Citroen Xantia choice - help

[jgra1]

All, I am advising a friend to go for a series 2 Xantia (under £1000), on the basis that they are cheap, value for money, well loaded, roomy, safe, etc

I tried to tell him what I knew about the engines.
I have had about 5 1905 TD cars, a 1.8LX and now a V6

I sort of said, go for a 2.1 loads of power and torque, not overly complicated, and economical and refined.

Hdi's are still over the 1K mark, complex, and not worth it if not a 110HP

1905's - loads of engines about if the worst happened, plus I have got my hands dirty on many occasions, with clutch, gearbox ancillery changing etc. Camblet, and possible head gasket are main woes, and should be preventable. Economy not too bad, perfomance, nippy..

1.8i - boring but ok, slightly noisy at higher revs, economy average, ?not much worse than 1.9TD ?

2.0i - for the extra 200cc's , a decent amount of power and not much economy loss - a better engine?

2.0 T - not sure if this made it to series 2's? a fun engine? economy ?

He is looking at a very low mileage 1.8, a high mileage 2.0 and a couple of TD 1.9s, cant find any 2.1's ..

any thoughts, corrections, advice?

thanks as always,
John

[CitroJim]

Personally, I'd always go for the 1.9TD over the 2.1 simply because there are some horrendously expensive bits on the 2.1TD to go wrong. EPIC pump, Gearchange Cables and Clutch Hydraulics to name but three. It shares a lot with the Activa, transmission-wise. Shame really as the 2.1 is a gorgeous diesel engine but it could be a bit expensive if any of the 2.1TD/Activa-specific bits fail.

The 1.9TD suffers none of this, spares are cheap and plentiful both new and second-hand and there is little that is really expensive to go wrong.

The 2.0T did make it to the end in the Activa but steer clear. They are an enthusiasts car only and reasonably deep pockets and a machine shop are a must They are lovely engines but very thirsty when booted.

The lesser petrol models I have no experience of so cannot comment very well on those.

For me, I vote 1.9TD every time

[jgra1]

thanks very much Jim

[deian]

I'd say keep looking for a 2.1, they can be had for under 1k and are brilliant cars, I miss mine.

[jgra1]

Hi Deian, thanks. I must come and do the cambelt some time....

We went to see a 2.0i SX, '98. Silver, clean car, he liked it.

Minor things -

loud vibration/rattle seemingly from exhaust system centre box at certain revs, probably a broken up cat gone south. (Exhaust rear of cat looks new)

Tacho not working, stuck completely all way round. (i know the time for dash removal)

Clutch feels quite heavy - anyone know if this is normal for a 2 litre/ 135BHP ?

Opened oil filler cap - blowing a bit - you can hear it and feel it, but I dont think it's excessive.

795 notes, main dealer FSH, careful owner, 115k. Drives nicely. Hydraulics ok.

Opinions welcome before buying in the morning.

[CitroJim]

For the money, not a bad deal on the face of it

Sounds like the exhaust could just be contacting the bodywork somewhere. Most likely if the new bit has just been fitted by a less than careful operator. How much MOT? That may give you a clue if the Cat is broken and rattling. If the MOT is very recent, chances are the Cat is good. A sooty tailpipe may also give the Cat away. My CT runs a rusty but spoitlessly clean tailpipe.

A bit of blowing with the oil filler removed is pretty normal on a petrol engine.

The heavy clutch indicates it or the cable are near the end of thier lives. Clutches, in my experience seem to get heavy as they wear down. Not a huge task to replace.

The tacho problem has been covered on here recently.

[jgra1]

Jim thanks
May 2008 MOT.

Have done 2 x 1.9TD and 1 x 1.8 clutches, average 4 hours. So not worried too much if it needs replacement.

think he should go for it and get out of our hair


J

[andmcit]

Personally, I think that's overpriced. You're simply paying the dealers'
markup on the 300 car he got from auction.

Ok - seriously - 800quid is the price you can expect to buy a decent
s2 1.9 TD - possibly an estate and certainly a decent specced one
- go for a VSX/exclusive PLUS there's been a few v6's a lot less than
this price THAT'D BE THE ULTIMATE XANTIA WITH AN LPG KIT FITTED.

I'd certainly shop about a bit more!

There are a few LPG 1.8 16v's available on ebay and these are a
good/enjoyable car to drive with spirited performance and near TD
economy - AND THAT'S JUST ON UNLEADED!!

The 2.0i's are a nice engine IN BOTH 8V AND 16V and usually fairly
bombproof with really only HG's and timing belts to worry about and
keep an eye on. The 16v petrol is a GREAT car and I rate the engine
more than the frankly disappointing 8v petrol turbo.

Apart from running a Xantia V6 (I've got a few permutations of Xm v6
versions though), along the way I've accumulated almost all other
versions and I'd say for a painless to use, enjoyable Xantia buy a 1.9 TD
estate, although the arguably less hassle but more expensive to run
2.0i petrol 16v is a real joy.

Andrew

[andmcit]

CITROEN XANTIA LX DUALFUEL BLACK Item number: 190139020830

[jgra1]

Thanks And. So the 2.0 engine is good and the car is nice, but high miles for that money. Was a PX on a laguna ..

yes was looking at the black LPG one, as an alternative to my V6... (Which I was thinking of LPGing myself, there isnt much room under the bonnet, but it can be done)

John

[CitroJim]

Personally, I think that's overpriced. You're simply paying the dealers'
markup on the 300 car he got from auction.

After buying several Pugs and Cits over the years and spending a small fortune on them I know the truth of the old car restorers motto that essentially says buy cheap and pay dear. I.e. if you buy a basket-case it'll cost a fortune to put right whereas if you spend a moderate amount (on the right car obviously) upfront, your costs subsequent will be much lower.

From how you describe the car John, it appeared to look good value based on paying a moderate amount for a good, clean car with the prospect of having to spend relatively little to get it fully sorted and with little outlay over the foreseeable future.

[andmcit]

There are extremes obviously. That said, a work colleague spent over
a grand on a 110k mile P plate TD a year back and it's been a money pit
and though it looks nice and has AC, it doesn't have the more useful
sunroof and ABS.

HE STILL LIKES THE CAR AND ALL THAT, BUT HIS WALLET DOESN'T...

One of my best cars has been a £150 from auction Xm 2.0i that had 72k
miles on it with a FCSH. Never let me down and it's still going strong!!

Andrew

[CitroJim]

There are extremes obviously. That said, a work colleague spent over
a grand on a 110k mile P plate TD a year back and it's been a money pit

You're right Andrew Even when I paid a good price for an an apparantly good car (read Activa) It turned into a money pit

Still, It's OK now but it's not been cheap.

[andmcit]

As a keen DIY'er I've always actively bought at the cheap end of the
market by choice even where I had more budget to spend with an
attitude of he who dares wins as DelBoy would say!! For me it really
doesn't pay to stomp that extra cash on something I'm still going to
spend time/money on for my peace of mind - I just don't trust/assume
all the previous owners work is actually worth that extra money and has
even been done right with the correct/quality parts.

I do like to fit known good OEM brakes/clutch/suspension of all the cars
I intend keeping long term.

Andrew

[deian]

I'd still say wait for a 2.1, proper gems they are. Rarely the 110 HDi's come up.

As for the 2.0i, I'd buy one of them too. The LPG one would be the next one on my list but I have other plans.

As for the tacho not working... sounds like something is(/not) earthing somewhere, sounds like a minor electrical problem to fix once tracked down.

As for the exhaust noise, sounds like baffles in the backbox to me.

£795 sounds a good price, grab it!!