Everything. Some examples; parking brake completely worthless. I don't know all the trouble this car had caused me.
Don't buy one!!
Never a French car again that's for sure!!
Maybe the best thing to do for this Swedish guy is buy a slow, eternal and boring Volvo, with 66 airbags, 27 seat belts and 8 wheels drive, which will last all his life, annoying him every day.
I admit old Citroen are not perfect cars, but I'm not perfect too, and I'm going to buy a 1985 CX GTI. I believe in soul of things.
Lucky me? I hope!
The CX is obviously not a trouble free vehicle, but if maintained correctly it should last "half-a-lifetime". Indeed I quote from a CX Auto brochure "with moderate care, the CX should last you well into the 21st century".
I am one of a very view CX enthusiasts in South Africa. The person in question was either prejudiced or his car was very badly maintained. The latter I find hard to believe because of the limited amount of CX's and spares in SA, and we still don't hear of such disasters.
It is a pity to read that there are still people who judge after one experience. I have 4 CX'es and to be very honest I have not been able to judge the reliability as I bought these cars very recently.
The best thing to do is to get informed before you buy a CX, but in my case I "needed" to buy one for nostalgic reasons (my family have been driving CX in the past..)
So do not be encouraged, but informed. Join a CX club to get to know the car even when you are not going to drive in a herd on a Sunday morning.
Well the CX is not a Volvo, that's for sure! I owned a 2.0 Prestige, 1979 model-year. A lot of problems with electric parts and poor built quality. Plus, hard to find spare parts in Greece. But this car was ahead of its time anyway. Great shape, modern even nowadays, great brakes, extremely comfortable and rides like a magic carpet. I wouldn't buy another one, but I always admire this car. When the CX was introduced, Volvos looked like cars from the 1920's!
What a shame wasting everyone's time with such nonsensical remarks. I am into my 2nd CX and my 15th Citroen... the CX gti t2 is the best, out-matching even Xantia Turbo 2.0. What excellent cars! After bad servicing any make will give problems. Typical dry swedish comment, (but even Volvo's have charm).
I am currently restoring my 16 year old CX GTi Turbo 2. The car has not been trouble free, problems mainly with electrics, which became a 'nightmare' as various specialist tried to locate the fault, which at one stage was causing embarrassing engine cut outs, subsequently followed by the car being unable to attain 3500 revolutions and above.
All of that said, now that it is running properly, after being off the road for over 2 years, the pleasure of
driving this fabulous car is being experienced on a daily basis. My other car is an Alfa Romeo 2 ltr. 156 Selespeed!
Roy.
Swedish design is more innovative than most, for example early SAAB; those cars had 'soul', they had balance, and they were a worldwide success. Same with many of the early Volvos which had less soul, but a lot of charm.
The big Citroens CX and DS were designed only for France; the suspension was grossly over-engineered, the body sacrificed practicality for showiness/elegance; these cars have more craft than soul. Wonderful cars but loaded with more paradoxes than a surrealist painting.
I wouldn't swap my SAAB 2-stroke for the early, frog-eyed DS Safari, I owned, but I wouldn't swap either of them for anything. Both cars were beyond compare.
Why do some Swedes believe that everything Swedish is boring? A wonderful country with a strong heart and a beautiful soul!
Note: A Comments RSS Feed 
is available. New comments appear in the Members Area before the main site