Early BX's

Rob Marshall · Post by **Rob Marshall** » 17 Sep 2004, 17:31

What has happened to all the early BX's??
I saw one B reg one in Shrewsbury which seems to be a local car, but haven't seen another for certainly over 3 years. In fact I have seen more GSA's!!!!

bxbodger · Post by **bxbodger** » 17 Sep 2004, 17:54

Most likely gone the way of nearly all the other cars of that age- the crusher!
The BX is now in basement banger territory, virtually valueless- you saw a B reg one, but how many other B reg cars do you see, of any kind, now?

tomsheppard · Post by **tomsheppard** » 17 Sep 2004, 17:58

Series one cars are rare because the HP pipes rusted out. The youngest BXs are now ten years old. You still see more BXs than Montegos and probably Sierras.

Rob Marshall · Post by **Rob Marshall** » 17 Sep 2004, 18:04

That's true. Here in Malvern, there are quite a lot of local BX's.
A 19TGD estate with lots & the clcok in faded red.
Several 17 & 19 diesels
a TD estate
A BX RD turbo saloon (may be scrapped as Head gasket has gone)
2x BX preview
My TD estate
Common cars!
Just resprayed the dark gray round the windows & removed the tatty tape round the tailgate (a horrible job) & reprayed round there. Rest of the car got a good T cut & polish on Tuesday: My Neighbour commented that it looked almost new!

tomsheppard · Post by **tomsheppard** » 17 Sep 2004, 18:23

Yes Rob! It takes days to get the tape off! I've done two so far. Doing that and the window frames really lifts a BX

Rob Marshall · Post by **Rob Marshall** » 17 Sep 2004, 18:46

Even thinners wouldn't lift the glue that attaches the tape! It would merely soften it slightly. It removed it using a falt balded scredriver & lots of wet & Dry. The job had to be done because a moped had fallen onto the car when it was parked, and the turned aluminium handlebar went straight through the tailgate: leaving a nice 10p size hole.
I had my long suffering girlfriend help mask up the car. It is true that re doing the window frames really makes the car look much better! Bits of the fibreglass was flaking off, so that was filled & rubbed down.
My local paintshop did an excellent job of matching the paint colour: so I no longer feel like i'm driving an old banger!!

nick · Post by **nick** » 17 Sep 2004, 18:56

Finding parts specific to the early BX can be a problem, and has been for quite a while. I had major problems trying to find a headlight switch for my C reg 16RS, Citroen dealers denied all knowledge of the early BX even existing and when I described the dashboard of the early model (ie the PRN type with drum speedo) they said they'd never seen one like that. Luckily I found someone who was scrapping a C reg 19RD for the engine to put in a later BX, and they let me take whatever else I wanted from it.

Rob Marshall · Post by **Rob Marshall** » 17 Sep 2004, 19:05

Yes, on the whole, it seems Citroen dealers seem to be a bit forgetful (read "thick"). I can understand them not knowing about the early BX; when I had a GSA, the dealer basically called me a liar, and denied any knowledge of the cars' existance: until I took him outside to the car park where my orange beastie was parked and asked: "What's that then"?
For example for my BX, I needed 2 bleed screws for the rear calipers, and 2 gearbox washers. Explained what I needed four times. What was I supplied with? 2 bleed screws, but only one washer.
Volvo dealers know what a 240 is. Peugeot dealers know what a 305 + 309 is, Ford know what a Cortina is, so how come Citroen dealers only know about their current products (and that knowledge is only sketchy)!

bxbodger · Post by **bxbodger** » 17 Sep 2004, 19:21

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">That's true. Here in Malvern, there are quite a lot of local BX's.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
There used to be a few where I live as well, but over the last year or so they have all vanished, except for mine and another on the next estate.
I used to see two every morning on the way to work, but they have also gone, replaced with a micra or something similar, no doubt!
Having said that , I had the bizarre experience of taking some rubbish to the tip on the way to work one day a couple of weeks ago and the only 2 other cars there doing the same were BX's!!
( walthamstow tip- one was a black meteor, and the other a red diesel estate )
There was also one abandoned along forest road, E17, on the footway, as well- it was taken away by the council that afternoon[xx(]
The problem with the early ones is the back-slanting 1400 engine- I had one of these in a 205 and it was such a pain to do even basic maintenance on-i.e. valve clearances- I was glad to see it go.

Rob Marshall · Post by **Rob Marshall** » 17 Sep 2004, 19:23

I used to work at a breakers yard, and I remember the horrible ex Talbox engine in early BX 1400cc cars.
The most impressive car was a TZD Turbo estate whihc was only 2 years old, but had been hit FLOORPAN first by an XR2. The XR2 bounced off the front of teh BX & landed on the roof. The roof of the BX was squashed down by around 4"
2 lads in the XR2 = Worm food. Family of 4 in BX = all got out: Driver had whiplash.

nick · Post by **nick** » 17 Sep 2004, 19:44

Our first BX was a very early 14E, and the engine was never one of my favourites. On the one hand it was pretty powerful for a 1400, about 70 bhp I think, as opposed to about 60 bhp from a Sierra 1.6 of the same era. But it always seemed hard work to get the power from it, you really had to rev the knackers of it, and then it became irritatingly noisey and whiney. This engine servived well into the series 2 versions though, they were still using it until about E or F reg.
I had the misfortune/stupidity to "crash test" a few BX's and I was always surprised how strong they actually were. Far better than the slightly tinny feel of the car would suggest.

Panjandrum · Post by **Panjandrum** » 17 Sep 2004, 20:03

My early BX16TRS got crash-tested too. Rearended by a 40mph Astra while waiting to turn right. Astra crumple-zoned the BX right up to the back seat but no further. Passenger area intact. Front seat occupants seriously scared but otherwise only whiplash.

Stuart McB · Post by **Stuart McB** » 17 Sep 2004, 20:37

There's a BX TZD in Harborne Bham. See it most days as I drive through to town. 'K' reg with a rather cute young girl driving it. Loads of smoke coming from the back but a part from that it looks in really good nick. Nice silver grey colour.

Rob Marshall · Post by **Rob Marshall** » 17 Sep 2004, 20:39

There was a seriously "tidy" University girl with the slver RD Turbo saloon at work! Car was a 200K wreak though!

Daniel B · Post by **Daniel B** » 17 Sep 2004, 21:15

I saw a beige diesel hatch a year ago - on an A plate!
I was as shocked as anyone.
Rob - tidy as in, her flat was always neat and...?