Time to wave bye-bye to our xantia?

[Derekofpriory]

Hi all,
Our 1999 2.0 Hdi SX 90 cost us £2600 at auction in Dec 02with 125k done, apart from fuel, oil, filters and tyres we have spent all of £1800 on spare parts, all MOTs were fast pass on emission's except one, and the only failure was due to a cut to an inside sidewall in 9 years. Having had the use of our son's Octavia 105 Hp diesel whilst he was in Kenya, we found it to be a good tow car for our Craftsman 132 (13 ft 2 berth, 875Kg, 975Kg Max, going back to the xantia we missed the extra 15 horses.
I really hate not having a good reason for selling a car but when I retire we want to get a replacement, so being the cheapskate I am, and I refuse to hope for an honest opinion from a car salesman or dealer, could or would anyone care to suggest a replacement I am 5-10 with long legs, I have to wriggle to get into the Xantia, the SOH is 5-0, we only do 6k miles a year one third of which is towing the van to morris and music festivals,we prefer the simplicity , and economy when towing of diesels , we wish to stay loyal to the Citroen brand and would like a lower road tax cost. We thought about 'chipping' to 110, finding an insurer to take us on and running it till it has to go, but she is still on the original clutch, now 186k miles, and worry that it won't last long with 110 horses.
Thanks everyone, Derek B.

[DickieG]

Hi Derek,

With the value of your Xantia now being as low as they are I can't help thinking you haven't got much to lose by chipping it as its not as if you're potentially causing damage to a high value car. Whilst I've never had any of my cars chipped so I can't speak from personal experience I can't recall anyone needing a new clutch after having it done. Bearing in mind the details of your post I can't help thinking that provided you drive sensibly as in not excessively slipping the clutch or doing high speed starts off the line then I'd think the clutch will last pretty much as long as it otherwise would. Even in the worst case scenario the cost of a new clutch will be a lot less than the depreciation you'll suffer on a newer car.

[Gibbo2286]

As a mechanic and retired car dealer I'm not going to advise.

[DickieG]

As a mechanic and retired car dealer I'm not going to advise.

I'm also a retired dealer but don't have a problem offering Derek advise, he's not being personal after all and I've always been the first to admit that there are a few "colourful characters" in the motor trade, just like any walk in life where there's money to be made.

[Dippy]

As a mechanic and retired car dealer I'm not going to advise.

As an ex - Mech . and out of touch with Modern stuff , I'll certainly listen ........

[HDI]

Chipping a 90 is not the best plan, it has a smaller intercooler and less robust gearbox. OK, even if something goes pop you haven't lost a fortune but there is the shear inconvenience.
What about looking for a good Xantia 110 ?

[DHallworth]

Paul (citroenxm) from here has a tuning box on his HDi 110 and he says that the difference is unbelievable.

Being an SX it's unusual that yours is only a 90 as most were 110's.

I had a 306 HDi 90 with a remap on it to take it to circa 120bhp and the difference was amazing.

I mapped mine at 105k miles and sold it at 120k miles with no notable problems.

Like the others have said, there's not really a lot to loose from mapping yours.

If your clutch is on it's last legs though a remap will kill it.

David.

[Deanxm]

If the clutch starts slipping then the clutch was shot in the first place, and i have to say having a car chipped is always worth doing if you have the money to throw at it for such trivial improvements, my Activa is and all it means is you drive around using less throttle with less fuss, if you hammer a stock car about it will be dead in no time at all anyway, its how you drive a vehicle that is key to its lifespan not its power output.

D

[Citroenmad]

A Xantia HDi SX will be a 110bhp car, does it have a rear spoiler?

I would look out for a 110bhp Xantia if your happy with your own but want more power. You could always remap or add a tuning box to your 90 and gain similar power, though a 110 is better set up wit the intercooler and different gearbox etc.

If you want to stay Citroen then there are always C5s to consider, I always recommend the 110HDi 2.0HDi over the 2.2 136 as its more proven, more economical and reliable. The later C5II (late 2004 onwards) with the 138bhp 2.0HDi is a good car and will provide more than ample performance to pull a decent sized 'van.

If you want to stick with Citroens and ideally a hydraulic one (better for towing) then thats about your choices.

[Chris570]

simple way to tell is to the right of the engine cover do you have one or 2 air hoses?

[Peter.N.]

Hi Derek

If you want hydropnumatic suspension your only option really is an early C5 they are cheap enough and use the 110 hp version of your engine. Otherwise I would suggest a 406 (I won't mention P.....t) as its the wrong forum If you can put up with springs they are a very nice car and also cheap. I wouldn't go for anything other than the 110 hp 8 valve engine as they have a proven track record.

Peter

[Derekofpriory]

Hi all,
SX and spoiler but only one air hose across the top, main dealer confirmed from the VIN that it's a 90. It was described as a 110 at the auction and that gave me the right to reject it if I wanted to but I had 7 days to decide. I spent a fair amount of time crawling all over and under it before opting to accept a discount and keeping it. I was really pleased with Manheim Auctions actions with this sale . It has been our most reliable car we have had. Haven't been a speed merchant since I sold the Kwacker 550, the clutch pedal is lovely and light so I don't think it's near to failing yet, thanks for advice so far, SOH wants another motorised armchair, so it looks like we may be looking towards a late early C5