I've bought a Citroen; did I do well?

[Andrew353w]

I've been shopping and bought this: 2 litre petrol engine, automatic, electric everything, brand new radiator, nil rust, an engine you could eat your dinner on and a FULL, COMPLETE CITROEN SERVICE HISTORY, every 6 months, without fail, all M.O.T.s, AND the suspension system has been overhauled! it doesn't get better than this....

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Image0083 by andrew353w, on Flickr

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Image0080 by andrew353w, on Flickr

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Image0081 by andrew353w, on Flickr

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Image0082 by andrew353w, on Flickr

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I've been over it with a toothcomb and there really is NOTHING to worry about; it's perfect! Oh, and it cost.... £200!!! HONESTLY!!

 

I know there are Citroen fans out in Autoshite land, and I might be needing advice about things in the future...

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

I like the first photo displaying an uncannily good Xantia handbrake.

 

That sounds like a real bargain!

[trigger]

Was this the one that someone was selling on here recently?

[Andrew353w]

OOOOPS!!! Forgot to rotate the picture! The bargain came about as a guy bought it without realising the insurance costs... So I stepped in.... It drives beautifully and of course will very soon be sporting yellow headlights and twin air horns, as do all my cars! I want to put a tow hitch on it, as I'm told these cars make great towing vehicles. Does anyone know how the automatic box would cope with heavy towing? I MIGHT be selling my Skoda Fun, if anyone's interested.

[Father Ted]

The Xantia copes very well towing, IIRC its rated at either 1200 or 1300Kgs and the Auto will cope with this without additional coolers needing fitting (though double check the handbook as this is a Mk1 and the Mk2 got several upgrades including anti-sink.

[dollywobbler]

Oh no! You didn't buy it from a chap with a Wartburg did you? DON'T TRUST THIS MAN!

 

He was on here only yesterday trying to sell it. Should be a good motor. There were a few Xantias as the CXM Rally today - they really are a sharp looking motor I must say. I did look at the engine bay of a V6 but it scared the absolute wotsit out of me...

[Andrew353w]

Yes, I DID buy it from a fellow Wartburg owner BUT I knew the previous owner (a work colleague, whom I'd trust with my infants) so I reckon I've done OK. O, and there was £30 worth of unleaded in it, so it's even more of a bargain!. I might be asking questions about spheres and things at a later date...

[dollywobbler]

I was only jesting - Wartburg guy was my co-driver on the BXagon...

 

French Car Forum could be handy for you.

[messerschmitt owner]

yep fcf will be the best site for xantias

 

spheres are simple.

[dieselnutjob]

I was advised that using the manual override to keep revs high and torque low are the way to tow with an automatic.

I am used to towing with manual turbo diesel and my towing style is to use the torque of the diesel engine by mashing the accelerator and keeping the revs low, so I'll drive in 5th gear at 60mph on the motorway with the pedal basically on the floor.

I'm told that this would be a bad thing with an automatic and would destroy it, and that I have to drive along on a light throttle with the auto box locked in 3rd or whatever

The ZF 4HP20 transmission which I guess your Zantia has has an oil / coolant heat exchanger to regulate its temperature

Be aware that even with a full service history that they garage will never have changed the auto transmission oil which I think is a bad idea and I have started changing mine. You must use the special Esso LTsomething oil in these.

I hope it doesn't have the Siemens AL4 transmission because they are crap

[Pete-M]

I towed a trailer complete with dead Peugeot 405 diesel with a Xantia VSX from Chester to Wiltshire a few years ago. Could tell it was shifting some weight but it pissed it.

 

I bought an R reg Xantia TD from the auctions shortly afterwards. Cracking cars. The alternator on the TD blew on the way home from buying it (but it got me home anyway as old Pug diesels don't care about electricity). Other than that, the thing just kept on going. For the first week of owning it I was sure the fuel gauge was broken, I'm used to far more activity in the fuel gauge than that thing was capable of.

 

Ace cars.

[pogweasel]

Good game, good game!

What's the crack if you divest yourself of the "fun"?

Know a man who'd be very interested in that.

[Cavcraft]

Done very well with that, £200 seems a bargain. You'll also discover they're extremely comfortable cars, especially with good spheres.

[warren t claim]

This looks like stonking value for a one owner Xantia SX turd dizzler.

 

http://liverpool.gumtree.com/liverpool/98/65129598.html

 

If I wasn't well shited up at the mo I'd have it myself.

[Andrew353w]

This time the Citroen's brakes aren't working QUITE so hard.... And a 1987 Wartburg 353 in the background, too!

Image0083 by andrew353w, on Flickr

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Many thanks for all the advice and comments. I'm going to join the Citroen Club as well.

 

This is a complete "off topic" aside, but if any of you ever type the word "Citroen" on your mobile phones, and type the letter "e" with the 2 dots over it (as it's spelt in French)-beware! My Nokia 6600 slide immediately doubles the cost of the text, charging it as 2 texts, even though it's less than 160 characters. Maybe I need to get out more....

[Mr_Bo11ox]

You need to use more txt spk!!! OMG CTRN XNT 20 PTRL ATMTC LOL WUT!

[Torsten2001]

You did very well indeed there Andrew, I'm jealous! Now, the Fun.....

[scooters]

great kit

 

bullet proof those xantias

[Andrew353w]

Just a quick update on my Citroen Xantia. We've done over 1,000 miles in it now and I've worked out the M.P.G. over this mileage. The driving was over long steady runs up to Norfolk together with a fair amount of town running. Bearing in mind it's a 2 litre automatic and I'm not known for "hanging around" when driving, the car's returning 33.4 M.P.G., which I don't think is too bad. I'd be interested in fellow Autoshiters reckon this is about right. It really is a superbly comfortable car and my daily run to & from work of 55 miles is once again a pleasure!

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

33MPG sounds quite decent for a 2.0 petrol automatic.

[r.welfare]

I 'd agree on the MPG figure too. Well bought!

[Andrew353w]

I said I'd inform you all on my £200 Citroen Xantia, which I bought 6 months ago, with 6 months' tax and M.O.T. I renewed the tax for 12 months on line, as I reckon it's a dead cert to go up in the budget & took it for an M.O.T. this morning. Slightly apprehensive.... my luck can't last any longer.... no-one gets a £200 car to last this long.... It passed, without any advisories! The tester said he was VERY impressed with the car and pointed out the extra underseal the previous owner had had sprayed on.

 

Staggered at my luck with this car I'm going to treat it to a visit to a firm of Citroen suspension experts tomorrow, as the pump is clicking quite a lot. This MIGHT be a bit pricey....

[Cavcraft]

What a result!

Father Ted will know about the constant ticking, (flow distributor valve) and I don't think they're that expensive or difficult to replace.

[Richard]

The accumulator sphere is probably flat, £30 and 20 minutes should sort that.

[dollywobbler]

As Richard says, probably an easy fix. Accumultator sphere is pretty easy to change, though I presume it has plenty of LHM?

[messerschmitt owner]

ticking is the accumulator sphere being flat - £30 + 20 mins, as said above!

[Rocket88]

email sent ref Skoda Fun

[Shep Shepherd]

Looks and sounds really good for the price you paid

[dollywobbler]

Be very glad you don't own a Rolls-Royce. They use a cut-down version of the Citroen-system just for suspension self-levelling and brakes. Replacement accumulators? £170!

[babydriver]

your gettin the same mpg as I get in a xsara 1.4 which I think is good. Iwould love your motah as I am a lazy get and would like another auto. Used to own a cx in 1981 so like the suspension too. Well done and enjoy