I have driven a wide range of cars ? both company and privately owned ? including 2 BMW 3 series, Mercedes260, Jaguar XJ6, Audi A4 110TDI, Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 106, various Fords/Rovers and Toyotas. So trying to find a nice diesel Xantia free from the usual ills proved an interesting experience this week (November 2004)
Finally I found a 1998 Xantia LX with airconditioning in silver with 31,000 miles on the clock. On an S plate. (the facelift model). First owner was Citroen UK and in 2000 it was sold to an owner who did 20,000 miles, had it serviced twice and hardly used it. The stamps verified the mileage.
Paintwork was the usual Citroen late 1990s shade- dull and uninspiring. Apart from a scratch over the passenger side rear wheel arch (very common ? presumably reversing) and minor scuffs on either end of the front bumper (turning to park- again very common) the paint was perfect. No external rust, all external bightwork was OK and all lights were uncracked, bright and unfaded. No cracks to screen, all electrics worked and it started first time ( a recent new Halfords battery helped). Both plip keys were in perfect order and worked 100%.
The engine bay had not been cleaned but it was dusty with no oil stains, new filters and showed signs of good maintenance ? backed by the stamps in the book. There were 2 new front spheres. The radiator was not corroded and heated up evenly down its length as the engine warmed up. The cambelt looked as new .
The suspension rose and fell with no squeaks or groans, the fluid was green with no apparent leaks apart from spills under one wheel arch after changing the spheres. The airconditioning pumped out hot or cold air as required.
I drove it. The engine was fine: no black smoke and smooth, no obviously nasty noises, no turbo whistles. The ride was smooth and took all bumps very well. It rode well and cornered well The engine tended to idle at 1,500 rpm and then fall off slowly (after 30 secs) to 1,000rpm ? signs of a sticking electronic control. It had been on a garage forecourt for weeks so maybe lack of use. The clutch worked perfectly but the clutch mechanism felt stiff. ? maybe lack of use.
As usual the steering felt very detached but the barkes were perfect ? no odd noises, powerful and straight line braking. It rode and cornered smoothly.
At £2,699 from a garage with a year?s MOT I was impressed but decided not to buy it. It was nearly perfect BUT the clutch worried me , the 4 Michelin tyres looked original and had about 4mm of tread left ? but at 6 years old were past their sellby date and would have to be replaced. And that silver colour was so dull. The wheels were steel with very good trims ? no alloys ? there was no sunroof and a radio cassette and no CD player. And the price was about £500 over mileage adjusted top book.
Compared to an Audi A4TDI it was- Slower- less power, had a much smoother engine, a much better ride and felt less like driving a bus. The Audi won hands down on interior fittings ? but the Audi (and SE) cost nearly 60% more?
Compared to an E36 BMW 318 the interior was unimpressive, the handling had no feel but it was much smoother to drive.
With minimal work it would do another 150,000 miles with no trouble and would be a good buy but frankly it was overpriced and under specced. Since it had been for sale for 3 weeks, others obviously thought the same..
madf
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Suggest you offer what you think it's worth.
After all, they can only say no.
What worried you about the clutch?
Could you get a better price and get them to change the clutch into the deal?
This is a dead time of year for car sales.
Hugo
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I assume it's the 1.9TD rather than the later HDi. I would try and haggle if it's the former since the HDi is a more modern engine. The old XUD is good for at least 250000 miles if serviced - usually a lot more.
The stiff clutch would worry me on these because there is a plastic clip that can snap on the cable. Depends who you speak to but some say the dashboard has to come out to replace it but I have also heard it can be done without removing the dash - admittedly with some difficulty and cursing.
However when you say the clutch is stiff, what are you comparing it to? Other Xantias you have sampled or some other car? Clutch weight varies from make to make.
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If it's the HDi, I'd be very tempted but an S reg - is that still the XUD? Still not a bad price , with guarantee, though is it? Especially with that mileage. Can't believe clutch would be going at that mileage - had a BX that was still on original at 140k when sold, Xantia at 100k when sold, and present HDi at 75k with no clutch probs.
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First thought is that you don't need a sunroof with aircon, which is much more important. Second thought is, if you think it is overpriced, why don't you offer them what you think it is worth. Also if it has done 31000 miles on its original front tyres, I am amazed (especially with 4mm of tread left), as we have never got that kind of mileage out of the front tyres on our 1.9 TD.
The clutch on our 10 year old model is original and as good as it has ever been, so I wouldn't expect the clutch to cause a problem. Also, the cambelt should be fine at that mileage.
I would be tempted by a newer one myself, if it wasn't for the fact that used C5s are so cheap. Also, I would prefer one with the HDI engine.
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I suspect, from your thread, that you would really like the Xantia.
Why not offer whoever is selling it, say £2,000, after pointing out all the necessary work required, plus the cost of new tyres?
You may be surprised just how interested they could become if they express shock and horror and you decide to walk away.....
Even at a slightly higher cost than I've suggested, it should prove a good companion for some time.
By the way I've driven the Xantia Activa - that's a wonderful car for scaring the pants off passengers unaware of its remarkable cornering prowess.....:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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As usual the steering felt very detached but the barkes were perfect
So it was a real dog then?
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lol yes I'm barking mad:-)
It was a XUD. Since the bodywork had zero (!) stone chips - and no signs of touching up - I assume all mileage was local/shortish journeys. Consequently tyre ware would be low and it is possible that the tyres were the original. The spare has been used: suggesting possible whel rotation - as also suggested by the fronts and rears were almost equally worn on treads. The sidewalls were VERY scuffed suggesting lots of parking against pavements.
If it had been an HDI.. but it was not. SWBO sat in it and immediately exited complaining of the smell: it had been recently valeted.
I've decided it would be a financial disaster as it would do the usual Citroen slide in value (like the suspension when the engine is switched off on older models).
Wonderful on sleeping policemen - and we have a lot here..
I'll look for a HDI with all the toys...
madf
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Thanks to all who replied:-)
madf
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I've decided it would be a financial disaster as it would do the usual Citroen slide in value (like the suspension when the engine is switched off on older models).
If you were to get it for nearer to £2K than £3K, it couldn't really lose much more in value could it?
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Undoubtedly a nice car but far too expensive.
Oh and the plastic clutch cable clip - does not require dash removal. It's a faff but it isnt that hard. Went twice on mine - first time £60 for a garage to replace it, second time did it ourselves.
I wouldnt pay £2.6k for a 6 year old Xantia. You can get HDi Exclusives for that on Autotrader. Don't worry about mileage, TD Xantia's dont mind high mileage. Mine is on 161k now and still the interior is in good condition.
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Sounds like a nice car but I'd personally seek out an SX. I too found the LX a little too basic when I was considering one about five years ago.
If you want a nice low mileage Xantia though why not offer two grand and aim to pay £2,200 which will give you the money for a set of decent new tyres all round and a clutch, if needed.
Surely the paintwork would clean up nicely with a little Autoglym super resin?
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