Xantia Buying

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Rs Rosco
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Xantia Buying

Post by Rs Rosco »

Hi lads
Im possibly looking at buying a 2.0 16v Xantia, Ive never really had dealings with these, so was just wondering what there like to live with, what to look for e.tc., what do they drive like, Im hoping there fairly nippy [:D]
Cheers
Ross
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Post by Peter.N. »

Dont know about petrol ones but the 2.1 td is prettty fast.
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Post by JohnT »

If you are quite handy, and you are looking for a quirky car, buy one. Or otherwise buy a Toyota or similar if you want reliability without imagination. Joking apart, if you are not practical and able to sort out jobs yourself stay clear. (sorry for negative response).
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Post by kid »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by JohnT</i>

If you are quite handy, and you are looking for a quirky car, buy one. Or otherwise buy a Toyota or similar if you want reliability without imagination. Joking apart, if you are not practical and able to sort out jobs yourself stay clear. (sorry for negative response).
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
To be honest if you know nothing about cars (at all) then it does not matter what car you buy. At the end of the day changing basic things like spark, all filters are simple in a 16v xantia. Anything more technical, well then that depends on your skills (like any other car).
Re the engine mine is a 1.8 16v, its nothing special at low revs, but above 3500rpm it can shift, also the engines are quiet. Oh yes i hope u like your local petrol station attendant!
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Post by Mandrake »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Rs Rosco</i>

Hi lads
Im possibly looking at buying a 2.0 16v Xantia, Ive never really had dealings with these, so was just wondering what there like to live with, what to look for e.tc., what do they drive like, Im hoping there fairly nippy [:D]
Cheers
Ross
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
If you want nippy, make sure you don't get an automatic...(unless its the V6) I've only driven the 2.0i 8 valve automatic's so far (both SX and VSX) and for me at least, the performance is not adequate. (11 or 12 seconds to 60mph depending on who you believe, and I wouldn't call that nippy)
As far as I know, the 2 litre 16v manual is about 2 seconds faster 0-60, but I havn't actually driven one as I've been unable to find one yet...[:(] (in New Zealand, where Xantia's seem to be mostly automatics)
Other options would be the 2.0 litre 8 valve petrol turbo (possibly only used on the Activa, I'm not sure) or the 3 litre V6, although I think that is only available in automatic. (The horsepower difference probably makes up for that though, as its 194 horsepower compared to 135 for the 2.0i 16v)
Horsepower figures:
2.0i 8 valve: 123bhp
2.0i 16 valve: 135bhp
2.0i 8 valve turbo: 150bhp
3.0 V6: 194bhp
Don't know about the figures for the 1.8 or 1.6 or diesels sorry.
If you go Diesel, make sure its a turbo diesel not a standard diesel, as I've heard there is a world of difference in performance between the turbo and non turbo...(eg, the non turbo is a slug)
If you like good handling, try to get a VSX (which has Hydractive 2), as the improvement in cornering and handling is quite substantial compared to an SX, and it still has a good ride. The Activa with its active anti-roll system is another step up in handling again, but its a somewhat rare car, has a lot more suspension complexity, (including more spheres) and is probably not a good idea unless you're a keen DIY'er willing to maintain it yourself, and probably only then if it wasn't your first Citroen. [:D]
As far as things to look out for - check the suspension isn't too stiff or rigid due to flat spheres, check that the ride height looks correct, and that it will automatically correct the height of the car with the engine running with you hopping in or out, (best place to test that is to sit in the boot with the boot open, and sit on the front with the bonnet open) and check the manual height control lever can lift and lower the car and return it to normal.
Check carefully for signs of rust in the front suspension strut mountings from under the wheel arch, check that the rear suspension arms move smoothly and freely when pressing down the rear suspension (the arm bearings can sometimes fail, causing high friction) and also check for the kinds of things you would check on other cars.
What are they like to drive ? Again, I've only driven the 2.0i 8 valve auto, but apart from the fact that it was an auto with not enough grunt, I really liked the VSX. Extremely quiet inside at open road speeds, very smooth ride with good damping, hardly any roll in cornering, and it had the typical Citroen on rails feeling at high speed. If I can find one that is 16v manual I'll be buying it [:D]
Niggles: footwell space limited in the manual model next to the clutch, switch gear in right hand drive models uses left hand drive layout, fan/heater controls fiddly, boot could do with being slightly longer but there is good room with the rear seats down, comes with a spring unit between the brake pedal and brake control valve which ruins the feel and control of the brakes, fortunately very easy to rectify by removing the spring.
I found the seats of the SX not very comfortable (poor back support and not enough range of adjustment, also no quick release back rest for lying down) but on the other hand the electric seats on the VSX were very comfortable.
Not much else really, a nice car... my suggestion would be to go drive a few of different models and engines etc...
Regards,
Simon
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Post by Ross_K »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Niggles: ...boot could do with being slightly longer but there is good room with the rear seats down...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
[:0]What? The boot's huge. You'd want to think about an XM estate or a Transit if you need a bigger load area... [:)]
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Post by ActivaV6uk »

2 L Turbo engine is the way to go with the Xantia. If you dont want an Activa then there are 2L turbo Exclusive Xantia estates avalable and they generaly came with all the extras avalable .
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Post by Mandrake »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Ross_K</i>

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Niggles: ...boot could do with being slightly longer but there is good room with the rear seats down...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
[:0]What? The boot's huge. You'd want to think about an XM estate or a Transit if you need a bigger load area... [:)]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
The boot is fairly large in volume but the length from the tailgate to the back seat is quite short compared to many sedans...for example I can get a lawn mower and catcher side by side in the boot of my Honda Accord (sedan) quite easily but was rather surprised to discover it was quite impossible to fit it into the boot of Dad's Xantia (hatchback) without folding one of the split seats down...
I guess thats the payoff for having a short rear wheel overhang...so my original comment stands [:D] On the whole, the hatchback is more useful than a sedan though...and it certainly won't be stopping me from getting one...
Regards,
Simon
Rs Rosco
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Post by Rs Rosco »

Nice one fellas, cheers for your help, Im a peugeot technician so maintenance shouldnt be a problem, VSX sounds like the one to go for
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Post by j_roc »

The only "rust trap" I have found on the Xantia is up the back - on the N/S behind the rear bumper if you lie on the floor and put your hand up between the side of the bumper and the body you can feel (if there is any) the rust. Also push prod and poke every button a dozen times as Citroen electrics are the cars achillies heel. P.S can I have a go of the Sierra as it sounds a right laugh [;)]
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Post by Kowalski »

If you're used to "performance" Fords, an Activa or a V6 is what you need [:)]
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Post by Rs Rosco »

Nice one lads!
J roc, course ya can have a gan!
Kowalski- know what your sayin mate!
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Post by basil40 »

Xantia's are pretty reliable, but contain the same old Citroen faults - dash lights failing, seat fasteners falling out, dodgy lhm pumps. But generally, the VSX is the one to go for, French electrics are the best. I'd go for the 2.0i 8V it's well tried and tested and provided you put Duckhams oil in ( which by the way is the best oil for Cit engines) you should have no trouble.
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Post by adzbaby »

If you get the older 2.0 16v then the BHP is 155 and the 0-60 9.2 secs (as far as I remember). I have a P reg 16v 2.0 and its the 155 abd its very nice and nippy. You can tell whether the engine is the 155/3 or 135 by the engine code:
If its PSA....
RFT = XU10J4D 155bhp
RFY = XU10J4D/Z 153bhp
RFV = XU10J4R 135bhp
The RFT/Y ran from 93-97 and the RFV 1995-2001 so there was a small overlap. One minor pro about the 2.0 16v is the ease of changing the plugs when compared to the 1.9td which is an absolute b**tard.
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Post by Mandrake »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by adzbaby</i>

If you get the older 2.0 16v then the BHP is 155 and the 0-60 9.2 secs (as far as I remember). I have a P reg 16v 2.0 and its the 155 abd its very nice and nippy. You can tell whether the engine is the 155/3 or 135 by the engine code:
If its PSA....
RFT = XU10J4D 155bhp
RFY = XU10J4D/Z 153bhp
RFV = XU10J4R 135bhp
The RFT/Y ran from 93-97 and the RFV 1995-2001 so there was a small overlap. One minor pro about the 2.0 16v is the ease of changing the plugs when compared to the 1.9td which is an absolute b**tard.
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I'd love to know why they decided to replace a 2.0 16V with 155bhp with a 2.0 16V with only 135bhp..... what were they thinking ??? Is there any advantages to the later engine, or is it just a bit of stupidity on Citroen's part ?
Regards,
Simon
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