Xantia 1.9 n/a opinions?

[Rocket88]

Been offered a low mileage [109k] one of these, 1.9 non turbo.............good for comfy mingebaggery commute? MOT  for a year £200

[Supernaut]

I can only imagine how abysmally slow a 1.9 N/A diesel would be in something the size of a Xantia.

 

Very mingebaggy though, just don't expect to go anywhere at any kind of pace.

[dean36014]

I had two, they were plodders but great on fuel. They pull away quite well as no turbo lag like the Td's. They will keep up with traffic and maintain a steady 70-80mph no problem except on long hills. I dragged a 22ft caravan around with mine all over the country and it was fine on the flat. Check the dtrut tops though, a known weak spot.

[Rocket88]

I'm in no hurry anymore.....as long as the heater works, and the radio, and it does eleventy billion to the gallon, and it doesn't explode, I'll be happy.

[sierraman]

Could be. Watch the head gasket though they are apt to go at that mileage.

[Lacquer Peel]

I've owned loads of XUDs and never had a head gasket go. The reliable* VW 110 TDI engine however? 2 head gaskets on two separate cars.

 

The Xantia 1.9D is fine, the 'weedy' non turbo XUD punches above its weight. Just don't expect to overtake much.

[castros_bro]

That's almost run in.  They are comfy long and short distance hacks and reliable IF vaguely serviced occasionally. Cheap to run and cheap to get spares for.  If a n/a XUD 1.9 suits your driving then you win, the only better / even more basic is the same engine in an ZX (or a R8 Rover or a 306).  You may possibly find a veggie Bosch pump fitted.

[tonedepear]

I loved mine. Nothing to add to the above but it was a pleasant place to be and slow but not scary slow. (Apart from when the fuel pump fell apart and it'd stall over 2krpm. That was an entertaining limp home from Scotland.)

 

Mine was an LX as well for full on tweed-seated mingebaggery. Would do again.

[Rocket88]

It's on the blue forum, if anyone wants to cast a critical eye...................I'm too Luddite to do a link............

[Shep Shepherd]

A bouncy Citroën with a year's ticket for £200? Do it!

[richardmorris]

My Citroen garage got their courtesy one to just under 300k before something terminal killed it. I liked the drive, relaxed perhaps describes it best.

[Rocket88]

I think I'm convinced............

[beko1987]

It'll be perfect for mingebaggery commuting! I'm about to get into my 1.9TD xantia and head home, and I imagine I'll get over 2k revs at about 6.15 as I get onto the M40 looking at waze... If I go the back way I imagine my top speed will be about 45, so again, no real need for the turbo

 

I would say check the usual xantia/xm bits, but for £200 is there much need to?

[holbeck]

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/193905/1994-citroen-xantia-brighton-sussex

 

This one?

 

Looks a barg to me.

[Rocket88]

That's the one.....................seems a genuine type of bloke as well................he's replacing it with another Xantia

[cort16]

That's looks great for 200 quid . I imagine the diesel will be fine once you get used to it .

[stripped fred]

How many brake horsepowers does it have? My hdi 406 is 90 and the mk3 Astra is something like 63 from it's 1.7 non turbo engine. Both are adequate and do the job although I have to plan ahead a bit more when driving the astra.

[beko1987]

Get it bought!

[bub2006]

75bhp i think from na xud.

[forddeliveryboy]

Better build quality than a W124 (or a S2 Xantia) if my L-reg one I smoked about in years ago was anything to go by, but they weigh about the same as a 300D and with only 70% of the power. Loads of torque low down helps it feel as brisk, or not, as the Benz. Perfect on faster, quieter A and B roads where journey times can shrink without trying, if you're in a rush the suspension and handling reveal a little of the lost genius on a demanding road, on a motorway you do the best you can with the aerodynamics.

[beko1987]

Better build quality than a W124 (or a S2 Xantia) if my L-reg one I smoked about in years ago was anything to go by, but they weigh about the same as a 300D and with only 70% of the power. Loads of torque low down helps it feel as brisk, or not, as the Benz. Perfect on faster, quieter A and B roads where journey times can shrink without trying, if you're in a rush the suspension and handling reveal a little of the lost genius on a demanding road, on a motorway you do the best you can with the aerodynamics.

Funny you should say that, I twatted it back from Henley last friday at lunchtime, and I mean I hit 80 at one point, 65 around most of the corners etc and it didn't feel quite as smooth or planted as I thought it would/the ZX did doing the same journey, and neither felt as great as the Puma did on the same road... Absolutley dicked fuel too...fun though, and I wasnt late back to work. Pretty sure I remember the XM feeling more 'planted' at speed, although its suspension bits were in better fettle. It had Hydractive 2 though, if that makes a difference

 

Mine is certainly more at home wafting along the motorway at 65/70, or back roads at 50/60 enjoying the view!

[Rocket88]

I do not expect miracles for 200 sheets............

[forddeliveryboy]

^beko

Many 'modern' Cits I drive seem to grow worse year on year, the quality of replacement spheres doesn't help (you can improve them in a matter of minutes) nor does thin cheapy LHM.

 

As French roads grew better and better and the engineers seemingly lost brain cells/were told what to do by the accountants and sales experts, sphere specs grew worse and worse for our rippled, pock-marked, bucking English roads. They started to really rein in the suspension travel by the time of the Xantia with little 400cc spheres, which combined with soft damping on non-performance models can be really horrid when you push on along a B or smaller A-road. Too stiff on the rear, too, for the acclimatised Citroën nut who enjoys high-speed stability over varied roads.

 

It became crackers when the equivalent Pug-badged chassis was both more comfortable and handled better, it's wasn't difficult to reverse the situation, but few do/did. (Those Dutch comfort spheres are total bollox, btw). Increase the sphere size but maintain or slightly reduce the spring rate, adjust the damping et voila - you're still lumbered with struts and other nastiness but it's surprising how much you can improve PSA X-Cits.

 

I once landed a Xantia with the semi-active suspension and the 2.1 dizzier which was a good car, except the suspension. It only ever settled down on a motorway, unless you drove very steadily, when it irritated even more as it relayed every ridge and ripple in a Volvo 850 way. Round fastish corners it was too stiff, trying to slide off the road rather than digging in, at speed along A roads the body bucked about so much it made life difficult for itself, along fast back roads with poor foundations this became a real problem. 

 

Once sorted for our roads, it was almost too fast, a total reversal of how it had been. Not only super-comfortable and super-relaxing, but highly enjoyable.

[robinmasters]

Mine was an LX as well for full on tweed-seated mingebaggery. Would do again.

 

Citroen tweed seats are teh shiz. The velour seats fitted to 'better' specced cars rubbish-they look bad, feel slightly clammy, and wear out. 

[Rocket88]

This seems to have the full tweed..........

[forddeliveryboy]

Yep, those tweedy-seats are ace! If I made cars I'd have tweed only for the most expensive, dead cow skin for the cheapest. The only good thing about leather is if you have dogs and young children, it's wipe-clean.

[hairnet]

not quick but go on forever sold our early l reg sinker 6-7 years ago and its still going

[Vince70]

I had a 1.9 non turbo xantia for about 3 years which was a base model and can honestly say it was one of best cars I've ever had.

 

I was quite lucky though as mine was bought off my elderly next door neighbour and had only done about 40000 miles so it was basically like buying a new car.

 

I also would lend it to family members when it came to going away for holidays etc as although it wasn't fast it really was a nice relaxing drive and mine did many a trip to Cornwall and was so economical.

 

The bonnet and front on mine got flattened by a dustcart when it was parked up and I bought it back from the insurance company for £150 and patched it up with a secondhand bonnet and grill for about £100 and left the rest so it ended up as free motoring only for it to get damaged again when someone reversed into it a year later and this time it got repaired by the insurance company and the car was treated to a nice new bumper bonnet grill and slam panel.

 

It came back when finished nicely polished and looking like new again on a low loader so it really did pay for itself time and time again.

 

I think the only difference was between the base and the SX was the drivers seat didn't have height adjustment and there's no central locking on the base plus you get a Cheaper head unit and it has keep fit Windows.

 

To be honest these are things you don't really want on an old French car anyway so it's a win win getting a non turbo one and it did feel really well screwed together.

 

If I was being really picky and I had to find a fault with them then it would be that the brakes can feel a bit grabby compared to other cars but it's not really an issue.

 

I sold it to another neighbour afterwards and would get ridiculed by most of my mates as it would be seen parked up after the sale full of teddy bears and a set of furry leopard skin seat covers but it didn't last long as he side swiped a lorry with it.

[Rocket88]

Good MOT history has clinched it.............buyage will occur next week...........................anyone want to buy my Subaru?

[UltraWomble]

 

 

Once sorted for our roads, it was almost too fast, a total reversal of how it had been. Not only super-comfortable and super-relaxing, but highly enjoyable.

One of the nicest cars I had was a 90 BHP HDi Ex-Auntie which had a stage one remap to bring it to 105 BHP and then I fitted estate spheres to it.

Brilliant planted towing monster ( read 80mph with 25 foot of Bailey caravan on the back steady as a rock).

 

Never overly harsh or wallowy - just a nice mix really. But then I rarely hooned it into the bends. I do that with the wifes C8 though partly to annoy her and partly to get the ESP lamp flashing on the dash and partly because I think it must look mental to other road users something that size undertaking them on the M65 Junction 1a roundabout doing 50 and partly because it makes me feel like a racing driver.