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zilog_jones · 13-03-2011, 15:13

Recently I've been looking at getting a bigger car, but on a bangernomics budget - around 2 grand or less
I went to see a Xantia yesterday at a dealer, a '97 1.8 16V with about 94k miles on the clock (there's enough evidence to believe it's genuine). The interior was in great condition, the body wasn't too bad either (no rust), but the thing that really surprised me was the suspension - the ride was so much smoother than anything else I have driven (I had been looking at Accords, Primeras and Mazda 626s up until now), even on bogger Co. Cork roads, and yet it didn't handle like a barge either. The suspension controls seemed to work fine.

Would I be crazy to go for this? He's asking for €1650 which is a lot for such an old car but I'm sure I could haggle, and there's a few things wrong with it but the dealer will sort it out - one of the mechanics there seemed to know his stuff about Citroens which is promising.

There's also the benefit that he said he'd take my Fiesta ('98 1.3) for €250 - I was dreading having to sell this privately as the engine is misfiring when idling so needs work, and the only place I have to keep it off the road is up in Limerick which would make selling it difficult.

So basically -
Pros:

Ride, handling and comfort (main things I was looking for in a car)
Condition, suspension seems to be working ok
Might get some sort of warranty with it
Get rid of old car easily
Doesn't look pig ugly like the '99-'02 Primeras I've been considering

Cons:

It's French (will it be stereotypical?)
Older than my current car!
Pre-facelift model
Price
Seats are quite soft - not sure what that'll be like on long journeys (anyone have experience?)
Timing belt - was apparently done at 50k, not sure what recommended intervals are, but for all I know it was last done 8-10 years ago which I wouldn't be comfortable with (Anyone know cost of getting this done?)
Few things wrong with it - sunroof and temp. gauge not working, code needed for radio (but all would be fixed by dealer)
Not a diesel, but I can't find any in the country without intergalactic mileages

ShadowHearth · 13-03-2011, 15:23

I don't thunk you are mad. For small money, you cant expect car to be perfect. 1.6k looks a bit expencive thought.

I am parking up skyline this month. So I bought a ford Mondeo glx. 98 1.6, air con all electrics. Very clean car. How much? 500 eu... Bushings, valve gasket, full service - 120eu including parts and work. Happy motoring.

Those are really not bad, I would worry going down with years. It's Ireland, you can find a 04 car to be destroyed and 94 car which will be spotless.

As for xantia it self. It's great yoke too, don't be pushed away by French name unless it's 206 pug.

-Corkie- · 13-03-2011, 15:31

If you are going down the bangeromics route you will do a lot better than a Xantia. Thats way overpriced anyway I bought a 99 diesel one for 2k in 2004 of a dealer.

fptosca · 13-03-2011, 15:46

It's a good car. Without being a fan of Citroen, I have to recognise that they have an excellent car line up, specially at present. C1, C2, C3, C4, C5 the DBS... all great on their category. It's a better brand that people give it credit for.
It sounds a bit expensive but 94k miles is low. Offer the dealer €1,100 plus your old Fiesta. You'll need to change the Timer Belt pretty soon (around 100k miles) and prepare to nearly double the amount of petrol you spend on the Fiesta.

zilog_jones · 13-03-2011, 16:00

It sounded like he had the car a while so is finding it tough trying to shift it, hopefully he'll be flexible with the price for that reason

Regarding fuel - with the way my Fiesta is running I'm currently getting about 33 MPG average, should be able to get about the same with the Xantia but with nearly twice the power

fptosca · 13-03-2011, 16:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by zilog_jones

Regarding fuel - with the way my Fiesta is running I'm currently getting about 33 MPG average, should be able to get about the same with the Xantia but with nearly twice the power

I wouldn't think so to be honest. More power/bigger engine = more petrol consumption. Also, it's a much heavier car. I wouldn't expect it to do even close to 33 MPG

dirtydiesel · 13-03-2011, 16:50

I had a 97 xantia, 1.6 petrol, it was one of the most trouble free cars ive owned. Handled very well on country roads, good on fuel, temp gauge always sat at half way but never went above that.
The only thing I ever complained about was the lack of leg room im over 6ft and found long journeys uncomfortable.
Would I buy another xantia, yes if I found one as clean as the one I had.
I sold mine and bought an omega because I wanted more leg room.

Only mad thing your doing IMO is paying that sort of money for it!

shawnee · 13-03-2011, 17:26

Zantias dont have a lot of buyers. Many are afraid of suspension etc. I had one ,they are very comfortable and I found mine pretty reliable. Difficult to work on and most mechanics hate them. If that one is good its probably worth about half what he's asking. Hard to resell , so make sure its a good one and best of luck

fonecrusher1 · 13-03-2011, 17:32

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1949057

^Looks like a much better deal than the one your talking about.

Nct is nearly up but for 750 spuds its a bit of a bargain.

slimjimmc · 13-03-2011, 17:50

The timing belt can be accessed by removing a few engine bits, which is a lot easier (hence cheaper) to replace than on some other more popular cars, for example the whole front needs to come off on the Passat/A4. It's the same engine as in the Peugeot 405.

That asking price is high in the extreme for what is essentially a 15yr old car, I think he just added that last digit for a laugh.

Dip into the reservoir tank and take a sample of LHM fluid (don't worry, it's safe, just mineral oil and not corrosive to paint like brake fluid). Make sure it's a clear bright green colour. You should be able to see down to the bottom of the tank with a torch. A brown or dirty/cloudy fluid needs flushing and replacing, it's not much more difficult than replacing brake fluid in another car but you might as well let the dealer carry the expense and effort.

**peasant** · 13-03-2011, 18:15

My parents had 4 Citroens in a row from new. 2x GS, 1 x BX and 1 x Xantia.

It was the Xantia that turned them off Citroen for good. It had one niggly issue after the other, all of them electric. Non or only sporadically working lights, heater fans, mirrors, windows, warning lights going on and off, etc.

Mechanically the car was sound, electrics was a never ending chain of garage visits and still the issues were never really sorted and kept re-occuring.

So do make sure that everything electric works, and if it doesn't, don't assume it's an easy fix.

dr.fuzzenstein · 13-03-2011, 18:56

Don't be half arsed here, XM is the way to go!

zilog_jones · 13-03-2011, 18:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by fptosca

I wouldn't think so to be honest. More power/bigger engine = more petrol consumption. Also, it's a much heavier car. I wouldn't expect it to do even close to 33 MPG

Yes but it's not a misfiring crappy old pushrod engine like in my Fiesta. Also, this: http://www.spritmonitor.de/en/overvi...=3&powerunit=2
8.62 l/100km = about 33 MPG, and that's from 48 drivers, not manufacturer's figures.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fonecrusher1

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1949057

^Looks like a much better deal than the one your talking about.

Wrong side of the country though!

I'm not too pushed about the diesels either, there's a lot more things to go wrong with them in their old age.

Quote:

Originally Posted by -Corkie-

If you are going down the bangeromics route you will do a lot better than a Xantia.

Any recommendations? I don't want to go into insane engine territory quite yet

Guy:Incognito · 13-03-2011, 19:05

I'm in the process of putting mine back on the road. Have to say I love the car. I picked it up in the UK a couple of years ago for around €1200. It's the 1.8 and a Sept 2000 reg. 60k on the clock and a FSH.

For €1650 you should be able to pick up a very good diesek. Most likely in the UK though, very few for sale here.

zilog_jones · 13-03-2011, 19:45

What would VRT be like for something like a Xantia these days? Would it be worthwhile at all? I don't really want to spend too much more time looking at cars right now, but if I do buy this one and enjoy it I would consider buying a newer and higher-spec model in a year or so.

Yeah there doesn't seem to be much around here right now, I think I missed the January trade-ins and I'm not sure how many fell victim to the scrappage scheme...

13-03-2011, 15:13	#1
zilog_jones Registered User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Cork Posts: 4,095 Adverts \| Friends	Citroen Xantia - am I mad? Recently I've been looking at getting a bigger car, but on a bangernomics budget - around 2 grand or less I went to see a Xantia yesterday at a dealer, a '97 1.8 16V with about 94k miles on the clock (there's enough evidence to believe it's genuine). The interior was in great condition, the body wasn't too bad either (no rust), but the thing that really surprised me was the suspension - the ride was so much smoother than anything else I have driven (I had been looking at Accords, Primeras and Mazda 626s up until now), even on bogger Co. Cork roads, and yet it didn't handle like a barge either. The suspension controls seemed to work fine. Would I be crazy to go for this? He's asking for €1650 which is a lot for such an old car but I'm sure I could haggle, and there's a few things wrong with it but the dealer will sort it out - one of the mechanics there seemed to know his stuff about Citroens which is promising. There's also the benefit that he said he'd take my Fiesta ('98 1.3) for €250 - I was dreading having to sell this privately as the engine is misfiring when idling so needs work, and the only place I have to keep it off the road is up in Limerick which would make selling it difficult. So basically - Pros: Ride, handling and comfort (main things I was looking for in a car) Condition, suspension seems to be working ok Might get some sort of warranty with it Get rid of old car easily Doesn't look pig ugly like the '99-'02 Primeras I've been considering Cons: It's French (will it be stereotypical?) Older than my current car! Pre-facelift model Price Seats are quite soft - not sure what that'll be like on long journeys (anyone have experience?) Timing belt - was apparently done at 50k, not sure what recommended intervals are, but for all I know it was last done 8-10 years ago which I wouldn't be comfortable with (Anyone know cost of getting this done?) Few things wrong with it - sunroof and temp. gauge not working, code needed for radio (but all would be fixed by dealer) Not a diesel, but I can't find any in the country without intergalactic mileages

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13-03-2011, 15:23	#2
ShadowHearth Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Co. cork Posts: 12,340 Adverts \| Friends	I don't thunk you are mad. For small money, you cant expect car to be perfect. 1.6k looks a bit expencive thought. I am parking up skyline this month. So I bought a ford Mondeo glx. 98 1.6, air con all electrics. Very clean car. How much? 500 eu... Bushings, valve gasket, full service - 120eu including parts and work. Happy motoring. Those are really not bad, I would worry going down with years. It's Ireland, you can find a 04 car to be destroyed and 94 car which will be spotless. As for xantia it self. It's great yoke too, don't be pushed away by French name unless it's 206 pug.

13-03-2011, 15:31	#3
-Corkie- Closed Account Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 9,496 Adverts \| Friends	If you are going down the bangeromics route you will do a lot better than a Xantia. Thats way overpriced anyway I bought a 99 diesel one for 2k in 2004 of a dealer.

13-03-2011, 15:46	#4
fptosca Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Dublin Posts: 142 Adverts \| Friends	It's a good car. Without being a fan of Citroen, I have to recognise that they have an excellent car line up, specially at present. C1, C2, C3, C4, C5 the DBS... all great on their category. It's a better brand that people give it credit for. It sounds a bit expensive but 94k miles is low. Offer the dealer €1,100 plus your old Fiesta. You'll need to change the Timer Belt pretty soon (around 100k miles) and prepare to nearly double the amount of petrol you spend on the Fiesta.

13-03-2011, 16:00	#5
zilog_jones Registered User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Cork Posts: 4,095 Adverts \| Friends	It sounded like he had the car a while so is finding it tough trying to shift it, hopefully he'll be flexible with the price for that reason Regarding fuel - with the way my Fiesta is running I'm currently getting about 33 MPG average, should be able to get about the same with the Xantia but with nearly twice the power

13-03-2011, 16:50	#7
dirtydiesel Registered User Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: On the edge. Posts: 511 Adverts \| Friends	I had a 97 xantia, 1.6 petrol, it was one of the most trouble free cars ive owned. Handled very well on country roads, good on fuel, temp gauge always sat at half way but never went above that. The only thing I ever complained about was the lack of leg room im over 6ft and found long journeys uncomfortable. Would I buy another xantia, yes if I found one as clean as the one I had. I sold mine and bought an omega because I wanted more leg room. Only mad thing your doing IMO is paying that sort of money for it!

13-03-2011, 17:26	#8
shawnee Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: In the shed or in the Garden Posts: 1,584 Adverts \| Friends	Zantias dont have a lot of buyers. Many are afraid of suspension etc. I had one ,they are very comfortable and I found mine pretty reliable. Difficult to work on and most mechanics hate them. If that one is good its probably worth about half what he's asking. Hard to resell , so make sure its a good one and best of luck

13-03-2011, 17:32	#9
fonecrusher1 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: ireland Posts: 4,480 Adverts \| Friends	http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1949057 ^Looks like a much better deal than the one your talking about. Nct is nearly up but for 750 spuds its a bit of a bargain.

13-03-2011, 17:50	#10
slimjimmc Registered User Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 3,719 Adverts \| Friends	The timing belt can be accessed by removing a few engine bits, which is a lot easier (hence cheaper) to replace than on some other more popular cars, for example the whole front needs to come off on the Passat/A4. It's the same engine as in the Peugeot 405. That asking price is high in the extreme for what is essentially a 15yr old car, I think he just added that last digit for a laugh. Dip into the reservoir tank and take a sample of LHM fluid (don't worry, it's safe, just mineral oil and not corrosive to paint like brake fluid). Make sure it's a clear bright green colour. You should be able to see down to the bottom of the tank with a torch. A brown or dirty/cloudy fluid needs flushing and replacing, it's not much more difficult than replacing brake fluid in another car but you might as well let the dealer carry the expense and effort.

13-03-2011, 18:15	#11
peasant Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 15,070 Adverts \| Friends Mod: Deutsch (German), Motorhomes & Campervans	My parents had 4 Citroens in a row from new. 2x GS, 1 x BX and 1 x Xantia. It was the Xantia that turned them off Citroen for good. It had one niggly issue after the other, all of them electric. Non or only sporadically working lights, heater fans, mirrors, windows, warning lights going on and off, etc. Mechanically the car was sound, electrics was a never ending chain of garage visits and still the issues were never really sorted and kept re-occuring. So do make sure that everything electric works, and if it doesn't, don't assume it's an easy fix.

13-03-2011, 18:56	#12
dr.fuzzenstein Registered User Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: In de shticks Posts: 4,909 Adverts \| Friends	Don't be half arsed here, XM is the way to go!

13-03-2011, 19:05	#14
Guy:Incognito Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Tallaght Posts: 23,461 Adverts \| Friends	I'm in the process of putting mine back on the road. Have to say I love the car. I picked it up in the UK a couple of years ago for around €1200. It's the 1.8 and a Sept 2000 reg. 60k on the clock and a FSH. For €1650 you should be able to pick up a very good diesek. Most likely in the UK though, very few for sale here.

13-03-2011, 19:45	#15
zilog_jones Registered User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Cork Posts: 4,095 Adverts \| Friends	What would VRT be like for something like a Xantia these days? Would it be worthwhile at all? I don't really want to spend too much more time looking at cars right now, but if I do buy this one and enjoy it I would consider buying a newer and higher-spec model in a year or so. Yeah there doesn't seem to be much around here right now, I think I missed the January trade-ins and I'm not sure how many fell victim to the scrappage scheme...