Views on this XM please

Napoleon · Post by **Napoleon** » 05 Dec 2010, 18:08

Seen on the Bay...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CITROEN-2-5-XM-TD ... 500wt_1156

I'm far from experienced on Citroens, let alone this one.

Any opinions herein, please?

Deanxm · Post by **Deanxm** » 05 Dec 2010, 18:18

Bit steep for one thats been mothballed for an unkown period of time BUT they are hard to come by now and even harder to come by with 90k on the clock.
IF you want to know what to look for with the 2.5TD then Xmexclusive here and on Clubxm.co.uk will be able to help you out as he ownes nearly all of them now.

D

andmcit · Post by **andmcit** » 05 Dec 2010, 18:33

As far as price goes, that IS steep for an untaxed, unMOT'd car that needs
transporting across a large chunk of the UK. As a price range I paid £75 for
an M plate 2.5 saloon with 115k miles and £350 each for my black N plated
2.5 Exclusive (115k) and late W plated 2.1 auto saloons (76k)! All with some
MOT and in one case tax. Another recent ebay 2.5 Exclusive saloon went for
around £500 complete with water leak but some legality. This guy thinks
he's sitting on a goldmine but would have to justify it with at the least an
MOT, possibly even 12 months TAX!!

I'm about 6 miles away from the car and could go and view it if the seller
has been contacted and sounded out about the idea. I have well over 20 of
'em so would guess I know a lot about these!

Andrew

Chlorate · Post by **Chlorate** » 05 Dec 2010, 19:06

Pretty poor advert considering what he's asking for it...Heck you have to squint at the pictures to find out how old the bleedin' thing is.

First question that leaps to mind is why hasn't it been used for a while?

Could be legit, but my gut would say that it's an extremely-overpriced lemon.

Definitely worth getting someone to look at it if you want it.

-Alex

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 05 Dec 2010, 19:25

Its a VSX spec, which is pretty good, though AC was optional so it might not have that.

The advert is pretty limited, very little description and pictures the dont tell you anything.

It could be a good car or it could be rotten or in need of a lot of work. Viewing should be essential, but id not pay £1500 for an XM which has been standing and does not come with any MOT or tax.

It doesnt say how long its been standing for, it could be the majority of the time the seller has owned it. In which case it will probably need a fair few things doing.

Its sitting quite low, so when was it last started, does it start, does it have a working battery. NO mention of service history. No doubt the cambelt is due since its been standing. The tyres might be ancient and cracked. Despite its low miles it might be well weathered and showing rust - check the sills!

Its very steep, im perfect condition with a long tax and test, good history and its mileage it could be worth £1500- £2000 or so, as good Xms are increasing in price and there is a demand for them. However, to pay that kind of money for something which might not be great, its a risk.

robert_e_smart · Post by **robert_e_smart** » 05 Dec 2010, 19:36

It simply needs checked over. If its a good tidy car, get the current owner to MOT it and throw in a years tax for the full asking price.

2.5s are lovely things to drive, super smooth, super quick a real delight.

Napoleon · Post by **Napoleon** » 05 Dec 2010, 21:30

I've only ever seen a couple of XMs around, and not just locally, either. I get the feeling they're not vary common, but I did the styling (sorry to sound so vain).

Having owned this Xantia for two years or a bit more, I do really really like the car; don't want to actively give it up, but maybe a saloon type is what we'll be needing in the near future years with kids. (no dogs, so no need for a grille).

So I'm interested in gathering information on the car, the XM.

Opinions sought.

Thanks masseurs et madams.

andmcit · Post by **andmcit** » 05 Dec 2010, 22:39

Do you mean 'dig' the styling?

They are getting fewer these days by every ebay auction!

You have to decide which breed of Xm does it for you while there still
are a selection to choose from and there are various flavours available!
So what to go for? Will depend on what you plan to do with it and your
expectations.

The more quirkily, arguably purer designed mk1 or the apparently
improved build mk2 (that some say are more prone to rusting) but have a
feel nearer a mk2 Xantia and all windbagged up. These cars are capable of
totally beguiling Cit fans for them seemingly into two distinct camps in a
marmite love hate divide!!

I'm guessing it has to be a diesel so that immediately narrows options with
mk1's and most will be auto. If you want something with petrol, it's tempting
to get excited with the 2.0i turbo but usually these (as with most 2.1's)
come auto'd up and these boxes are prone to go phut and leave you with
backwards movement only and a bill for £1200+.

If a manual IS a big deal the 2.5 with it's hydraulic clutch can't really be
bettered and is a car that drives like a potent petrol but with more sensible
economy. Not the best economy compared to a 2.1 manual mind. The big
surprise though is the fact that the real difference in the size of a Xant to an
Xm is in the overall width of the whole car along it's centre line (and the
far longer front overhang on the Xm) with pretty much the rest being
dimensionally similar although those massive rear Xant doors and openings
are hard to better in any car.

The key difference on any Xm over your Sx Xant is the Xant VSX style
'trick' hydractive suspension with the more controlled body roll combined
with the extra spheres to give a soft but controlled ride. I'd have to check
figures but don't expect a massive difference in wheelbase on the two
but likely the Xm will edge it.

Realistically, you need to get over to test drive one somewhere with a
seller or a tame Xm owner on the forums to see if it's for you before
taking the plunge on a car over 200 miles away!!

Try chatting to the nutters at www.club-xm.co.uk

Andrew

Post by **Peter.N.** » 06 Dec 2010, 00:23

The XM is a really outstanding car, if you want the ultimate in ride comfort, space, especially the estate, and economy, particularly the 2.1 diesel, and a car that is durable there is no serious contender, but, unless you are a serious DIYer they can be expensive to maintain.

Any XM you buy is likely to need money spent on it, usually all the spheres need changing, not an expensive job if you can do it yourself and the electrics are not all that reliable, mechanically they are though, particularly the 2.1 td, 300k miles is not unusual if you do the necessary maintenance.

The 2.5 is a very nice car but more difficult to work on and get spares for than the 2.1. If you are not going to be doing a high mileage, probably not a problem but I have done something like 250,000 miles in 2.1s.

I would have liked another 2.1 manual estate S2 but there don't seem to be any out there, the last suitable one I saw for sale was about two years ago, and I bought it and still have it, I paid £150.00 for that, it needed work but was taxed and MOTd, they don't seem to be available at any price now.

That 2.5 is very expensive, it might be worth it but I would take someone who is expert on them with you, alternatively get his contact details so that you can possibly make a deal with him when he finds he can't sell it.

Peter

Napoleon · Post by **Napoleon** » 06 Dec 2010, 07:39

Excellent advice, and v. interesting too, many thanks.

Oh, yes, I did mean, 'dig', rather than, 'did'.

Cheers, I'll drop by that XM forum.

citroenxm · Post by **citroenxm** » 06 Dec 2010, 08:00

Andrew,

If you are HAVING to down size your collection, is this not a good time to offer one of your cars?? You know yours inside out, a perfect opportuninty!

Its what I would do, but my Black Onyx is not ready yet... still..

Paul

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 06 Dec 2010, 09:05

If you get a good one and keep it good then it will hold its money, so it really depends on how good that car really is as to what its worth. £1500 for a road going car in good condition isn't bad when you think about it.

Last September i spotted a 2.1TD manual estate on ebay, with a buy it now price of similar to that one you have seen there, a little less actually. Only 58K miles, full service history and in VSX spec. Too good an opportunity to miss, as it was worth every penny being the car it is, i pressed buy it now and went to get it a few days later.

I knew from the advert that it needed a few bits and peices, despite its full history there was no record of the cambelt being done, so that was done when we got it with the water pump - though going by the belt it had already been done, though best not to risk it. There was some bodywork which needed repainting. As is always the way with ebay purchases, there are the odd few things th ebuyer neglects to tell, however this one was a plesent surprise.

Now everything is done, its looking great and everything works, as it stands now with 61K miles and in excellent condition outside, under side is excellent, interior is as new, it must be one of the best estates left now.

Someone offered £2500 for it but its not for sale. So if you do find a good one then they are very much worth keeping hold of as they are fantastic cars. I can't see us selling this estate any time soon, its a dream.

Most Xms are structurally good, though they do tend to rust a bit more than Xantias and so you need to check wheel arches in particular and also the sills, especially at the front around the front jacking point. Check the front subframe area too.

Check electrics, sunroofs rarely work on Xms now, electric windows can cause problems so check that they are working, often the cable snapps - a cheap repair but fiddly. Strut tops, as with Xantias, check those for excessive rust - Xms tops are much more pricey than Xantias. Check that the hydractive works correctly, flicking between sports and normal mode as it should.

Compared to modern cars the Xms are a refreshingly simple design, and as as they have been around for so long their common failts are well known. The 2.1TD is a superb engine, with a manual gearbox they are really good to drive and offers great economy. Autos use more juice and are quite a bit slower too. I can't comment on the 2.5 as ive not driven one.

I hope you do get an Xm, they are fantastic cars and there are always some wanting good homes. That one you have found might suit you perfectly, but be sure of its problems before you buy it, as there will no doubt be some.

Post by **Peter.N.** » 06 Dec 2010, 10:24

That one of Chris's was worth the money, although it's more than I was prepared to spend at the time, had I known how scarce they were going to get I might have thought differently.

Peter

Post by **Peter.N.** » 06 Dec 2010, 17:55

Have you seen this one?

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/ww ... egLetter=N

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 06 Dec 2010, 19:07

Peter.N. wrote:Have you seen this one?

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/ww ... egLetter=N

Also on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWAX:IT

Looks a little tired, but it is a 2.1TD MANUAL.

Its talked about briefly here too:

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... 4&start=15