Citroen XM Forum

Fancy seeing you over here Kev

A lot of 2.1TDs are automatics, there are manuals but they seem quite rare, as i think at some point in production the 2.1 was automatic only and the 2.5 was the manual choice. I prefer the automatic Xm to the manaul, the manual is known not to have the best gearchange in the world and the autobox suits the Xms nature well. Gearbox oil changes are vital to it lasting though, so if you do go for an auto make sure the oil on the gearbox dipstick is at the level and looks clean. Manuals are seen to be more reliable, its quite fun getting used to one at first, having 3 legs would be a huge advantage

Although to find your perfect spec might take some searching, buying on condition rather than spec or engine is probably easier. Most diesels have more miles than most petrols, although as your Xantia proves, they still look great when they are 'well experienced'!

Depends if your looking for economy to use it as an every day car. 3.0 V6 would be nice wouldnt it

Hell yes! With an infrequent use second car where it just see's action on weekends or longer cross country jaunts,
a v6 would be an excellent compliment to the TD Xantia - the ying part to the yang! The problem here though
would still be manual availability as a v6 was rare before you then consider finding a manual which was then a low
percentage (10-20%?) of all v6 sales.

The engine which seems more prevelant currently out there in ebayland and free ads is the 2.0i petrol and the 2.1TD
again both usually as autos. Perhaps the main criterion to ask yourself from the outset is whether the fundamentals
of estate or saloon, petrol or diesel, then subjectively s1 or s2!

Starting from scratch again I'd probably try a manual 16v 2.0i petrol saloon which only came as s2: I reckon that'd be
a damned good car! I started with a s1 manual v6 SEi and got a bit spoilt with my expectations!

Andrew

The last manual 2.1s were sold in Jan '96, and I've got most of them Far more of the Mk1s are available in manual guise but there are a few '95 and even late '94 manuals still about but they don't come up very often.

Peter

andmcit wrote: Starting from scratch again I'd probably try a manual 16v 2.0i petrol saloon which only came as s2: I reckon that'd be
a damned good car! I started with a s1 manual v6 SEi and got a bit spoilt with my expectations!

Andrew

It most certainly is a damned good car Andrew.

I think it offers the best of everything. I get sick of diesels at times and its nice to get into a petrol car for the nice sounding engine and higher revs, i know diesles are refined now, especially the HDis but you do get tired of the sound. The 2.0 16v is also great on fuel, our automatic does between 32-36MPG and the manual acheieves 40mpg quite easily when driven nicely. Going to the national this year it got 44MPG! Fantastic for a large car with a petrol engine sitting at motorway speeds, not 60!

They are 135BHP, so more power than both the 2.1 and 2.5, although obviously little torque compared to either, but its a very strong pulling engine, especially after 4000rpm it really gets into its stride. It sounds nice, its refined and it came with either gearboxes. Its quite nice having one of both actually, then you dont have to decide which gearbox you like most

For me i do prefer driving the auto, so smooth and easy to drive. Its actually slight higher geared than the manual car too, 70MPH in the auto is just under 3000rpm but in the manual its slightly above. The manaul is nippier and more economical, but the gearchange in manual Xms isnt one of the all time greats, in my opinion. The automatic suits the Xm better, especially with its foot operated parking brake and although i have got used to the manual, doing a hill start can be a slight pain. Its a case of take the car out of gear, lift the clutch up, put the footbrake down and press in the button on the dash, then press the clutch and select the gear, find the bite and pull the button on the dash which gives a loud bang as the pedal springs back up.

This does give it character and i usually smile to myself as im attempting to do this. Although for this reason i would think some owners would abuse the clutch on hills rather than going through that trouble and use the bite to hold the car, so be sure to check the Xms clutch to make sure its not worn. If your quick with the pedals you can get away with hardly using the handbrake on hills, but on some very steep hills its needed.

Ive been wafting around town in the auto all morning, doing various messages, its just so easy and smooth. The only thing i dont like about the auto is you have to be doing a set speed for it to change up, for example 30mph it changes into 3rd and 42mph it goes into 4th gear. However if you want to drop it down one or two gears for accelerating then you either floor it or use the gearselector, so its just the change ups which can be a bit high reving for some. Flooring it from rest sees it do 70mph in 2nd gear before it changes up

Its all down to preference, there is a huge choice when buying an Xm, but all is limited to what is actually available.

S1 or S2 - S2 for me, prefer the looks and the dash actually. Less electrical gremlins too, so i believe? But the S1 is the original and the interior is quirky.
Diesel or petrol? Possibly easier to find a better conditioned petrol car than a diesel, but depends what you like.
Big engine or smaller engine? V6 would be nice for a occasional car, or the 2.0 16 is superb. 2.0TCT is there in the middle, its the older 8V and does around 28MPG i think? But quite a performer.
Estate or Hatch? More hatchbacks around than estates and estates are often used for hauling things around.
Gadgets or not too many gadgets? As with all electrical things, they are only good when they work

I keep banging on about Xantias at the moment, as the only one ive driven was our Activa about 3 or 4 years ago now, and only for a very short time. So i wouldn't mind another to see what they are like. Saying that i have 'moved' hundreds of them while my dad was a citroen specialist but never actually got to drive one properly. You can never have too many big Citroens, i dont think its possible, is it Andrew

Chris.

I've heard great things in the past about the 16v'er - not just from you Chris!
It does seem to offer the best off all the main considering factors influencing daily living with one!

citroenmad wrote:I keep banging on about Xantias at the moment, as the only one ive driven was our Activa about 3 or 4 years
ago now, and only for a very short time. So I wouldn't mind another to see what they are like. Saying that I have
'moved' hundreds of them while my dad was a Citroen specialist but never actually got to drive one properly.

Xantiae are brilliant and a perfect compliment to an Xm just not quite as quirky, unusual and distinctive as Xm's. It is true the
Xantia will be less of an event/occasion as an Xm - this doesn't worry me and I'd never given it much thought until recently.
Some will criticise the looks as being bland but I believe they're very handsome minimal design in this age of visual over
complication and brand inadequacy where the only differentiation in the 'me too' looks is the over large badge...

This could be assuaged were you to go for a Xantia if you make sure it's an unusual one such as an Activa, a VSX TCT estate,
a 2.1TD VSX/Exclusive or best of all a V6 as then you'll never want to part with it again - Xantiae seem to run for ever despite
any abuse you mete out to them and they simply thrive on minimal BUT regular DIY maintenance. I actually spend so much time
in the Xm and Cx that I consider a Xantia a small car mind! Yes, it's not miles different in size actually when parked next
to an Xm - just the Xm has an extra foot or so hanging out the front beyond the point where the radiator back is pretty much
like for like between the two cars.

citroenmad wrote:You can never have too many big Citroens, i dont think its possible, is it Andrew

Nope!




Andrew

Thanks for the replys!

So what is the pump on the 2.1 like then, is that a "normal bosch?"

I wouldnt mind going for a lower spec, id just add the extras later on, much like i have done on the xantia!

I am looking forward to picking everyones brains at the CXM!

davetherave wrote:Thanks for the replys!

So what is the pump on the 2.1 like then, is that a "normal bosch?"

I wouldnt mind going for a lower spec, id just add the extras later on, much like i have done on the xantia!

I am looking forward to picking everyones brains at the CXM!

Most pumps on the 2.1 were Lucas I believe, conventional on the series 1 and EPIC on the later series 2's. Most or possibly even all of the Series 1.5 cars had the Bosch pump however, and also benefited from improved electrics combined with series 1 looks. You can easily identify them from a series 1 as they had a two spoke steering wheel. That's certainly the model I'm looking out for

Only the early ones had Lucas pumps, from about '93 to Jan '96 they were mostly if not entirely Bosch machanical, after '96 the vast maority were Lucas EPIC.

Peter

Its really strange really, because the French STAYED with 8v technology for longer then most manufactures.... but then when their 16v family of engines came along they managed to sort BOTH power and fuel economy out at the same time... and refinement..

AND! this is true for the V family of engines... the older PRV 12v engines were NOT fantastic on fuel - surely you ALL have to admit that.. and nor were the older 8v 2 litres, but when the PSA V6 24v came along, I never beleved any of you who said you can get 35 mpg from them, but now after my Xantia 24v I bleve you, so they achived the economy there with twin cames 4 valves per cylinder..

Ive heard VERY GOOD things about the 2.oi 16v, at 135bhp, and a VERY good 35 mpg, it is a BLOODY good unit... what a shame they werent out sooner in the S1 cars..

Paul

Dave, didnt know you were on here now too, aren't Xms becoming popular!

I saw your Xantia at the national and it does look 'more exclusive', very nice, really suits the wheels too.

Your Xantia has air con i saw, this can be scarce to find on Xms, it was never standard on SX or VSX trim (could be wrong with the VSX but most VSX cars dont have air con) Dont be fooled into the 'electronic climate' written on the heater pannel, its written where the A/C slider should be, so doesnt have air con. You get a few variations of heaters in Xms:

SX cars have dual zone, so you can adjust the heat for passenger and driver seperate, but no Air con, has a sunroof likewise VSX.
VSX does not have dual zone, just one heat setting, but it has an automatic fan, like your Xantia i think? But again no Air con.
Exclusive cars got climate control.

The VSX had normal air con as an option, so you got another slider where most VSX say electronic climate and where the SX fan control is. You dont see many cars with this type though, most cars with air con will have the climate control panel, which is actually electronic as you would expect, not just an auto fan.

Quite complicated when you thin about it

So in short, you either need a VSX with optional air con or an Exclusive, if you do want air con.

andmcit wrote:I've heard great things in the past about the 16v'er - not just from you Chris!
It does seem to offer the best off all the main considering factors influencing daily living with one!

citroenmad wrote:I keep banging on about Xantias at the moment, as the only one ive driven was our Activa about 3 or 4 years
ago now, and only for a very short time. So I wouldn't mind another to see what they are like. Saying that I have
'moved' hundreds of them while my dad was a Citroen specialist but never actually got to drive one properly.

Xantiae are brilliant and a perfect compliment to an Xm just not quite as quirky, unusual and distinctive as Xm's. It is true the
Xantia will be less of an event/occasion as an Xm - this doesn't worry me and I'd never given it much thought until recently.
Some will criticise the looks as being bland but I believe they're very handsome minimal design in this age of visual over
complication and brand inadequacy where the only differentiation in the 'me too' looks is the over large badge...

This could be assuaged were you to go for a Xantia if you make sure it's an unusual one such as an Activa, a VSX TCT estate,
a 2.1TD VSX/Exclusive or best of all a V6 as then you'll never want to part with it again - Xantiae seem to run for ever despite
any abuse you mete out to them and they simply thrive on minimal BUT regular DIY maintenance. I actually spend so much time
in the Xm and Cx that I consider a Xantia a small car mind! Yes, it's not miles different in size actually when parked next
to an Xm - just the Xm has an extra foot or so hanging out the front beyond the point where the radiator back is pretty much
like for like between the two cars.
Andrew

The main reason we had the C5 estate was so we could throw our two dogs in the boot and head off for the day or a walk out in the country. It was so easy as before having it it was either put them in the boot of the Xm, which isnt ideal as they are quite big dogs and the sloping rear window doesnt leave much room for them, also it having no air con and any sunlight shined directly through the rear window and onto the dogs its not something we ever use for that purpose. So we always had to use the VW, which is used for work and full of stuff, so it ment emptying that. We do have other cars but none have a big enough boot for our dogs, they do go in the others at times but its a bit tight for them and i never put them on the back seats so its in the boot only.

So now the C5 estate has gone we are back to that situation again, so i think maybe a nice Xantia estate for a weekend/day out with dogs car would be a good option. Plenty of space, must have air con and surely must drive better than a C5. But it would have to be a nice smart example, VSX or Exclusive perferably, as the sport setting is nice. Just a thought for the time being.

I agree Andrew, the Xantia might look a little more bland compared to an Xm, however its a very sleek shape and is very spacious for a smaller car. So many modern cars are like jelly moulds, very bulbus and boring. I think the Xantias still have something about them, infact they seem to be getting beter looking by the years go on...

A few months ago i had to move a Xantia estate, one of the very very first estates didnt even have electric windows and the rear arches were totally made from rust, odd as ive never seen many rusty xantias. Anyway it felt tiny compared to the C5, mainly its width as its quite a bit narrower.

Ive always liked the Xantias, particularily the S2, although i prefer S1 Activas, a nice S2 estate or 2.1 S1 estate would fit the bill perfectly for now.

I was having a good look at the ones last weekend, i think all had well above above 100K miles but all looked very fresh and tidy. Ive been in Xantias with over 300K miles, they just go and go providing they are maintained. One in particular looked great, a nice silver S1 2.1TD estate, wouldnt mind one of those

Chris.