CX GTi Turbo and an SD1 Vitesse. In fact, I now very much need to do it!

Having owned a CX Turbo and had a passenger ride in a Vitesse I reckon it'd be a close run thing on performance, even if the CX is nominally 25 bhp down. The torque produced by the Citroen engine is phenomenal.

I doubt there's much contest on the 'which one sounds better' though!

[wuvvum]

That CX is great Any chance of a few more pictures please?

I'll take some more of all of 'em over the weekend. This was just a quick "family portrait" which I took last night before it got too dark for my pants camera.

[Pete-M]

Dammit man, I've had a 2600SE and an SD1 Vitesse, but I've always wanted a CX.There's a CX right by my work, a LWB one that appears to be very tidy. I shall grab some pics if its out in a bit.

[Volksy]

Great CX, hope it does you proud..Does the Moggie fart on the over-run?

[Ratdat]

That CX is great Any chance of a few more pictures please?

I'll take some more of all of 'em over the weekend. This was just a quick "family portrait" which I took last night before it got too dark for my pants camera.

Your pants have a camera?I drooled over a bunch of CX's at the citroen club bash last year. Lovely things.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

"HEY LADIES, WANNA BE PHOTOGRAPHED? THERE IS LITERALLY A CAMERA IN MY PANTS"

[dollywobbler]

I was going to say, this picture makes you realise they have a fairly similar shape to them. CX didn't get to anything like 3500cc though did it?

No, but it did get a turbocharged 2.5! Now I wouldn't mind conducting a test between a CX GTi Turbo and an SD1 Vitesse. In fact, I now very much need to do it!

Having owned a CX Turbo and had a passenger ride in a Vitesse I reckon it'd be a close run thing on performance, even if the CX is nominally 25 bhp down. The torque produced by the Citroen engine is phenomenal.

I doubt there's much contest on the 'which one sounds better' though!

True, but only one has lowrider suspension (ish...) fitted as standard!