HMC- Austin 12/4 motorsport entry 💩

[grogee]

This will be similar electrically to our Espaces I think. Eg key card and LED dash. That looks like a nice one and the 7-seater is useful and desirable. If you could go back in time 6 months I'd have bought it off you. 

I really like the 1.5dci, very frugal. Has its foibles but it's well understood as it's so common. 

I think I speak for all of us when I say we need more of the special stuff, ie the XM.

[beko1987]

It's ages well, quite a pretty car, and in an colour! 

Sounda like the same 6 speed manual box I had in my mk2 ph1 laguna and it was bloody lovely (until the slave cylinder started to go but that's not the box's fault). 6th was nice and long so on a cruise you could do 85 and still get fantastic mpg! 

[Tubbo]

They increased the BHP of this engine from 100 to 106 in 2005 so this will probably have the more powerful engine, great buy, love it 👍

[wuvvum]

I had one of those, bloody competent car when the electrics weren't playing up.  Not quick but a decent cruiser and handled well enough for a people carrier.

[HMC]

Fleet update-

Eagle eyed might have noticed i had both the 406 coupe and the xm for sale to help with space; i had been sizing up an allegro vanden plas (!)

In the end, both gallic v6s didnt seem to tickle anyones fancies on here, and my allegro VDP negotiations broke down over price. 

Hence i decided, for now at least, to keep the 2 french v6 cruisers and enjoy the waft. Also as much as i like allegros, i sort of thought what am i playing at when you can open the front door to this…

 

[HMC]

also could a citroen person please explain-

this should be hydractive 2 and not a sinker- as far as im aware; but it is a sinker. Could it be broken? i dont think so its not leaking anything. Can they be converted? 

[RichardK]

5 minutes ago, HMC said:

also could a citroen person please explain-

this should be hydractive 2 and not a sinker- as far as im aware; but it is a sinker. Could it be broken? i dont think so its not leaking anything. Can they be converted? 

It's probably just not working properly but as long as it's working when it moves sinking is part of the appeal...

Non-movers or not I have been thinking very hard about selling the 940 because of that XM... Hard to see the sense in that change though.

 

[alcyonecorporation]

The title of this tome still reads like TOTP for worthy French shite, 11/10, long may it continue 

[brownnova]

1 hour ago, HMC said:

Fleet update-

Eagle eyed might have noticed i had both the 406 coupe and the xm for sale to help with space; i had been sizing up an allegro vanden plas (!)

In the end, both gallic v6s didnt seem to tickle anyones fancies on here, and my allegro VDP negotiations broke down over price. 

Hence i decided, for now at least, to keep the 2 french v6 cruisers and enjoy the waft. Also as much as i like allegros, i sort of thought what am i playing at when you can open the front door to this…

 

I did wonder why the ad had suddenly gone!

Not that I kept going back to look at it… 

[wesacosa]

how quick and how far does it sink 

[stuboy]

21 minutes ago, wesacosa said:

how quick and how far does it sink 

anti catalytic theft deterant...

[Rust Collector]

I was gutted to see the advert for the XM went too, I desperately wanted it but just couldn’t figure out where to keep it for a month or so in order that my mrs and family don’t go berserk.

[Mrs6C]

2 hours ago, HMC said:

this should be hydractive 2 and not a sinker- as far as im aware; but it is a sinker.

My 'R plate XM sinks and as far as I know, it's not broken.

Like the DS, it rises up 'comme une vache'... rear first, then front a few moments later...

[djoptix]

On 7/26/2023 at 10:32 PM, wuvvum said:

I had one of those, bloody competent car when the electrics weren't playing up.  Not quick but a decent cruiser and handled well enough for a people carrier.

If you mean SK** MYJ, it's still doing sterling service over here.

[wesacosa]

Any kind of sinking on a non sinker is usually some kind of internal leak through either the leak back from the suspension or an internal leak on the brake doseur valve. So long as everything still works and you get brakes for a bit after the engine is off the general consensus seems to be its nothing to worry about. In fact you are at less risk of the mechanisms seizing up then if it just stays at one height all the time

you can check this apparently by taking off the return hoses one by one and checking the leak off into a jam jar (probably more to it than that so check on a Club xm or French car forum where someone who knows a lot more than me has no doubt posted full instructions)

[HMC]

This wafty xm has got better with use.

An initial cold start missfire has cured itself. Stale fuel? damp in the engine bay? dunno.

The windows mostly didnt work but they seem to have come back to life just by working switches a bit. Result!

I also refitted the so called “13th window” into the boot area for extra eccentricity points bingo; although being pedantic i count already 13 with the sunroof; but “13th window” sounds more cryptic and french so maybe ill stick with that terminology.

[grogee]

25 minutes ago, HMC said:

13th window

I mean, obviously that's cool and everything and every car should* have one... But what is it actually for?

Is it just to stop the taxi passengers feeling a draught when the rear hatch is opened? 

[EyesWeldedShut]

1 minute ago, grogee said:

I mean, obviously that's cool and everything and every car should* have one... But what is it actually for?

Is it just to stop the taxi passengers feeling a draught when the rear hatch is opened? 

I am frantically trying to dream up a random connection to The Last Supper here but failing...
Otherwise - you have hit the nail on the head - idea was that the passengers did not get the 'whoomph' effect when the hatch was shut or the 'suuuck' effect when it was opened.
Gallic idiosyncrasy or cool design? No idea but it is the sort of thing that our 2020s fanbois of all things vintage will love.

[Zelandeth]

Also to keep nasty weather out the car when loading/unloading the boot.  I remember Citroen making quite a song and dance about it at the time.  Seem to recall it getting an entire page to itself in the brochure.

[Marm Toastsmith]

Saloon luxury & hatchback practicality. They thought of everything. I'm jealous, obviously.

[EyesWeldedShut]

8 minutes ago, Marm Toastsmith said:

Saloon luxury & hatchback practicality. They thought of everything. I'm jealous, obviously.

They could have put one in the BX - slamming the hatch on mine threatened to blow the windscreen out.  Good cars though

[RayMK]

For different reasons, the Tatraplan T600 of the 1950s had an intermediate rear window.  I saw one in a carpark in Reading in 1960 where my parents had dragged me for shopping.  I was fascinated by this slightly weird car and took a closer look. It was right hand drive, a make I'd never seen or heard of back then and had windows behind the back seat and another pair on the engine cowling.  It's a feature that would appeal to eccentric French Citroen designers.  Perhaps that's where the inspiration came from 😁. 

 

[EyesWeldedShut]

13 minutes ago, RayMK said:

For different reasons, the Tatraplan T600 of the 1950s had an intermediate rear window.  I saw one in a carpark in Reading in 1960 where my parents had dragged me for shopping.  I was fascinated by this slightly weird car and took a closer look. It was right hand drive, a make I'd never seen or heard of back then and had windows behind the back seat and another pair on the engine cowling.  It's a feature that would appeal to eccentric French Citroen designers.  Perhaps that's where the inspiration came from 😁. 

 

Thank you - column shift and bench front seat? Luvverly. Suicide doors too? Another "car I never knew existed" 

[djoptix]

23 hours ago, djoptix said:

If you mean SK** MYJ, it's still doing sterling service over here.

No it fucking isn't, it must have known I was being nice about it. Threw a ton of terrifying error messages at Mrs Optix on the way down to Devon today, ended up being AAd back from Brean to Bristol. Fucking car

[HMC]

hi guys seen something interesting for sale, anyone fancy the xm for £1000? pm me

[hairnet]

@Frogchod

You're closer than I am

[Schaefft]

This is another "would instantly do" if the logistics weren't a faff.

[catsinthewelder]

Oh Christ, I'm driving down to Cornwall tomorrow and it's a car I've always promised myself.  

Really can't have any more cars but probably could drive this back up to Shropshire in a week's time if that helps anyone else.

[Weird Car]

@richykitchy this is right up your ally 

[grogee]

Arrrghhhhhhh