1997 Citroen Xantia Temptation TD review from UK and Ireland

The rear brake pads wore to the metal at around 40,000 miles.

The clutch clip snapped at 63,000 miles. The clip that connects the clutch cable to the pedal is, quite possibly, the most inaccessible part that I have ever seen on a car. Eventually the instrument pod had to be removed to allow access to the top of the pedal. I consider myself to be a competent DIY mechanic, but I would put the car into a dealership in future if this ever happened again.

Other than regular servicing every three months to take into account the high mileage I do, the car has been very reliable, and still looks and drives as fresh as when I first bought it.

If you are in the market for a no-nonsense, frugal, comfortable, individual, second hand car, then I would not hesitate to recommend a TD Xantia.

My car is a Temptation limited edition, which means that it comes with remote central locking and alarm, electric front windows, electric glass sunroof, remote control stereo (which mutes itself for no reason sometimes), power steering, and air conditioning, which I feel is a lot of kit for the money I have spent.

I have seen over 600 miles from a single tank of diesel before the warning light comes on, on more than one occasion, and the car is very quiet once the engine is warm.