Not a lot of car news as ive been away for the week.
For the past couple of years I had been tinkering on with a 1993 XM 2.0i 8v Turbo Automatic which belonged to a family friend and was his only car. Sadly he passed away last week and so we have been given charge to sell the car for his family. Its really not in good condition and was going to be replaced as it does need a lot of work. For starters:
- Turbo doesn't work
- Speedo doesn't work - top cable has snapped
- Cruise control doesn't work
- Engine is a bit lumpy when running on LPG
- Engine management light appears sometimes (has not came on since it had a good run out)
- Engine is a bit unresponsive, especially when pulling away, but doesn't seem to use any oil
- Im unsure of its service history, I have never done an oil service, only basic things to keep the car on the road. So it needs a full service, probably with cambelt kit and water pump. The oil is clean looking but doesn't smell fresh.
- Door looks are very temperamental (though thanks to Matthew (mtxm) it now has remote locking)
- Spheres are about knackered
- AC doesnt work - no belt fitted but it probably need more than that
- Exhaust is very noisey
- Rear brake discs are wafer thin
- ABS light is temperamental (has not came on since it had a good run out)
- Tyres are all budget brands and the rears are past their best, the front pair are mismatched
- One strut top has a good bit of surface rust and is flaking but still looks strong
- Passenger door mirror is hanging on with a screw and some tape
- Road tax is due at the end of the month
- Body work - the black paint is very dull and covered with very deep swirls and scratches. The nosecone looks to have been rainted with a spray can and badly. The bumpers are scuffed the back one is cracked, there are two creases in the front NS wing and a very large dent in the NS rear wing. Wheels are reasonable-ish. All chrome strips need replacing. It needs new front slidelight units, the black panel over the reversing lights has a hole in it.
On the plus side:
- It has MOT until November
- Is LPG converted
- The body shows very little sign of rust and the sills are very decent
- The sunroof works perfectly
- Leather seats need a better clean but they are in very good condition and it has the electric armrest
- It is in a nice spec and I really like the interior, which is not showing many signs of wear and given the quick clean I gave it its came up well.
Apart from the above defects it drives well, no cluncks, nocking or rattling, the steering is tight with no knocks or looseness to be felt. The auto box is very smooth and has no slurring between changes.
This morning I did a bit of cleaning on it, the interior was full of stuff so I binned all of that and gave it a good hoover. I doubt it had been hoovered in the last 8-10 years but now looks much better. I gave the seats a quick wash but they need a better going over and some leather feed. The exterior, I only had time to do a very quick wash so its clean but in no better condition, the paintwork is really awful. I took it to the CCC Wetherby event today, which is about 70 miles away, probably the longest trip it has done for many years, as it was only used locally for small miles. It went well, aside from the lack of turbo power. It was easier to explain what is right and works with the car than what doesn't, though
So, its a bit of a project then!
Failing that its scrap, which I can see being its more likely impending fate due to the time and money needed to bring it back to health. Which would be a shame as it has proved to be a very reliable and dependable car for its owner and being a late S1 car in Prestige spec its quite a nice model too, just not a great example. Its only really had work to keep it on the road and keep it moving, so I can forgive it its problems. However, something needs to happen with it and I don't want to scrap an XM, so its sat with a for sale note on the windows and we will see if anyone takes an interest. I doubt it but you never know.
Would I be insane to be thinking about buying it myself?
I would really like my own XM, this one being a well equipped S1 XM with LPG has got me thinking, is it an opportunity I should take? Im seriously considering it. Ive got a real liking for this XM, the colour combination, the S1 dash and superb steering wheel, the leather seats and its something I would really like to see back in good condition. It would take me a while to get it right again but im sure it is do-able and I could probably do most of it myself. I have a set of gen. Citroen spheres for it, I have found a place which will made up the speedo cable, im pretty sure most of the bodywork would gome good with a machine polish, and the other bits and pieces could be sorted as and when. Besides, its driveable as it is now and is road going.
There are a few problems with me getting it, mainly due to space. As it is now our parking is full and it takes an age to get some of the cars out. Im not sure if I could justify having 3 cars and so might sell the Xantia, but the XM is too big to fit into the space where the Xantia lives. I have considered letting the Activa go for a few reasons and I prefer XMs to Xantias, a Citroen with waftability! But am I ready to sell the Activa, Id probably miss it but don't wish to keep it forever.
What should I do?!? Buy it myself, try and sell it on or scrap it?
I don't have many pictures of it, as its not very photogenic at the moment. One next to Matthews superb manual V6 XM Sei:
At the ICCCR show ground:
Mark, this is the IronX at work. In the past the brake pads on this car add been down to the metal for some time and so the front wheels were covered in filings, which were stuck on and had gone rusty:
I first gave the wheels a quick clean with wheel cleaner and then used the IronX, it went purple straight away and did a good job of shifting the stuck on filings. Needs a few more applications but its a huge improvement.
We are going to take the Traction to the CCC event tomorrow, looking forward to that! The Prestige is still there.
No point ploughing hundreds and hundreds of pounds into a car that's not really worth it. The saying of "can't save them all" certainly comes to mind and the bad ones will have to go while the good ones carry on - parts from that car can help others etc.
It's good to have a clearout and get new faces in - getting rid of a few Visa's has brought some space for a new addition to the fleet.
