Free car!

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 11:42 pm

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... hp?t=36450

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 8:12 am

I can't believe there's a forum with people on it.. talking about..... Xantias!

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 9:57 am

Me too, but surprisingly enough they have quite a following here

and for FREE is about the right price IMHO

bxzx16v · Post by **bxzx16v** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 12:37 pm

There seems to be a dislike for the Xantia on here ? Why so hard on them they aren't all that bad , they make excellent daily drivers while the Bx is tucked away

Mark

sdelasal · Post by **sdelasal** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 12:46 pm

it's probably a time thing. Fifteen+ years after end of production and the number of vehicles seen on the road is small, then a small number of people may start to appreciate a model. So give it another 5+ years and we'll see that with Xantia is my guess!

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 1:34 pm

It's just a bit of light hearted banter I think - certainly from me. I reckon they're a decent car, and far preferable over something like a Mundano from the same era.

scarecrow · Post by **scarecrow** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 1:42 pm

Is there anything 'special' about Xantias? I've only ever driven one, and it was just plain boring. They look good, yes (and the estate especially) but they seem to lack a bit of the pizazz that comes with earlier Citroens.

I sometimes worry that I'm becoming a bit of an anachronism buzzing about in my old bx, but objectively it is still a good car and hasn't got that properly 'dated' look yet. When I see someone driving an old Cortina or Escort around, they really do look conceptually tired - anachronistic. You see a 2CV and it doesn't strike you in the same way as say an old mini - they look old, a 2CV just looks like it always has done - like a 2CV. And I hope the same will be true of the bx

Paul296 · Post by **Paul296** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 3:37 pm

sdelasal wrote:it's probably a time thing. Fifteen+ years after end of production and the number of vehicles seen on the road is small, then a small number of people may start to appreciate a model. So give it another 5+ years and we'll see that with Xantia is my guess!

I think thats absolutely right, certainly what happened with the BX. They were commonly considered to be crappy old sheds when I started driving them ( I always knew that was rubbish - how very dare they!) and I expect something similar will happen with the Xantia - its a very elegant design, lovely to drive, comparatively well built and it is a Citroen - despite what the 'proper Citroen' lobby will tell you!

It is a bit more anodyne perhaps than older Citroens, but that's part of the drift away from cars built with imagination and engineering flair that reflect the personality of the designers and engineers that built them, to ones built with an eye on what 'Joe public' wants; Lots of car park kudos and practicality, but as likely to inspire passion in those that appreciate the 'motor car' as a dishwasher. You can't flog 'imagination and flair' to those without imagination and flair can you?!

I'm afraid the days of the motor car as an art form are over - but then the days of anything as an art form are probably over. Anyway, I really like Xantias - I want another!

mike22861 · Post by **mike22861** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 6:16 pm

As a man who has both i can see the advantages and disadvantages for both.
for fun and making you smile and a sunday drive out the bx is way ahead of the xantia hdi. Whereas if i had to pop 300 miles down the road and back I would take the Hdi. The hdi takes a lot of the driving fun and pleasure away but eats miles bad roads and traffic with ease comfort and not much fuel. Like most modern cars its built to do a job not to provide pleasure .
As for the Activa thats a whole different ball game they are just in a league of their own. No car I've had makes me smile as much as a twisty road and an Activa sit back hold tight press right pedal and grin from ear to ear.

Des Smith · Post by **Des Smith** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 7:10 pm

I've had a Xantia and it was an excellent car. Only a 1.8i LX but it went on forever.

Before slagging it off, don't forget Citroen were in the business of selling cars in big quantities to fleet buyers and that's just the market the Xantia cracked. They sold by the bucketload because they were reliable good-looking cars with a superior ride. The BX actually started that ball rolling, and if Citroen hadn't made inroads into the fleet market with the BX, it wouldn't have survived as a marque. The Xantia was a logical development and essential to the company's viability.

This may come as a shock, but in the 90s, some people thought Citroens were strange, quirky cars and they were resistant to the marketing until the Xantia came along. It was anodyne because Citroen couldn't afford to inject too much character. Even the XM's looks were too strong for some people's tastes, and the sales in the exec market never really matched the success of the Xantia in the mid-range market. I've owned all three models and they are all uniquely Citroen. So lay off the Xantia - It's as much a 'real' Citroen as the BX.

sdelasal · Post by **sdelasal** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 9:51 pm

Well I do try and keep a 'eye' open for a nice diesel Xantia estate, to replace the BX ... as well as another 'eye' open for a nice Diesel XM. Then again, - always on the lookout for a higher spec/newer BX wagon... or maybe a 1.4 saloon without sunroof! With good examples of them all being rather hard to find, it's a matter of what turns up really!

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 10:35 pm

toddao wrote

I can't believe there's a forum with people on it.. talking about..... Xantias! Shocked

they're here, amongst us. Be vigilant.

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 11:42 pm

Des Smith wrote:So lay off the Xantia

I quite agree - they make a perfect engine donor for a BX. And they are heavier, so you get more when you weigh them in...

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Sun Jul 24, 2011 9:09 am

Looks like that will make a nice set of railings/part of a girder/power tools.. whatever the Chinese can come up with.
Well done son, keep up the good fight!

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Sun Jul 24, 2011 10:08 am

Having driven 160 miles cross country in the 2.0i Auto Xantia I recently acquired, I can say it was a pretty good experience. Less neutral than the BX, - it's a bit more 'understeery' - and a bit less feel through the steering, but it is sure-footed with a better ride than the BX over difficult camber/surface-changing twisty roads. The car is quieter and more refined too, but it isn't going to beat a BX on driver appeal - especially if that car is a GTi or 16v over those sort of roads.

The seats - with the lumbar support adjusted right - are good, but not as good as a BX GTi's.

Perfomance from the 2 litre is pretty strong and the pre-auto adaptive box (a ZF unit similar if not the same as the BX GTi auto) you can 'play' almost like a manual with good kickdown response and smooth changes (downshifts are almost imperceptible).

I had a drive in Jim's V6 Xantia. With nearly 200 bhp and bags of torque that really does 'go'

Overall it's a good car and worth my time and effort to get right. But the BX will stay here, and be used as out daily driver.

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