Buying a BX

beezer · Post by **beezer** » 30 Dec 2004, 19:02

Have you tried asking the AA about the dynamics of post-communist political and economic transition? They will probably refer you to the RAC pronto.

Oscar Too · Post by **Oscar Too** » 30 Dec 2004, 19:23

Beezer
[:D][:D][:D]
Oscar

bxbodger · Post by **bxbodger** » 30 Dec 2004, 19:26

quote]that I could tell you all about the dynamics of post-communist political and economic transition<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
The result of which is a lot of Trabants on the western market- perhaps one of those as a project car!!!!!
<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I'm not sure if I can afford the expense<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"> If its a project car at least the cost can be spread, you can take your time, and the bits you will probably need, i.e. pipes, spheres, cambelt, will be cheap- its just the labour costs to fit them that will be high if you can't do it yourself.
I repiped my BX for very little money, but it was a weekends work time-wise!!!
<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I'll let her help[/quote] She'll hate you!!!! My wife is only good for two things when it comes to car work- ballast, and pedal-pumping, and at least on the BX she doesn't need to do that!!!!!

Oscar Too · Post by **Oscar Too** » 30 Dec 2004, 19:47

Hi Bodger
THis is the woman who stood beside me for 12 hours two weeks ago in the freezing cold, holding a light and passing me spanners while I replaced the heater matrix. Without a word of complaint. Mind you she stuffed up the first job she did herself, but it was only replacing a bit of trim. I was seriously impressed and I think she really is interested (we're newly married, so I'm probably inclined to whitter on about her a bit).
Take your point about cheap part costs. Definitely inclining towards getting it now.
Oscar

tomsheppard · Post by **tomsheppard** » 30 Dec 2004, 20:51

The BX is a fine car. A turbodiesel estate is a very fine car.
A CX is a horribly flawed antique of a car with some excellent redeeming features - don't do it. It bankrupted Citroen and it will do the same to you!
I own one of each and love them both but the BX is useful, repairable, fast and economical. Even if you spend £500 in the first year, you'll find it will last for Aeons. Read the BX DIY site, Trawl around here for an afternoon and CHECK THE HEAD GASKET BEFORE YOU PART WITH YOUR MONEY!
Enjoy.

prm · Post by **prm** » 30 Dec 2004, 21:37

To Mrs. Oscar !
Buy the car -- But check the head gasket/cooling system first. (Tom -- definitely). Now that your an expert on cooling systems.
I can even find a BX repair manual in Russian if this helps !!
B/R

Ian Fearn · Post by **Ian Fearn** » 30 Dec 2004, 22:37

I'm a sucker for Citroen punishment..... anybody know of a nice CX GTI Turbo 2 for sale?!?!?!?!

czenda · Post by **czenda** » 31 Dec 2004, 03:47

OscarToo, my advice is to go for the car. If you do not mind to get your hands dirty, you will get a car the value of which is much bigger than its market price (nobody wants them). Their reputation is so bad that even the Skodas (Favorit and Forman) produced right before the "dynamics of post-communist political and economic transition" came to force are more expensive here than BX...

DoubleChevron · Post by **DoubleChevron** » 01 Jan 2005, 04:13

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">A CX is a horribly flawed antique of a car with some excellent redeeming features - don't do it. It bankrupted Citroen and it will do the same to you!<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

A horribly flawed antique my arse

The only real problem with CX's is there hard to cool in summer, and hey you guys live in the UK ... no problem ...

I'd take a CX over any bx or modern poogoe wearing the tacky plastic doublechevrons [}:)]

seeya,
Shane L.

prm · Post by **prm** » 01 Jan 2005, 06:55

Shane

Now I know why so many

CX's were shipped to Australia.

There cr

p cooling systems.

Filled with fuel and headed driverless

towards the outback

to fry and fragment.

Give me a road salt infested BX any day.

Regards for the New Year

Peter

DoubleChevron · Post by **DoubleChevron** » 01 Jan 2005, 10:49

Nah,
you have it wrong ... The cars cooling system is fine ... The car never, ever, ever overheats. Rather the poor b@stards sitting under that huge windscreen near die of heat exhaustion [}:)][}:)].
seeya,
Shane L.

tomsheppard · Post by **tomsheppard** » 01 Jan 2005, 16:14

The CX never warms up and you can't see out of it. Goes like a glacier and forgets that it is power assisted when you need pas. 66/34 weight distribution means that you need diravi but I have owned lots of other cars that steered well. It is comfy. It is good to look at.
But it is simply horrible to drive, a triumph of cool over competence. The design is over thirty years old and it wasn't modern then. Peugeot made a good car out of the BX and it feels as though it is from a later century.
A BX is nimble,(Despite the reviled macpherson struts, it is better balanced than the CX), it is light, has good visibility, durability, much lower running costs and
a decent power to weight ratio, although it is less comfortable.
This CX will be restored for the pleasure of restoring it because it is in decent condition but it won't be staying for long. I may yet replace it with an XM.

bxbodger · Post by **bxbodger** » 01 Jan 2005, 21:37

CX versus BX......look at the survival rates of both in the UK where road and traffic conditions are very tough on cars, and remember that both were in production at the same time...........
Lots of old BX's still around in everyday use, the CX is probably rarer here now than the Austin Princess it competed with!!!!!
No, much as I would like a CX for a toy, it just would not be able to cope like my 15yr old 220000mile BX with the daily motorway and East London commute- much too expensive on fuel for a start!!

DoubleChevron · Post by **DoubleChevron** » 02 Jan 2005, 05:04

I'm just dumbfounded anyone that's driven a CX could possibly think a BX is even comparable. The BX is a lightweight junkbox in comparison. It steers like cr@p (though better than most cars of it's age), follows road cambers, has terrible traction (especially for a nose heavy FWD) on any other than good quality roads it is no-where near as safe & secure in it's handling as a CX. It is quite quick but only because it so light (which is a double edged sword, the BX is great 'cos it's light, but it's quality is terrible, I've got to take some photo's of my car interior for you). The hydraulics under the BX are cr@p, I don't think I've ever need to replace a hydraulic item on a CX (I've been driving them for 15years), the BX, power steering leaks, brake valve leaks, cr@ppy struts leak, regulators die ... How Citroen made such poor hydraulics after the incredible reliability of the CX/GS/SM/DS hydraulics is simply beyond me.
Toms CX needs a new thermastat, or most likely the heater matrix unblocked, they have excelent heaters (even when the heaters turned off [}:)] [:0]), my father has a '76 CX2200 deisel, it's heater easily heats the bloody great wagon. You will never, never, never get the CX to heat and cool it's interior like a BX, the CX's biggest failing has always been it's ventilation since the day it was made.
I'm not sure what you expect of the poor CX, most certainly I do NOT view them with rose coloured glasses, I'm always the first to say there interior ventilation is sh!t, there to bloody hot in summer etc etc ... I certainly strongly suggest not getting a DS if you hate the CX and think the BX is better...
As for the CX being expensive to run LOL [:0] I ran one right through uni on a shoestring.
seeya
Shane L.

wonderd · Post by **wonderd** » 02 Jan 2005, 12:18

I think the BX is a fine car - cheap to buy, interesting to fiddle with and keeps the owner busy...
The only car I would like to replace my BX with is the Xantia (which i didn't own yet).
Elad.