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We've just bought a new car. We really wanted a change and something a
little bigger, so we checked out the free ads and eBay etc. We weren't
looking for anything in particular, just a large(ish) car that was cheap,
lol. In the end we phoned a number only to have no response, anyway, the
man whom we phoned called us back (by this time I wasn't sure what car he
was selling as we'd called a few people!). In the end we found out that he
was selling a 1996 Citroen Xantia (not the car we initially called up
about, but one that we had considered all the same!). So we went to see
itand eventually bought it. It's a 1996 Citroen Xantia 2.0-litre manual
with 117,000-miles on the clock. I'll list the spec below...
Kit
Electric windows all round
Electric sunroof
Electric door mirrors
Power Assisted Steering
Driver's airbag
Keypad Immobiliser & alarm
Velour upholstry
Metallic paint
Front foglamps
Technical
2.0-litre 16-valve, 135-bhp
ABS brakes
Disc brakes all round
Hydopneumatic Suspension (raises and adjusts itself so the car is at the
same height all the time)
Here's the pics...
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c43/CliffWoods/Xantia002.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c43/CliffWoods/Xantia001.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c43/CliffWoods/Xantia.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c43/CliffWoods/Xantia004.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c43/CliffWoods/Xantia003.jpg
Cliffy
haha!!! Cliffy has bought an estate!:laughing: :wink2:
citroens are naturally well equipped (normally):thumbs:
yours seems to be!
True_Brit
Looks pretty clean considering its age and mileage (even though it's not
that old).
giant016
Yup, I haven't been a boy racer for at least 4 of the 6 years I've been
driving!...this car is just one step further away, lol :laughing:
Cliffy
:laughing: hope you got it cheap, bud. b/c they kinda put the steering
wheel on the wrong side...:wink2: they kept trying to push that "built on
a friday/wheel in the wrong place" crap on me when i was in
ireland...:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
dodger65
Looks like a pretty sweet car...So what'd you get her up to? :laughing:
chris_knows
just noticed cliffy,,, you should get that engine looked at,,, you have
grass growing at the bottom:laughing:
so you getting that, it must mean you are expecting a child?:mrgreen:
:wink2:
True_Brit
thats actually a really nice car, its nice that you have the standard
transmission but sorry about the 135 hp :laughing:
slick station wagon though :thumbs:
nighthawk
135hp isnt bad for a normal car in the uk, like my Vauxhall (once it gets
going) has 140hp but thats as old as cliffys!
(i also noticed the time and weather:laughing: , it was really hot here at
that time yesterday!)
True_Brit
Hot? I thought the whole country had bad weather this weekend? And no, no
kids on the way just yet, lol. Was your Vectra the SRi model?
It's strange how 135-bhp isn't that bad by our standard, yet it's quite low
by everybody elses, lol.
Cliffy
well, its mostly to do with it being a large car
im sure 135 hp in a civic would be much quicker
still more than enough to break all speed limits lol
nighthawk
Congrats Cliffy!
135 hp by our current standards is pretty low for a rather large car. Lol
wagons. :laughing:
StiMan
the one i sold is the 1.8 LS, im keeping the SRi, repair it, (dents,
scratches etc) and sell it for something better for me!!! (like a Pug 306
or a Rover 25/45)
True_Brit
I can see we'll have to educate you. A Rover 25? :ohcrap:
By the way, this car cost me £595...I forgot to mention that! :thumbs:
Cliffy
ok, scrub the 25, but a 400 will do!
look
(http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/cars_search.jsp?searchform=&modelexac
t=1&lid=search_used_cars_full&photo=1&state=none&sort=3&hassearched=Y&make=
ROVER&min_pr=75&source=0&model=400&max_pr=&miles=40&agerange=&mileage=&post
code=pl3+6pf&bodyid=0&fuelid=0&colour=&transmissionid=0&ukcarsearch_full.x=
49&ukcarsearch_full.y=8)
£595 wasnt bad, good bargain for a good car!
True_Brit
They are cheap cars, but sometimes unreliable due to the prone failings of
Headgaskets and water pumps...Steer clear of high milers! :thumbs:
Cliffy
its only an idea though, what do you think of the Pug 306 tdi's????
i like the 306 anyway!
True_Brit
As far as diesels go, the French are on a par with the Germans as far as
I'm concerned! Some of the best diesels ever made. Truth be told I'd drive
a Pug over a Citroen, but they're the same comapny these days so it's just
my badge predudice shining through, lol. I never used to like French cars,
but they're growing on me now!
Cliffy
Congrats on the purchase. Shame we don't get the interesting cars over
here, though as has been said, it's bit down on power for us around here,
what with the wide open spaces and the like...
ChrisV
I can't for the life of me comprehend why people, especially those that
claim to be so well informed about everything automotive, make comments
like those above. Cliffy's Xantia is comparable in size, weight, room and
power to the same year Honda Accord and Toyota Camry wagons, but... I've
never seen anyone complain about the power or speed of an Accord or Camry
for their intended purpose or complain that they weren't suitable for the
US's "wide open spaces". Unfreakingbelievable.
Good job on the buy Cliffy, especially for under 600 squids. It looks like
all you need is a bit of underhood cleaning and you'll have a top notch
motor. Plenty of room for about three little Cliffys.
vwhobo
4 cyl Accord and Camry wagons ARE underpowered, especially if they only had
135 hp, which they don't. Even my PT had 150 hp, and it would be considered
underpowered with an automatic (0-60 in 11 seconds is underpowered, even if
you can show us the 0-60 times of a VW Squareback). Ever run a 150 hp PT
Cruiser up a steep hill? With stuff in it? Even my 5 speed car would lose
speed up hills at highway speeds if it was even slighly loaded. And it was
the quick version of the car (8 seconds o-60, but 110 mph flat out with no
headwinds on the level)
The 130+ hp Toyota Matrix is considered underpowered and it's SMALLER than
that Citroen. Even the European magazines agree that 135 hp in that weight
class is not all that quick. Now, 100 hp in a sub 2000 lb Fiat Panda 100 is
fun, but it's STILL a 9 second 0-60 car. When the average 2.5 liter 4 cyl
Altima will walk it off the line, it's underpowered for most US highway
use, for merging on on-ramps, etc. I'd love one in the city, but I'd hate
one when trying to merge onto the Merritt Parkway with real traffic out
there. The Fiat is scary enough. It feels quick by itself but when put on
pace with modern traffic, it's simply not. And that can cause problems.
You've never heard complaints because the average city driver has little
problems with holding up traffic in their 4 cyl Camcord. But cars with 135
hp and closing in on 3000 lbs are not suited to carrying any sort of load
across these wide open spaces of the US, and up the ****ing hills and
merging on uphill onramps. Hell, they don't even do well in the European
mountains. You have to get closer to 2000 lbs for 135 hp to be satisfactory
in the power to weight category for most of us here.
My Contour had 200 hp. That's about on par with similar year Camcord V6s,
which are still considered slow cars (a 7.2 second 0-60 is relatively
quick, but not earth shattering anymore). Now, for Cliffy's situation where
70 hp small cars are the norm, and city traffic being what it is, it's not
as big a deal. But here in the US, that little power for it's size could
cause problems for the owner in merging and carrying a load (which is what
an estate is about, right?)
ChrisV
:pop:
dodger65
Wow, ChrisV whining like an old woman menstruating, insisting that because
something is his opinion it must be right and using made up, incorrect
"facts" to support that opinion. What a shocker. I don't really have the
time or volition to deal with you today so I'll keep it short and sweet.
Fact. No matter what you think or what your closely held opinion is, the
Xantia
(http://www.carfolio.com/specifications/models/car/?car=30437&Citro%C3%ABn-
specifications) makes power comparable to the Accord
(http://www.edmunds.com/used/1996/honda/accord/4201/specs.html?mktcat=used+
style+specs+page&kw=1996+honda+accord+4201+style+specs+page&mktid=ik1623173
1) and Camry
(http://www.edmunds.com/used/1996/toyota/camry/11999/specs.html). As a
matter of fact it makes 10 more horsepower than the Camry. The fact that
it's lighter than both of the others, about 200 pounds lighter than the
Toyota is just icing on the cake. And unlike you, I don't have to make up
my facts.
Experience. My sister owns a '96 Accord LX wagon with automatic
transmission that has somewhere north of 200k miles on it. She drives it
cross country at least a few times a year with 3-4 adults, the back end
filled with garbage, a Sears enclosed rooftop carrier loaded with more
junk, and a 4'x8' utility trailer with all their camping gear and more
useless junk. I tell them they look like the 21st century version of the
Beverly Hillbillies. It's been to the Rockies twice and all around the
mountainous parts of North Carolina regularly. Somehow she manages to run
70 mph most of the time, still gets decent mileage and the car just keeps
running.
Fact and opinion. Unlike you, I work with cars like this every single day,
which means I deal with their owners just as often. Know what? I have
NEVER had an owner complain about a lack of power. Not one single time.
Based on that fact, I have to reasonably believe that the cars are powerful
enough for most people under most circumstances. More to the point, I live
in the wide open spaces. My customers have to drive a long way to get to
anything approaching a city, so that is not a factor.
Bottom line Chris, no matter what you think or how many words you type to
bore us with your opinion, what I stated previously stands. Those cars may
be underpowered in your opinion, but fortunately for mankind, not everyone
is you. Have a nice day.
vwhobo
Thanx, hobo. I know what you mean about the engine bay, however it's quite
honest dirt, lol.
As far as the power goes, it's ok for me, and probably anybody else who
owns one. By the way, this isn't the least powerful version, infact it's
one of the more powerful ones! Citroen put a 1.8 and a 1.6-litre petrol
engine in the Xantia. These cars were never made to break any records for
speed, they were made to do a job, and in my opinion 135-bhp is more than
sufficient. Granted it could do with the added oomph of the 2.0-litre turbo
up some of the hills, but all in all the Xantia is a standard sized estate
car which doesn't really measure ,uch more than a Ford Mondeo, and the
Mondeo has the same sort of output from its engine....I guess the same
could be said for all of our family estate cars really. :thumbs:
Cliffy
