1984 Citroen CX 20 Pallas review from UK and Ireland

I bought the car with several faults. It was not MOT'd when I bought it and had sat for two years. The faults were as follows:

Interior roof lining sagging dangerously- Replaced.

Thermostat opened too soon- Replaced.

Headlamp reflectors corroded- Replaced.

Underbody had 4 isolated rust patches- Welded.

Exhaust corroded- Replaced.

Central locking not working on drivers door- I had to replace all the wires between the car body and the door.

Handbrake travel excessive- Adjusted.

Fuel hose leaking - Replaced.

All general wear and tear items really, so I didn't mind too much considering the car is over 22 years old.

These cars are not 'cars' as the general public know them. They are more like Airbus jets for the road. If you've never driven one then try it. I have driven many other Citroen's, a Rolls Royce Silver Spirit, a Porsche 911, a Mercedes 190, and loads of humdrum modern cars. Nothing comes close.

The ride is like silk, and combined with the DIRAVI steering and ultra powerful brakes, it makes for the most relaxing, brisk, county eating driving machine ever made. Sure, its no rocket ship unless you go for the GTI Turbo engine, but driving this car quickly is achieved in total comfort, relaxation and safety. A faster car may be much quicker, but to keep up with one of these would still be an involved process in any other car.

The DIRAVI steering self centres, even when the car is still, and is fully powered, not power assisted. This means that a tyre blowout, extreme camber or side-wind will not affect the direction of the car, and no feedback ever comes through to the wheel. The only problem some people see with this is that you have to rely on visual and audible cue's as to when you may be approaching the handling limits, however the grip is so good and predictable, that you'd have to be insane to go that fast anyway. Its the best steering system I have ever experienced, and with only 2 turns lock to lock, you hardly move the wheel on the motorway, even for changing lanes.

The interior is very retro futuristic, like the cockpit of the Starship Enterprise, and has the most comfy seats ever placed in a car. I’m never ever selling mine, and neither will most owners now they are getting so rare in road worthy condition. If you do find a good one, buy it and hold onto it. It will need major things doing to it at times, but as long as basic ordinary servicing is carried out at regular intervals, then the space between these major mechanical repairs will be vast. Most importantly, rustproof the whole car, everywhere, every two years.