1995 Citroen ZX 1.9 turbo diesel from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Good to drive and reliable

Faults:

One new radiator.

Rev counter stopped working two years in.

General Comments:

Excellent runner, now 22 years old and still performing well. Re-exported to France three years ago, our local Citroen dealer is really good and helpful (in contrast to the dealership in the UK I bought it from). Fires first time even after three months in the garage.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th May, 2017

1995 Citroen ZX Elation 1.9 N/A diesel from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Just the job

Faults:

Passenger seatbelt pretensioner fired without warning.

General Comments:

Very reliable, just passed MOT, 14 years old, 120000 miles! Smooth as silk.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st October, 2009

1995 Citroen ZX 1.4 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Really really BAD

Faults:

Engine failed and could not make compression. Engine had to be replaced at 47000 miles!!

Brake discs failed.

Brake calipers failed.

CV joints failed.

Gearbox terrible. Replaced.

Exhaust box failed.

General Comments:

For the love of God, DO NOT buy a ZX or a Citroen.

It really will cause you problems. The pity about old french cars is that they are made of very cheap materials. Give them 5 -10 years of wear, and when giving your car a service, bolts will shear and snap, and will cause you a large financial shock!

Get an old Golf. Wish I had.

Just had it scrapped.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 30th March, 2008

26th Jul 2008, 19:25

Not a good experience for you, but almost all ZX reviews are positive, as of the experience of a friend of us in Switzerland with his Xsara of over 10 years, my old neighbour who had 2 BXs.

Therefore your comment is based on emotion, and your bad experience with one lemon in a basket of oranges.

Get your cars checked by a pro before you buy.

Flo...

1995 Citroen ZX Memphis 1.9 turbo diesel from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Wolf dressed in sheep's clothing

Faults:

Exhaust went.

Alternator belt needs replacing.

General Comments:

Pulls away fast thanks to the 1.9 turbo diesel. You really get pushed back when the turbo engages at 2000RPM.

Very economical, though the fuel gauge isn't always right.

Comfortable on short and long journeys, can carry 4 adults just fine.

Plenty of boot space; even more with seats folded down.

Being a Citroen, there are lots of spare parts and dealers who will fix the car.

Road tax in the UK is £180, because of the dirty engine, but this is offset against fuel savings; if you drive economically you can get great mileage, brilliant mileage on the motorway.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 20th November, 2007

1995 Citroen ZX Memphis 1.9 turbo diesel from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Outstanding budget motoring

Faults:

Remote control central locking does not work.

Failing struts on tailgate - does not stay open when parked on a slope.

General Comments:

This is my first Citroen and I have to say I am quite delighted with it.

The economy is outstanding (57mpg average so far), yet the performance is more than adequate.

I was surprised to find that the driving position is quite comfortable, especially considering I am over 6 feet tall. My hair only just brushes the roof lining, which is unusual for me, especially in a car fitted with a sunroof! There is plenty of adjustment in the drivers seat, though the steering wheel would benefit from reach adjustment.

For a 12 year old car the sound quality and reception of the standard fit radio are really excellent - much better, even, than in a nearly new Peugeot 307 that I drive on occasion for work.

My only gripe is with the quality of the paintwork. It marks very easily (I managed to accidentally make a noticeable scratch with my fingernail) and fingerprints are impossible to remove, though can be polished over with wax. Also, the side panels are very thin and easily dented.

Overall, I am very pleased with this car. It feels surprising solid for a French car originating in the early 90's and has outstanding economy and decent performance. I am now a total convert to Citroen!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th April, 2007

1995 Citroen ZX Avantage 1.9 diesel from Argentina

Summary:

Very cheap to run, excellent car

Faults:

Rear brakes seized 2 weeks after I got it, fixed them and the rear bearings too. Front discs warped made the steering wheel vibrate under braking, steering linkages (normal wear). Heater leaked, had to take out the whole dashboard to change it, used the opportunity to changed 10 dashboard light bulbs. Crappy stereo cassette is gone, installed a Sony Cd stereo.

General Comments:

Unbelievably cheap to run.. On a trip to Cordoba I averaged 17.5 km/l at 120km/h.

Very comfortable on both front and rear seats, the sliding rear seat is very practical too. It has not got power steering, but it does not need it.

Mine has Peugeot 306 alloy wheels and they look great.

After I fixed the front end, almost all the noises are gone, except the whining air blower (it only whines at minimum speed).

The engine is great, has over 200000 km and uses very little oil, normal for a diesel.

The gearbox and clutch are excellent.

It has not got a turbo, but again, it does not need it..

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th March, 2007

31st Jul 2009, 07:03

Since last review, the car has 270.000km now, I had to change the heater radiator AGAIN (I used an original replacement this time and paid attention to the coolant/water mix).

On another trip to Cordoba the ZX averaged 16 km/l at 120km/ average, and used about 1 liter of oil every 1000km. The oil consumption goes up traveling at high speed.

I also fixed some oil leaks in the engine: cracked oil breather hoses and the rocker cover gasket.

About a year ago, crossing a railroad, the left trailing arm´s torrington bearing seized. This affected that wheel´s camber angle. The solution was to swap the rear axle with a reconditioned one ($600: about 120 euros, did the work myself).

I´ve been considering selling it and getting a Xsara, but I´m still amazed at how well the car goes even with this mileage. It´s the best car I've had in my life.

24th Mar 2011, 20:00

299000 km and still going. Since the last update, I replaced the timing belt (60000 km), and a couple of days later, the left cooling fan, which wasn't working properly, finally seized in the middle of a traffic jam. The radiator cracked and lost all the coolant.. luckily, the cylinder head didn't warp. I replaced the radiator with a Chinese one (US$ 85), the cooling fan (US$ 70), topped her up with premixed coolant, and now the car runs great like nothing happened..

The only annoying noise left is a humming noise from one of the CV joints, I think the right one.. or maybe the intermediate roller bearing from the right axle.. or one of the hub bearings.. or all of them.. it's difficult to know.

This is a great car, I commute 45 km round trip to work everyday at 90 km/h and still get 16 km/l. The aircon works fine, but started to make fizzing noises like it's low on gas. I think I'll keep her a couple of more years.