Gold XM

[Eddie Nuff]

I've been looking for a S1 XM for a few months, preferably diesel, hopefully V6 but one where the paperwork was more important than the car.

This car isn't perfect, far from it, but it has had money spent on it in the past. According to the paperwork it had a cambelt tensioner pop in 2010 and from that had new belts, tensioners and cover. It also had new spheres and a new headgasket. But the head looks very clean, if not new, and has been re-fitted with new bolts. There's no mention of a new head in the papers.

The car was sat on the floor when we got there, wearing its gorgeous after-market rims. The oil was clear, the air filter newish and the spark plugs clean, even though the owner said he hadn't serviced it in the 9 months he'd had it. There was next to no LHM in the reservoir and we couldn't find where it had leaked from due to the fact that the engine bay was filthy, covered in gunk and dirt. The NSF bumper has come off the holder, there's a small dent in the hatch and the poor quality repair on the OSR arch but apart from that it's solid. The tyres are not good, two blebs in the OSF, the OSR inner wall is shattered, and the NSF is the wrong size (175). The bonus is that all the electrics bar the NSF fog and the front inner roof light work. Amazing on any Citroen never mind one 23 years old.

Put some fuel in the tank, air in the tyres, a tub of LHM in the box and toddled off up the motorway. The car drives very well, no knocks, bangs, squeals. Steering and brakes are straight, clutch bites at the bottom end but the drive home was a pleasure.

When we got home it became evident that the idle speed would not drop below 1050rpm. Sprayed some WD40 on the linkages and although they move easier it hasn't solved it. The Engine Oil Pressure warning light keeps flashing (switch? Where is it?) and the water in the system is purely that – no coolant. That will have to be flushed out.

The interior is a mess, leather seats fitted as an afterthought, but with the original cloth door cards . . . and no headlining! And no-one knows why. After-market stereo and a filthy hatch cover as well.

Gave it a wash and the paintwork has come up well, it has a shine to it, and the chrome is decent as well.

The temptation initially was to put a full leather interior in it with decent original alloys but after thinking about it a bit more this is the base model and so it would be better with its original cloth interior and steel wheels with Citroen trims.

But that's for later – got to sort out the tickover first, then coolant, then oil switch whilst I'm waiting for some more TFR to arrive so I can give the engine bay a good steam clean.

[citroenxm]

Oil pressure switch is just above the oil filter, probably buired behind all the pipes and breathers etc...