What to do with my xantia

Gaz · Post by **Gaz** » 01 Mar 2004, 16:31

Morning all, i haven't posted here for a while because nowt has gone wrong with the old girl for a long time...until now.
to cut a very long story short, either the gasket and / or head has gone. i am getting continous bubbles through the expansion tank and erratic temps after a new stat and rad cap(garage pressure test provided it). anyway the question is what option should i take. if the head is ok (£35)it'll cost me another £140 in parts and skim to get her back on the road. shes just had a cambelt which makes it even more annoying. I'm trying to work out if she'll be worth anything afterwards if i come to sell her at the end of the year (likely due to my girlie getting a company car).
the car is a xantia 1.9TD SX with 220k on the clock. white, me servicing every 6k on the dot, new rad 8 mnths ago, new battery 6 mnths ago, does not smoke unless pushed very hard (which i never have), never used water until last week. passed MOT in january, 3 new tyres, inside very condition, no rust outside, no scractches or dents just usual small chips to grill, shes been a very good car all round.
this question comes about because I can get hold of another car for nowt for 9-10 months. If the xantia was in full working order how much do you think i could get for her, would anybody be interested in her as she is now. I have this week to decide really becuase i've got a car for 1 week to get me by but must go back on sunday.
suggestions and advice asap please, very much appreciated, need to know her worth in fixed and non-fixed condition.
Thanks
Gaz

Simon Canfer · Post by **Simon Canfer** » 01 Mar 2004, 18:11

I had trouble shifting a ZX with 150k miles in working order, two years ago. Got £750 in the end I think. I'm afraid, given the general public's wariness about these cars, I don't expect it would be worth much even with the head fixed!
The question comes down to how much is she worth to you: in terms of a car with known history!
Someone here may be interested if you let us know where in the UK you are;)
Simon

Gaz · Post by **Gaz** » 01 Mar 2004, 18:40

I'm in tamworth, staffs. I think the car may be going...and soon so is anybody out there interested?
anybody out there with some vague guesses as to the price.. I know its dependent on loads of things and I wouldn't normally answer this sort of post either myself !! but i could with something.
Thanks
Gaz

Brian Oblivion · Post by **Brian Oblivion** » 01 Mar 2004, 21:49

You could try the bangernomics method
Plusses
However many months mot x £30
Add Tax Left
Then difficult bit how much is it worth in itself, I'd say around £300.
Minus'es
Take away the cost of repairing whats wrong with it (within reason that is)
That then becomes the banger price, so for example
11 months mot, 3 months tax, £300 value, minus say £200 repair (Head Gasket) = 400 ish PLUS £100 haggling money So £500 o.n.o.
http://bangernomics.tripod.com/bangval.htm

infinicar · Post by **infinicar** » 02 Mar 2004, 01:20

You can buy decent working xantias for less than 500 quid.
Scrap value Im afraid matey.
Paul

Gaz · Post by **Gaz** » 02 Mar 2004, 14:20

I've put the car on the for sale area of this forum.
I would like to get £50 or £100 for the car if anybody is interested. please see the for sale board. I really don't want to give it to the scrap man in the condition that its in, and the fact that it is a very good car for somebody able to change the gasket and / or head that has the space and time that i don't have.
It has just under 10 months MOT !!! new tyres in Dec and a cambelt changed in November, always serviced every 6k without fail.
Thanks
It will be gone by saturday 6th march
Gaz

Brian Oblivion · Post by **Brian Oblivion** » 02 Mar 2004, 16:16

I sold my working 192k 1994 Pug 306 1.9 xld (tatty) for £250. So retreating from my previous bangernomic valuation I'd say repair it and run it into the ground.

davek-uk · Post by **davek-uk** » 02 Mar 2004, 16:32

I'd agree with Brian. Sometimes it gets to a point where it isn't worth selling a car for peanuts when it may do you a good turn later on. You can repair your car pretty cheaply so it would be worth doing this first. Then put it up for sale - if you sell it great, if you don't then at least you have a working car to use. It's pretty much like my AX - a good runner but valued at pretty well zero. If I keep it in working order then it may do me a turn, I've nothing to loose.

Gaz · Post by **Gaz** » 02 Mar 2004, 16:42

true but i don't have a lot of options right now. i'm absolutely falt out with work for the next two months (PhD for 16hrs per day). I need reliable transport for 80 miles per day and have been offered a free car for that time with no problems. I've made th decision on ecomic and reliability grounds...by the time I strip it, skim it and add parts I'm out of pocket both now and in 6 months time when i come to sell so the decision has been made. I'm grateful for all the suggestions and at every point up until now i would have already taken the fix-it route but i just can't, i really don't have the space or time. if i had no atachment to the xantia or it had treated me badly I wouldn't hesitate to scrap it but its the opposite, its tidy, no dents or scratches, the inside is mint apart from one greasy thumb print and drives like a dream, it would be a crying shame to call the scrap man...thats all.
as i said, I've had to make the decision and i'm getting the other car sorted for the weekend. I just couldn't bare the scrapman phonecall.
Thanks to all
Gaz

Gaz · Post by **Gaz** » 02 Mar 2004, 17:10

i just thought that for £100 it was a bargain for somebody who has the space to store it. it would be ideal for parts as everything on it works and is tidy. or again fro somebody with the time or inclination it would be ideal to sort the head out and then run it into ground.
I cannot do this but if I had £100 and the space I know i would have been interested knowing the condition of the car for certain....backwards i know but true.