Faults:

Track rod end and tie rod. £35, replaced myself.

Rear dampers. £40, replaced myself.

Fuel pump, but a known issue when purchased. I think the last guy tried black diesel. £90 part, fitted with my good friend.

Rust - passenger wheel arch, spare wheel cradle.

Paint - roof, rear door, bonnet. Lost clear coat, looks horrible. Still to do.

Windscreen washers. Tried adjusting and the plastic crumbled. £4/pair.

General Comments:

Over the last 6 years I've moved from a Mk1 Xantia to a Mk2 Xantia. Wife said she wanted to learn to drive, so I downgraded to a ZX 6 months ago. I am impressed the parts are designed so similarly. I run my cars on veg oil so the 1.9TD XUD is desirable, and once the pump was swapped over for a Bosch, I haven't had any issues. It's a superb small car; the 306 was well renowned for being a great drive, and this is mostly the same car underneath. The different pump has upped the responsiveness, making it great fun.

It doesn't have anywhere near the refinement of the Xantia, but instead it's more fun to drive and living on the edge. Not a motorway car or for a long drive, but around town and commuting, I prefer it.

Being 20 years old shows its worth and reliability; it doesn't owe anybody anything. Thank you to all its previous owners for looking after it, inside and out.

Faults:

There was a blown radiator hose a few years ago (my mother was the only one that drove it back then, and never checked the coolant level).

The cables on one of the back windows rusted and broke (lack of use).

The bottom of the boot rusted (again, it's because she never cared about wiping spilled detergents and water).

General Comments:

A very comfortable car.

Too fast, really. The gearbox reduces very little: the top speed on second gear is 90 km/h!

Shifts smoothly although the gearbox linkages are a bit worn (the other driver, my mother, uses the knob to hold herself in place)

Handles very well due to the 4-wheel (passive) steering system.

The combination of a well designed suspension and good ground clearance make it perfect for bad roads.

The plastics can rattle a bit, but even that is easily solved at home.

Mechanics are very simple and many repairs can be done at home. There isn't much to go wrong.

Faults:

Usual service items, battery, filters, glow plugs replaced.

3 drive-shafts replaced - split rubber boots should have been replaced earlier.

General Comments:

A comfortable, economical workhorse with good performance.

This has been a good car. It has a great engine and is easy and cheap to self maintain.

Faults:

- 1x clogged injectors (needed cleaning)

- 3x or 4x had to change the negative pressure (AC AV system) diaphragms and major part of the whole system

- had to change all (4) the ignition spools for about 3x

- petrol pump gone off at ca. 120.000 km

- one bearing of the main belt crushed at the service check before my and my mechanic's eyes

- almost all the hoses and distributors for negative pressure system had to be renewed (otherwise the engine ran like the oldest diesel on earth)

- flywheel sensor renewed at 120.000 km

- thermostat renewed at 120.000 km

- sunshade mechanism for driver and co-driver wore to the end at ca. 110.000 km

- huge problems with central locking of the 3rd door

- the mechanism of the driver's electric window had to be renewed

- the catalyst went off at app. 120.000 km.

At the end I had a PhD out of this engine ;)

General Comments:

This car was really something.

I've had it for 6 years and in this period and I had so much mixed emotions about it.

When there was nothing wrong, it was a superb vehicle.

It handled awesome, I especially liked the elastic-kinematic rear axle, the interior was very user-friendly and ergonomically designed.

The feeling in general, the seats were sporty, firm but nevertheless very comfortable.

On the other side, all the failures and at some points almost illogical faults or troubles sometimes pushed me over the edge of nerves.