Unusual BX on Ebay.

David W · Post by **David W** » 03 Feb 2004, 01:19

Have you seen this guys...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 2458048602
Really wish I had the space/cash!!
David

nick · Post by **nick** » 03 Feb 2004, 01:29

Shame its been converted back to 2wd really.
I was seriously considering a BX 4x4 about 10 years or so ago,
but chickened out & bought a standard fwd in the end, mainly due to the limited parts availability & relative fragility of the gearbox etc of the 4x4.
I always thought it would be fun to put a 16V engine in one, but I suspect its life would have been even shorter then !
Nick

David W · Post by **David W** » 03 Feb 2004, 01:37

Nick,
In an ideal world you are right, it would be great to have it 4x4. However failure of the transmission seems to be inevitable on the 4x4. When it happens it usually scraps the vehicle due to the £2K plus cost of a new unit...and the shortage of decent used replacements.
This chap seems to have taken an inventive answer to fit a TZD gearbox which will make the car a relaxed cruiser.
Not that many GTis about with leather either.
David

nick · Post by **nick** » 03 Feb 2004, 02:51

Apparently Citroen had planned to produce a turbo diesel version of the 4x4, even went as far as printing the brochures for it, but scrapped the idea at the last minute. I think it was partly because they thought demand wouldn’t be very high, and partly because the transmission wasn’t up to it.
I always liked the idea of a car sized 4x4 with decent ride & handling, but with variable ground clearance so it could be used like a ‘big’ 4x4 when needed. At the time I was living on a farm in the middle of rural Lincolnshire where four wheel drive would have been really useful, specially in the winter. You could judge how bad the winter there was by how many rwd cars (nearly always Sierras, with the occasional Carlton or BMW) had slid sideways off the road into fields. I think the record one winter was seven in two days on a four mile stretch of road [:D]

DLM · Post by **DLM** » 03 Feb 2004, 04:33

I suppose an added bonus on this one would be if the rear sphere layout was unchanged from the vertically-mounted 4x4 configuration, then the rear spheres might be easier to change!
It does indeed look nice, and even (dare I say it) collectable. I wonder how many owners went to the trouble of changing the gearbox when the dreaded transfer box failed? Not many, I'd imagine. But does it need that other expensive item, the 4x4-only exhaust?

Post by **philhoward** » 03 Feb 2004, 05:23

There seems to have been a few 4x4's on ebay of late...3 breakers (including an estate!), all at £40 each, but in various states of death, and another "just" needing a clutch! I've heard that it's 13 hours (dealer rate) to change...
Seems like all the 4x4's are dying away rather rapidly.
Might have the email addy of the chap with the 4x4's if anyone wants it - he's in Bristol, by the way.

Post by **philhoward** » 03 Feb 2004, 05:27

BX 4x4 man...
mike.jeffrey@tesco.net
If anyone's intersted...there was one with a duff box, one with a good box and duff somethign else, and another one (one of these was an estate). One had leather seats, I think?

David W · Post by **David W** » 03 Feb 2004, 15:51

I couldn't see those other 4x4s, have you a link to them on EBay?
David

Post by **philhoward** » 03 Feb 2004, 16:09

This is a link to one of them..
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 2454955177
That one was bought, dunno about the other two (one estate/one with duff transfer box).
Drop him a mail; he's quite friendly!

Guru Meditation · Post by **Guru Meditation** » 03 Feb 2004, 16:21

I saw that BX too, very interesting I love exotic/quirky hardware. Shame that the 4x4 BX is so rare and expensive to repair/maintain-doubt there'll ever be anything quite like it again.

kevin · Post by **kevin** » 03 Feb 2004, 17:11

Passing thought, how difficult would it be to swap the 1.9xu petrol unit to the 1.9xu diesel, assuming the bellhousings are the same for both transmissions

vanny · Post by **vanny** » 03 Feb 2004, 19:09

If your thinking about sticking a diesel lump onto the 4x4, think again! The front diff can barely cope with the power the 8vGTi puts through it, and deffinately cant cope with the torque of an Mi16 (well if Citroen chickened out of putting it in then it musnt be possible!). The 1.9TD has more torque than the Mi16, the 1.7td isnt gonna be far behind so it would simply rip the diff to shreads.
But if its possible to put a Scooby 4x4 onto a mini (without much modification either!), then there must be somethign that can fit onto the BX?

DLM · Post by **DLM** » 08 Feb 2004, 17:13

See what you mean if it's a mini with trailing arms..... though spheres may still need to be moved as per the 4x4 - perhaps retrofit to existing 4x4 would be easiest.