Looking at a BX again

[white exec]

Have been umm'ing and arr'ing for a while now about taking on a BX again.
Loved our old '89 Delage Red 19RD, which was pensioned off at 177k milies in 1998, when we bought the XM.

Our Toyota RAV4 is now 17 years old, and, although a reliable full-time 4WD workhorse, has always lacked the finesse of the French diesel, and certainly the ride quality. Good enough at coping with rutted mountain tracks, but now vitually all of our local roads are concreted or tarmac'd, 4WD is less of a necessity. The Toyota D4D engine always was harsh, and it grates, psychologically, each time I drive it now. It's served us well, to the tune of 225,000km, but it's time to move it on.

So, yesterday did a serious browse on Milanuncios, one of the largest online used car websites, covering the whole of Spain:
https://www.milanuncios.com/citroen-bx- ... ble=diesel

Surprised to find one just 40 minutes drive away, in Velez-Malaga, a 1990 BX19TZD, NA, with air-con, 213k km (133k mi), for €1500:

Got back from seeing it this evening.
What a heap: cracked and split dash, the whole of the inside (apart from the seats, mysteriously clean) ingrained with campo/road dust, diesel leak all over the XUD block, leaking LHM reservoir, rubber trims in bad shape. switches and other bits hanging off. Now, I like a challenge, but could see lots of work and another €1000 beckoning. Altogether grizzly, and not what I was hoping for at all. Oddly, the owner (a c.55 y.o.) said he had owned the car for 10 years, and professed to be a Citroen enthusiast, having had (he said) all sorts from Visa to CX and Xantia. Not a good advertisement.

Secondhand car prices here is Spain can be 5-10x what a similar vehicle would fetch in the UK, but I'm reluctant to get involved with international shipping and transport at the present Covid time. Might just have to revise my budget — like some of the others on that site — to get something in a decent state. At least rust is not a problem here; it's just the sun that can take its toll . . . and awful owners.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Hopefully this link produces a list for you Chris of all Citroen BX sold at auction over the last few years to give you a quick idea of the market. Not that frequent an appearer. I chose not to display unsold cars.

https://www.glenmarch.com/cars/results? ... old_cars=0

REgards neil

[lexi]

Good to see you getting involved with another classic Cit. I was actually considering a Rav 4 D4D 2.2. maybe a newer one.

[Gibbo2286]

I've always found that going back to something you loved before is a disappointment, they're never quite as good as you remember.

That goes for women too I suppose.

[Peter.N.]

We had a TZD estate back in the day, must have been one of the fastest diesels on the road at the time, very comfortable seats. The wife loved it, meant she could pull out on to the bypass and into the traffic with no qualms. Our son had it eventually and someone ran into it while it was parked.

Peter

[white exec]

I've always found that going back to something you loved before is a disappointment, they're never quite as good as you remember.
That goes for women too I suppose.

Good point, well made, Gibbo. Wasn't that a line from Fifty Shades?

It's been 22 years since we laid up and finally got rid of our BX19RD.
Lovely, economical (44 mpg av) and hugely comfortable - because of those seats, and that it wasn't a highly-damped sporty version.

Have tried to remember back to the things that were irksome... There were a few, but they pretty much all got sorted:
- A fresh instrument set (ex-GTi) with tacho in place of the analogue clock, and an OE digital one in place of the blanking plate
- A second fan fitted (just the same repeated), plus towbar
- A header/expansion tank fitted, to be rid of airlocks and head warping
- An accelerator pedal a bit too high, sorted by adding an organ-type pedal
- Rear head-rests (the same as front ones)
- 100/80W for the otherwise magnificent headlights - Nightbreakers would certainly do today
- Some later-type (smoky) rear light clusters, but with fogs/brake positions exchanged
- A matt-black finish for the rear reg.plate area
- Some pink/silver coachlines, to go with the Delage Red

The not-so-nice jobs, but done straightforwardly all the same:
- new cylinder head
- new set of rear trailing arm bearings (a hump-backed bridge in Austria induced a major creak)
- routine things like new front brake discs, new radiator, replacement belts
- a thorough protective waxing, everywhere (no luxury of a Sealey SG18 back then)

In a nutshell, the Mk2 RAV (RAV4.2) has to go, and I want a Citroen ride that will mop up the bumps of our concreted rural tracks, and a few earth roads. No need to duplicate what our XM already has, so CX, Xantia and C5 are out. Non-Hydractive is fine, and so is non-turbo. AC is pretty much a must (our RD didn't have it, and we do have memories of crossing Spain in it at 44°C outside). ZX doesn't cut the mustard (good though they were).

RAV4.2 D4D ?
Watch out for DMFs that fail repeatedly, and prevent decent clutch control and hill-starts even when new.
Exterior body parts that drop off (there are over 1000 types of plastic clip at Toyota, and most are quite fragile).
Rear diff rubber mounts that shear.
Front ARB's can break (we've broken two, and now just given up and removed it).
An unsupported extended-shaft 5th gear that wears and then vibrates.
The engine is harsh and intrusive, but pretty much indestructible.
Looking back (we bought the RAV new in 2003) we might have done better with a Nissan X-trail.
Interestingly, the then new Kia Sorento was getting rather good reviews, but the 2.5td had a one-year waiting list, while Kia supplied the U.S. market with petrol versions. So Toyota it was.

Having pretty-much got the XM well understood, looking after a so-much-simpler BX should be relatively easy. The old saying "If I knew then, what I know now..." could well apply here.

As it probably does to women from the past . . .

[CitroJim]

I've always found that going back to something you loved before is a disappointment, they're never quite as good as you remember.

That's my experience generally Gibbo and generally I don't... I am with my new project car though and I hope I'll love her as much as I loved a sister of hers way, way back in the past

Chris, I think your pan of getting a BX again is excellent... It's one hydraulic Citroen I've never owned and I often regret that. A couple I've driven and ridden in have been excellent.

If one turned up under the right circumstances I could still be temped

[lexi]

I've always found that going back to something you loved before is a disappointment, they're never quite as good as you remember.

That's my experience generally Gibbo and generally I don't... I am with my new project car though and I hope I'll love her as much as I loved a sister of hers way, way back in the past

Chris, I think your pan of getting a BX again is excellent... It's one hydraulic Citroen I've never owned and I often regret that. A couple I've driven and ridden in have been excellent.

If one turned up under the right circumstances I could still be temped

You had a hankering for one Jim iirc. You were going to get one and do a tour with the BX club?

[admiral51]

I would in general agree, when i have been looking in the past for a replacement i have looked at what is in my price range, what is available and TBH i have had Ford/Vauxhall/VW in various models over the years, and have never wanted to get one of them again, sometimes you just have to go with your heart and convince your head it is the right choice to go back to something again.
I would like to have a bash in a BX i must admit, however when the right car comes along at the right time at the right price i had to get it, yes a Xantia and it has cost me a bit but 10+ years since i last had one i am not disappointed.
Chris you have had many cars i guess over the years, there is a reason why the BX is what you are looking for, and no you are not having a midlife crisis

Colin

[Peter.N.]

I drove a Morris minor a while back - dreadful compared to how I remember mine!

Peter

[CitroJim]

You had a hankering for one Jim iirc. You were going to get one and do a tour with the BX club?

Gosh! You have a good memory Lexi! That seems like it was a couple of centuries ago now

But yes, I did

[moizeau]

I still love my BX's, though gone now. The first two were my Nan's, then my Dad's before me, both 1.9 N/A. The last one, 1.7TD estate, was third hand as well. Never had a head issue. The first one, a 1.9 RD, was bullet proof. It covered 450,000 miles before the back end and rear floor fell off. Original clutch, all that was done was a fuel pump recon at 150,000, glow plugs, alt brushes and the octopus apart from brake pads etc. With an extra 2PSI in the tyres it would average 50mpg at 70mph. I've had to do the octopus on all three. When the last one died I was looking for another estate.....
Happy memories

[Gibbo2286]

I modified the octopus on my last BX, made an aluminium junction box to fit in where all the pipes joined (and failed) in the chassis so that individual pipes could be replaced instead of the whole damned thing.

[jgra1]

I have to admit to liking the idea of one also! I was lucky enough to drive some GTi's and D's when young when I worked at a garage. Damn I dont need another car right now