blue 2.1td xm sx 5dr Auto

[woger]

Hi all!

After spending many frustrating hours working on this car I'm torn between scrapping it, breaking it, selling it through Ebay, or actually doing what i intended and getting it back on the road. The car is a runner and seems to be in very good condition apart from the back windscreen being smashed only a couple of weeks ago. The mileage is around 130,000 and the car runs and drives fine apart from the rear suspension corrector not being connected. I have replaced the rear height corrector and a number of rear pipes with the much improved cupro-nickel pipes, however, the rear height corrector is not connected since i changed it and can't work out why it won't connect to the control rod so that it operates correctly.

I think both front jacking points have been folded inwards in past jacking attempts and only yesterday the car started with a small oil leak which i think is coming from the rocker cover. The drivers side window wire snapped but i have the repair kit for this so it is just a matter of fitting the new wire and putting the door back together. The bodywork does seem in very good condition with hardly any sign of rust. The car has had no MOT or tax for the last 2 years (currently SORNed). I bought this car two years ago with a view to getting it back on the road, however, i have been unable to get the time to finish the required work, and i feel that an XM is going to be quite a time consuming car to look after once i have put it through the MOT.

The car has only gone in and out of a garage in those last 2 years and i don't think it should need too much work to get it MOT'd and I am still very tempted to keep hold of this car and restore it to it's former glory, as before me it was very lovingly cared for and it came with a rather thick wad of receipts for the work that has been done on this car over the years. I will be posting pictures in the next few days and basically wanted to gauge interest in the vehicle (or it's constituent parts) and get an idea (from people who know about these cars) of whether it was worth me finishing the jobs or whether the car or it's parts could find a new home. The car also has a private reg of M5 MYX which i had valued at around £500, but i think a more realistic price for it (since the DVLA brought out a lot of new M5 plates) is around £100.

Thoughts on what to do with this very heavy and very large car are much appreciated.

Roger

[robert_e_smart]

Hi Roger,

Perservere, you have done too much work to the car already to stop. Get it MOTd, and start enjoying it. You are in the right place if you need any help with XM problems.

Robert

[woger]

thanks for the encouragement. I just have the awful feeling that i'll get it running and then i'll have a cylinder head problem or another suspension issue. Plus having to get another tailgate has dampened my hope of getting it on the road very soon.

Roger

[robert_e_smart]

There are a couple of XMs being broken on e-bay, so you could probably source a tailgate without too much difficulty. Is it a saloon or hatch you have? I am breaking a saloon, but I doubt you fancy coming over to Ireland to pick up a tailgate!

[minijet]

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Hi woger,

Not sure if this is any good to you (you didn't say where you're located), but he's dismantled a blue S2 XM so he may still have the tailgate. I've spoken with him a few times and his prices seem reasonable - I may be going to see him this week so I'll have a look at the tailgate if you like (assuming he still has it).

Good luck with the car,

Paul

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