Why the BX?

[tim leech]

Heres a conversation starter, today my mate very kindly drove me up to Kens house to collect my newly fettled TZD, and said I cant understand why you like them BXs, there very average and bland. he is into cars and does have a good taste in classics as he also like me has a SD1 aswell as a Stag and a Delorean!

So why DO we like them so much??.

[tom]

Stag: A thoroughly rotten car with a dreadful engine and road manners.
SD1: Mum's twin turbo one was ok for go but not very good at much else because it was usually broken.
De Lorean: And you think this guy has TASTE? This was a car that worked so badly that

COLIN CHAPMAN COULDN'T GET IT TO GO ROUND CORNERS!

I'm very concerned about the company you keep young man.

[tim leech]

Im not asking for anyone to take the piss out of my mates cars Tom im asking why u like the BX so much thank you.

[Stewart (oily!)]

We have covered this topic before on here and we arrived at the conclusion that we are all a bunch of eccentric tightwads, we tend to be attracted to citroens because of their interesting history and the ground breaking technology involved, and are spurred on by the fact that the great unwashed do not appreciate them and therefore they have mainly low values, we are like kids in a candy store with current prices, Hmm, lets see shall I buy a top of the range turbodiesel this month? or perhaps a fire breathing sixteen valve job? all of this is possible within a budget of just a few hundred pounds, as this is a web based club it will doubtless not surprise you that many of us are likely to be early adopters of computer technology too (personally I have had an internet connection for over ten years) hence not phased by the apparent complexity of our cars, in fact we like that bit too, it proves our technical ability to anyone who sees us driving by, in my automotive career I cannot bring myself to work on Vau*halls or F*rds they are generally too boring.
Stewart
PS many of us seem to have beards too

[DavidRutherford]

Considering what you said Here http://www.bxclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1237 I'm surprised at your comments Tom.

After all, each to their own? I'm sure some people describe a BX as a clunky unreliable Euro-box with silly leaky suspension and nasty brakes. That's their choice.

My first car was an SD1, and although it handled like a barge, was rather cool. Same's true for the DeLorean DMC12. technically, it's a PRV V6 with average suspension, but it's an exceptionally cool car.

I like the BX because it maintianed a tradition of Citroen being different in enginering terms. Put any Ford, Vauxhaul, Renault or Peugeot next to each other, and aside from the styleing differences, the engineering is all fairly similar. Not so the HP Citroen, especially one with a PRN dashboard.

Unfortunatley the world has changed. 50 years ago (no, even just 25 years ago), the average man with the average car would be able to change oil, spark plugs and air filter, and hence he would have an interest in the engineering of his car. Different engineering sold a car, and the HP citroen was big news.

Fast forward to now, and the average man with the average car hasn't much of a clue about the engineering in his car, and very few people do their own manintanence. Engineering no longer sells a car, cup holder do. I wonder how many people in Citroen C5's even know that their car has HP suspension?

I also like the BX because it's got REALLY comfortable seats!

[cavmad]

Hmm, lets see shall I buy a top of the range turbodiesel this month? or perhaps a fire breathing sixteen valve job? all of this is possible within a budget of just a few hundred pounds, .....


In my case it was `Hmm, let`s see. Shall I by a BX or should I spend the money on 160 penny chews instead?
The evidence is outside my house

[Vanny]

billy, thats 80 penny chews as there 2p a piece now!


And the only things stopping a delorean going round corners are a)they dont run long enough b) even if they do run long enough they stall anyways!


I've found a DMC for £4500 in arizona, only problem is that it is in arazona! That and for $70k i can have one hand built and shipped over here to order . . . Delorean


The reason for the BX, my father!

[tom]

I have read my comments regarding
Specials.

I am not taking the piss out of your mate's cars. History shows that they were all rotten duffers. Plenty of well qualified people can do that for me.

Delorian versus A310? I have no case to answer.
Stag versus government promise or weather forecast?
Nope, loses on reliability. Rust, rear end steering, casting slag in an engine that had the head bolts at an angle and the water pump on top.Yeah, right.
SD1 versus P6B; you must be kidding. The car that preceded it was basically an anglicised DS designed for a gas turbine. What was innovative about the SD1?

BX costs pence, works well lasts ages.

[Terry Brooks]

So why DO we like them so much??.

In my case I s'pose its brand loyalty ...I've always driven Citroens since 1973 [Dyanes,Visa,AX & 2CV's] and in deciding I wanted something a bit larger to pull a trailer tent with the BX seemed the obvious choice ......I considered the CX & XM too large,the ZX & Xsara a bit bland,the Saxo & AX too small .....I s'pose a Xantia would have been the next choice but I prefer the BX anyway,if only for its shape and looks.
T.

[jeremy]

Well in the mid 80's I nearly bought a new BX - and actually got as far as investigating one of their special offers. Trouble was that what I would have got was a 1.4 or similar and I prefered larger engines - but they started to get rather expensive for me so I went and bought a Series 111 XJ6. To be fair having a new car had never been important to me and I preferred to be able to buy an older high spec car.

Move on 12 years and I' decided that I didn't like paying money for cars, they lasted much better than ever before, I was losing interest in the things and wanted a challenge and I was fed up with our renault 21 which was needing some money spending and which we felt we didn't like enough to make it worth doing the work. We'd casually looked at a rather expensive (but good) RD estate and decided it would be useful as we like to go camping and left it at that - till one afternoon I say another BX diesel estate at a much lower price. That was over 6 years ago now, it had done 163,000 miles, and I couldn't get it over 30 MPH on a test run which I'm sure you'll agree is not good for a turbo. As the engine was quite clean, it started reasonably well, had water and oil in it and didn't smoke I decided that there wasn't really much wrong and even if it was no good it wasn't the end of the world and bought it.

Shortly after collecting it I learnt about the throttle pedal problem when the turbo cut in when I was negotiating a narrow road with cars parked both sides and after that I've never really looked back.

So after 6 years I've still got it - its cost me quite a lot of money but having turned 200,000 miles I still consider it viable and intend to keep it for some time yet and will probably get it sprayed this year. Why - well its a damn good car, good to drive, comfortable, reasonably fast, adequately equipped, doesn't suffer from too many electronics, has ABS which works and may save me one day, and to be honest doesn't seem anywhere near worn out yet. It also uses remarkably little fuel and oil.

These are remarkably good bits of engineering. To my mind the hydropneumatic suspension really comes into its own in the estate as without it you either get something that rattles you round like a pea in a drum or is so soft that its useless. Add that to a very large and well shaped load area and it all gets better. I still think its good to drive, love the brakes and that super quick steering.

Overall its actually very well made - look at the posts on boards - no major gearbox or engine problems (Apart from head gaskets but we are talking old and high mileage cars here) - I've never had a car that I would consider viable without a very major overhaul at 200,000 miles and whilst some of the trim isn't quite as strong as it might be it doesn't fall off.

Overall very happy with it - I still regard it as viable and fun, any car is going to need repairing and cost money but you can do a surprising amount on a BX including sorting the suspension yourself. Whilst mine needs a little bit of sorting now (Defective replacement (new) driveshaft making noises - may be catching the air scoop) in fact apart from sorting the heater blower control about 6 weeks ago I haven't touched it since I changed the oil in May and fitted an new radio in June, which I suppose isn't bad for a 16 year old car.

jeremy

[Stinkwheel]

Thats exactly how i feel about BX's jeremy.

The last one i had was a faded red E reg 17RD, It had 240,000 on the clock and apart from rear arm bearings ands a damn good clean up it would have done the same again Im sure. OK so as said bits of trim were tatty and it was squeaking and rattling away to itself, It drove really well, I paid 70 quid for it when it had new tyres and 6 months test and bit of rent on. Drove it until they were about to expire, sold it for i think about 30 quid for the engine, which a guy was putting into his even more knackered bodily BX.
You cant kill em, and even if you try they dont die easily.

I very nearly bought that Athena mentioned elsewhere on here earlier when i saw the buy it now price. SWMBO pointed me right though

[tim leech]

Well Tom I will agree to disagree with you on that one, some people would say the bx is shite but were entitled to our own opinion, I have owned a SD1 for 9 years and its been totally reliable easy to work on and a joy to own!

[Philip Chidlow]

Since my first BX - a red '88 GTi bought for - wait for it, £2,000 in 1992 (a good-ish price then), I have had huge respect for the design of the car, from the seemingly unsurpassed comfort of the seats to the incredible load space with the seats down. My head tells me to condemn the ridiculously poor head room in the back and the annoyingly inconvenient positioning of the stereo (but it's got a clever cover!) and turn a blind eye to the noisy exhaust, but there's something about it that appeals to my heart. I hesitate to use the word, but I love my BX's. They are ageing friends who will do their upmost to do what you ask of them and, like the person who spends thousands keeping a sick pet alive, will spend far more than my head tells me I should, to keep them in tip top condition and running for the next couple of years...

Mind you when they get too old, stop recognising me and dribble all over the place.... Well, I think it'll be time to move on: To another, younger, prettier model. Like a... what? What could take the BX's place? A Xantia (it'd at least reduce my blood pressure I guess)? A C4? A Berlingo???

Maybe not. Yet. I could be tempted by an ex-star with fiery temprament and more than it's fair share of plastic surgery... A 16v!?!

[jeremy]

I'm not going to enter the SD1, Stag and Delorean debate for fear of offending.

jeremy

[Stinkwheel]

What could take the BX's place? A Xantia

You will hate it, take my word for it. If you want a sanatized mondeo-esqu car with a citroen badge, fine get a Xantia. If you like your BX and having secret leanings to other 'older' hydo cits, dont.

IMHO

Yet. I could be tempted by an ex-star with fiery temprament and more than it's fair share of plastic surgery... A 16v!?!

Now you are talking, owned 2. Want another. One of those cars where you look back and think, why did i sell that?