In perspective

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Bren
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In perspective

Post by Bren »

I recently spent £200 on my wife's 98' Galant paintwork. While it was in the bodyshop I asked for the aircon to be re- gassed. Unfortunately, the system would'nt hold any pressure. The garage offered to find the leak, but knowing that Mitsubishi parts cost telephone numbers, I declined their offer. She can open the window.

My friend has a 99' BMW 523i with full BMW history. As money was tight he decided to service it himself. Feeling pleased that he had completed the job he admitted that he had a problem with one of the plugs, showing me the one he had removed. The threads were damaged. I asked how the new one had gone in and he was a bit vague. Suffice to say he rang me last night complaining that it was running like a pig - the plug was loose and could not be nipped up. The escaping gas had also taken the lead out, so a helicoil will be necessary.

Why I am I telling you this? To put things in perspective I changed the oil, oil, air and diesel filters today and the whole lot cost £21. I dont believe that you can have cheaper motoring than a Xantia with an XUD engine. My car has no rust (they just dont) , it just needs a timing belt(£90 fitted) and an air con regas. I know that I am preaching to the converted, I am just reiterating what a bloody good car a diesel Xantia is.
96'Xantia 1.9 td estate
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XantiaMan
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Post by XantiaMan »

I agree, Xantia offers alot of things newer cars have without excessive complexity and cost. I'd be lost without mine, its a great car for work and then doubles as a comfortable family car when needed. Only a newer estate Xantia could replace it!
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steviewonder7
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Post by steviewonder7 »

I agree too :) ...Last year when I was running my honda accord I needed to replace the offside drive shaft...Local Honda stealer quoted me £400+ vat :shock: and to cap it all the parts man said to me'if you came asking for that part a few months ago that would have cost you £700 :shock: :shock: :evil: So... I wont go into the cost of other parts as there isn't a telephone number long enough,suffice to say my honda accord is no more.
I'm reasonably happy with the Xantia..parts are available at more resonable costs,I like the ride,the fact they dont rust,and I can suprise a few people when I do citrobics :lol: and best of all the great help and comradre you get on this forum :lol:

Regards Steve
1994 Xantia 1.9TD sx non anti sink.No aircon.Gone to the great scappy up above.

Now with Xsara Picasso 2.0 HDI (90 bhp)(03 plate) in 'Wicked Red'
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CitroJim
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Post by CitroJim »

I'm very much in agreement as well. A Xantia can cost a bit to initially get in good fettle and then it's peanuts from then on. Spares, relatively, are cheap and plentiful and most repair jobs are doable by an enthusiastic owner.

They seem complex but compared to a lot of cars, they're not. They have proved they're tough and pretty well screwed together.

The secret to running them is regular, diligent routine maintenance and fixing problems as they occur.

Notwithstanding, they're really lovely to drive into the bargain :D

I'll be keeping my fleet as long as I can. There is nothing that can replace the practicality and economy of my Estate and the sheer driving experience of my Activa.
Jim

Runner, cyclist, time triallist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
Peter.N.
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Post by Peter.N. »

Count me in as well! :) If a xantia is such a worthy vehicle the XM is even more so on account of its huge carrying capacity, and the 2.1 diesel is even more economical than the 1.9 Xantia.

When the XM first came out, and the Xantia I expect, they were regarded as over complicated and very expensive to repair, now, they are among the few cars that can still be maintained on a DIY basis, and reliatively cheaply.

If you look at the cost of repairing many relativly new cars, you could buy several Xantias or XMs for the value of one repair. A couple of months ago I bought a 2.1 hatchback XM for spares as it had a relatively low mileage engine, as I drove it home (with no clutch) I very quickly came to the conclusion that it would be ridiculous to scrap it, it drove beautifully, hardly has a mark on it and is virtually rust free, so I am going to put a in a new clutch and keep it as a spare.

I paid £250 for it with two months tax and six months MOT which is still running, a clutch will cost me about £150 so for £300 I have an economical luxury car in very good condition. Its a no brainer really.
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DickieG
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Post by DickieG »

£ for £ nothing comes close in my opinion, I drive a wide variety of new cars on a daily basis and none of them gets even close to offering the comforting ride of a Xantia. Let the fools rush in and buy Mondeo's (not too bad) and Vectra's (awful in just about every dept) Saab 9-5 (what's the point in being different for different's sake when Saab's different lacks any benefits), Audi A6 (suspension, what's that?) BMW 5 series (competent but souless) Skoda Superb/Passat (fancy a barge? they handle like one :lol: ).

I find quite a bit irony when it comes to maintenance, years ago Fords and Vauxhalls were easy to service whereas French car's and particualarly Citroën's were a nightmare, nowadays those roles are definately reversed. Keep it quiet I say :P

Give me a Xantia any day, I'm tempted to to see what's involved in sourcing a new one http://www.saipacorp.com/en/xantia/default.asp
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Post by elma »

couldn't agree more.
I'm driving a 2.0 renault scenic at the moment and it's costing me more than triple what the Xantia did!
Not just in fuel but in silly bits diesels don't need like ignition coils. Also in bits that fall off! Never another renault for me, which is a shame as I like Lagunas.

I can't find a decent Xantia at the minute.
Seems that since veg oil got popular xantia got expensive and popular.

I can afford this stupid people carrier for about 4 months, so hopefully a nice Xantia will present itself to me soon.

If not I'm going to fulfil a dream and get me a Galant, if I'm paying petrol money I want a proper car although lpg would be better. (Activa would do just fine as well) This is probably a silly dream though, I wouldn't be able to drive either very far.
lolingram
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Post by lolingram »

We run 3 Xantias - 2 XUDs plus an HDi 90 estate. Two of them have well over 200k on the clock, but use no oil to speak of and simply fly!

I can only agree with all the posts on this thread.... as I live in France, the advantage of veggie is zero, so the HDi is a real bonus in consumption and drivability
Why I am I telling you this? To put things in perspective I changed the oil, oil, air and diesel filters today and the whole lot cost £21. I dont believe that you can have cheaper motoring than a Xantia with an XUD engine. My car has no rust (they just dont) , it just needs a timing belt(£90 fitted) and an air con regas. I know that I am preaching to the converted, I am just reiterating what a bloody good car a diesel Xantia is.
R.I.P. January 2010.
XM 2.1 auto VSX 1996 - Bosch Inj, Xantia HDi 90 estate 1999, Xantia 1.9TD 1997
Previously...
GS 1970, Dyane 1974, Xantia 94 VSX TD, XM 94, 2.1 auto - Lucas Inj, XM 92 2.1 estate - Lucas Inj
MikeT
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Post by MikeT »

lolingram wrote:.... as I live in France
Sorry to be off topic Lol, but have you heard of that Hydronet 2000 hydraulic flushing product? The company is based in France and it's not available over here but one person has made some pretty incredible claims and I'm eager to know more.

Back on topic, I have to admit, general servicing of Xantia TD's is very affordable and having self-raising suspension makes undercar work that bit easier. Well-built, they also seem to fare better at high mileages but it is the most cramped engine bay I've ever had to work on.
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Post by lexi »

I`m new to them and am just fettling a diesel estate. Why did I buy it? Good on fuel no rust...also quirky and interesting. This brilliant forum is a bonus too. Like most cars the 9 and 10 year old models have been mostly abused and misunderstood maintenance wise.

You rarely buy good cheap cars at that age .......but you can build one.

Alex
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lolingram
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Post by lolingram »

I'll do a lookaround and post any useful info Mike
lolingram wrote:
.... as I live in France


Sorry to be off topic Lol, but have you heard of that Hydronet 2000 hydraulic flushing product? The company is based in France and it's not available over here but one person has made some pretty incredible claims and I'm eager to know more.
R.I.P. January 2010.
XM 2.1 auto VSX 1996 - Bosch Inj, Xantia HDi 90 estate 1999, Xantia 1.9TD 1997
Previously...
GS 1970, Dyane 1974, Xantia 94 VSX TD, XM 94, 2.1 auto - Lucas Inj, XM 92 2.1 estate - Lucas Inj
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