Mein New Autoshiten!

[AXrescuer]

Just bought this for £350 squids. I know nothing about the Xantia so ownership should be fun. Anyway, we really needed a cheap auto asap so this fitted the bill. Any ideas what I can do to sort the intermittent fuel gauge issue?

 

[mnde]

Eggcellent purchase, but by the title I was expecting an old Passat or something!Intermittent fuel gauge - check the wires on the fuel tank sender?Mark.

[Alpineandy]

what spec?

[Richard]

VSX by the look of it.

[AXrescuer]

Yep, 2.0 VSX but no leather interior.

[FredTransit]

By the title I was expecting something German!

[wuvvum]

I've only ever had one Xantia - an L-reg 2.0i LX. Paid £40 for it off the Bay about four years ago - paint was faded (red), windscreen had a crack across it and the LHM in the suspension had been replaced with 20W50 so it took about five minutes for the suspension to wake up, but otherwise it was fine, and surprisingly pleasant to drive. I'm actually thinking about buying a 2.1 TD estate as my next daily - they seem to be cheaper than equivalent 406s and the suspension makes them GR8 4 towing.

[Milford Cubicle]

I like Xantias, I'm half thinking of buying a late 1.9TD.Does the VSX trim have 'Hydractive' rather than the more basic standard set up?

[Pete-M]

I like Xantias. The only diesel car I've owned that I quite liked, even if I was convinced the fuel gauge was broken for the first few days.Is that a VSX? They're ace, the extra spheres make all the difference. The Activa is a strange drive. I'd like a 3.0 one.

[Richard]

I like Xantias, I'm half thinking of buying a late 1.9TD.Does the VSX trim have 'Hydractive' rather than the more basic standard set up?

Yes, the VSX has Hydractive. You would be better buying a 1996 or earlier 1.9TD. I don't think the S2 cars are as well made and there were a few niggles on mine that I couldn't live with. In 1997 they introduced some electronic control to the fuel pump and consequently they didn't go quite as well.

[Richard]

I like Xantias. The only diesel car I've owned that I quite liked, even if I was convinced the fuel gauge was broken for the first few days.Is that a VSX? They're ace, the extra spheres make all the difference. The Activa is a strange drive. I'd like a 3.0 one.

The only way to get a 3.0 Activa is to import an LHD one or make one yourself, we only got the 2.0. I believe France got the Activa with a full range of engines.

[Milford Cubicle]

I test drove an early facelifted TD with nearly 200k on the clock recently, I liked it, it felt a lot more solid than my 405 and everything worked fine. Shame they were asking £850 for it. I think the pre-facelift cars look quite dated too, not that I'm vain.

[AXrescuer]

Well thanks for the kind words guys. I feel a little better about the car now. I usually approach the purchase of a new vehicle with dread and trepidation!!I've had AXs and BXs before so not new to the Citroen brand, just never really had a hankering for the Xantia. However, wife chose it so that's half the battle won already. Oh, plus it's an auto so she'll be able to drive it as well.

[dollywobbler]

Handy >>> http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/

 

Hydraulic Citroens are hugely under-rated. People run away from the suspension but really, electrical gremlins seem a bigger issue...

 

Well, that and the fact that people run them into the ground with negligable servicing and then wonder why things break...

 

I'd be tempted to get the auto fluid and filters changed relatively soon and when was the cambelt last changed?

[AXrescuer]

Well she's here with me now. Had a very quiet, smooth if not rather boring drive home round the M25. Been too wet to do much poking around but so far problems have been few. The radio won't allow me to input the security code and the fuel gauge having been dead for 2 hours started working about 400 yds from home! There is some lacquer missing from the roof, the brakes are shit hot but squeal like struck pigs! Oh, and the interior is probably the dirtiest I have ever set eyes on! Pics to follow tomorrow as the big clean up operation starts!

[AXrescuer]

Just been going through the service history folder and we've just found a receipt for a full service and cam belt/water pump just 14 months and 8000 miles ago! Woot!!

[AXrescuer]

Couple of shots of the newly cleaned/disinfected interior. Exterior pics to follow when the monsoon ends.

 

 

[AXrescuer]

 

Oh well...

 

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[Mr_Bo11ox]

I defo wouldnt kick one of these outta bed. Theyre a very good looking car I reckon.

[dollywobbler]

Yup, they are nice but as a true Citroen nut, they're just a bit too normal for my liking. Quite a following already though - there were loads at the Citroen Car Club rally in July! Possibly the only car that looks good in metallic gold (awaits a flurry of images proving me wrong...)Is the number pad immobiliser driving you mad yet?

[r.welfare]

That looks good to me, nice to see it has the grab handle on the passenger dash. I remember my dad did lots of investigative work into getting one of these 15 years ago, in exactly this spec, only to be swung by Peugeot's "free aircon" offer into a 405 GTX at the last minute.You can just disconnect those immobiliser pads when the car's running, I think.

[AXrescuer]

Yup, they are nice but as a true Citroen nut, they're just a bit too normal for my liking. Quite a following already though - there were loads at the Citroen Car Club rally in July! Possibly the only car that looks good in metallic gold (awaits a flurry of images proving me wrong...)Is the number pad immobiliser driving you mad yet?

Yep, it needs cleaning as the keys keep sticking!

[VWPowered]

i hated the peugoets/citroens with those, the amount of customers who brought cars in then buggered off without leaving codes, lucky most were set 1234 etc scrubs up well that chap

[AXrescuer]

I'm trying to get it polished at the moment. Been over it with a clay bar this morning and now my rotary is itching to get going but the crappy weather won't play ball!

[Richard]

Is the number pad immobiliser driving you mad yet?

Deleting the keypad was the first thing I did when I got mine. On the 1.9 Diesels you do this by simply unplugging the keypad with the engine running. I don't think it works on the petrol ones though.

[AXrescuer]

Yeah I think I'll look into getting the pad removed at some point. Had the air-conditioning checked out today and it's in perfect fettle so that's a nice little surprise, I was told by the previous owner that it had never been used and was totally fubarred!

[UglyAmerican]

You know, it may not be a wacky Citroen but it sure is a nice car.Believe it or not my friend Martin took his Xantia on the open track day at the Nurburgring (sort of an impulsive decision after other plans collapsed).Besides the brakes going nuclear hot, it was no worse for the wear.

[chester drawers]

I love these. A colleague had a 2 litre petrol for ages and completely neglected it. Only two things failed – seized bonnet hinges (common apparently) and a rusted through oil filter It was punted off the car park and down a small grassy embankment by a wagon making a delivery on one occasion. Clever suspension meant it was driven out. Just a thought though, isolating the immobilizer keypad might void insurance in the event of theft?

[Richard]

It probably would, as would taking out fuse 17 (I think) to disable the alarm. Would you claim on the insurance if a car like that was stolen though? They would give you "current market value", which will be derisory and in no way enough to replace it, and increase your premium by more than double that.

[AXrescuer]

Well I've kind of got used to the pad now so it may as well stay for the time being. Couple of things need sorting though. No interior lights at all (bulbs all good) and the fuel gauge doesn't read anything. Also some dash panel bulbs need to be replaced. Went out in it again last night and the drive comfort wise is amazing. Thought our Saab 900 was good but this is way better.