1994 Citroen Xantia SX review from UK and Ireland
"Bargain banger for eccentric types!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Faulty idle speed control valve (Car would stall when cold and when slowing for junctions)
Hydraulics packed in- Rear suspension stopped working completely!!
Head Gasket failure at 136000 miles.
Squeaks and rattles!
General comments?
I bought this car in June 2005 as a cheap runabout to replace my previous xantia 1.9TD with 256000 miles on it! what an engine that was!
The TD had thrown its clutch cable clip (again!) and failed its mot spectacularly!
I didn't intend to get another Xantia, but it was the cheapest car in the paper! I took it for a test drive and all seemed well apart from an idling problem. l offered the guy 95pounds for it and I had a new car!
First stop was the local scrap yard to find an idle control valve to try and solve the stalling problem- found one on a 1.8 8v Xantia and got it for 3pounds! Engine was then perfect until the head gasket blew.
The car's bodywork was in very good condition and all of the electrics worked!
Xantia's have a very unique driving experience- Handling is quite good and grip is Very good, but the steering is completely lifeless!
Accelerator pedal very light with short traveI.
Brake pedaI has almost no travel, but works exceptionally well!
Performance was quite good, had over 120mph out of it on a winding B- road (silly, but fun!) It would have gone faster, but l got scared! Acceleration wasn't very good past 80mph, TD was better!
Engine was noisy to say the least!
Very comfortable until the suspension stopped working which made it handle like a bouncy castle!
Fuel economy was very good- averaged 35mpg most of the time! lnsurance quite low for 2.0L at group 10.
Car started using a lot of water so l guessed the head gasket was on its way out- This was confirmed when l checked the coolant and oil cap- Emulsified sludge!
At this point l realised l'd had my 95pounds worth- I had covered 16000 miles in 6 months having only bought petrol and a 3 pound part! What a bargain car!
Another thing l liked about the car was the sense of achievement on completion of long journeys!- there was always a sense of an impending mechanical disaster!
My current car is a Rover 600 which looks great wafting around the British countryside, but l do miss the xantia's idiosyncrasy!
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1994 |
| First year of ownership | 2005 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0i 8v petrol Manual |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 120000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 136000 miles |
| Previous car | Citroen Xantia |
| Date of Entry | 12th January, 2006 |