update

Anything about BXs
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B-Hive
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update

Post by B-Hive »

I think its important for this forum to post regularly even if it's not that significant.

So yes, the GT is getting many smiles to the mile even though its still rough in many ways..

Sorted out the intermittent fuel issue, and as far as I can see I had a bad wiring connection to the float chamber venting solenoid.. as it transpired when the connector failed, the pressure in the float chamber rose to the point where the float and needle valve were pushed down and messed with...well everything...

It seems wiring is an continuing theme with the Mk1's...despite cleaning up the earth leads the electrics are irregular at best...

To get the refinement sorted:

Front left needs the wishbone bushes done,, HP pump will still need to be quietened, alternator bearing freshened, and ticking speedo/cable.

This car loves to rev and it so peppy and also torquey...its the first time I'd give Peugout props...lovely engine....Front spheres are on the firmer side despite them being the big soft Mk1 size, but hey.. this car turns into a corner better and more reassuring than many I have driven...grip on old,hard and skinny tyres is great...Had my friend who owns an M3 grabbing for the "jesus" handle...(non existent)

I'll say it again, its so rewarding driving an old Cit that was to be wrecked and to have it breathing strong and sure again with pride.

If i had any money to spend on a car up to and beyond 30K$ I'd still buy the BX...I look around everyday and ponder how un-unique nor economical are these other cars on the road.... I laugh when high end trolleys just blend into the background when my BX gets thumbs up and recognition...and all for lees the 150 quid...
Current
85 BX GT Mk1..
86 BX TRS Mk1
87 BX TRi


Gone
85 BX TRS mk1 auto... SOLD
90 BX TRi..parts....cubed
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Post by Defender110 »

Thanks for the interesting update I enjoyed reading it. I get great joy in driving a BX as en everyday car too and it is increasing daily. When commuting I seem to note an increasing amount of ever complicated 61 & 11 plate modern Audis, BMW's etc. and all I can think is what a nightmare it would be having that amount of depresiation, having to fork out for the maintenance of something like that. I couldn't enjoy driving anything like that again knowing how much it was costing.
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Post by MULLEY »

90% of modern cars on the road i reckon are on HP, so always on loan rather than being owned & always gotten rid of after 3yrs max, so the next few owners can enjoy the expensive issues of these overly complex beasts.

I wouldn't be surprised to find that whats modern today becomes very rare within a few years as most will just get scrapped when the repair bills are more than the car is worth, i give them less than 15yrs shelf life, will they still be running :?:
2002 C5 2.0 HDI Estate - Jasmine - Now SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - My daily
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired.
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
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Post by Dollywobbler »

A valid point well made. When you consider things like bespoke bumper trim, vastly expensive headlamps and the sheer number of electronic controls and systems, maintaining one of the current breed of cars when they're older will certainly be a challenge.

That said, I know people are already cobbling together their own code readers at home, using bits of old computer, so maybe it's just a new mind-set that's needed. There are times when I wish my old cars could tell me what's actually wrong with them!
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Post by Tim Leech »

MULLEY wrote:90% of modern cars on the road i reckon are on HP, so always on loan rather than being owned & always gotten rid of after 3yrs max, so the next few owners can enjoy the expensive issues of these overly complex beasts.

I wouldn't be surprised to find that whats modern today becomes very rare within a few years as most will just get scrapped when the repair bills are more than the car is worth, i give them less than 15yrs shelf life, will they still be running :?:
Your a bit out on that one mate, I would say nearer 60%, remember lots of old dears change their motors regularly and they normally pay cash!

As for 15 years shelf life, I think they say that 8-12 years is a cars expected life cycle. So all of our BXs are doing well! :lol:
Lots of Motors, mostly semi broken....
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1992 TZD Turbo Estate - SORN
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired - SORN
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN
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Post by MULLEY »

I might be out, but i don't believe that there are 40% cash buyers, it'll be some sort of finance believe you me. Old dears with cash, that'll be those Equity Release policies :lol:
2002 C5 2.0 HDI Estate - Jasmine - Now SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - My daily
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired.
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN

I'm not just a username, i'm also called Matthew.
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Post by anaconda »

Reading this thread reminds me. I had a new model Rover 200 and an Audi in the early 90s and was of the opinion as I think many are, or have been, that a new/expensive car reflected a particular status or gave me some kind of positive moneyed image.

I squirm when I think about that and the silliness of thinking in such a way. It was really just a question of growing up. How warped and pointless such a view was. I plead some mitigation as I was open to the marketting and sales psychology which is all around us and which for a while I bought into. I drove new cars (paying too much money for them!) therefore I was a better person....eek! Later I won free tickets for the NEC classic car show and 'met' a Citroen DS which I hadnt seen since I was a kid. I was gobsmacked. Such beauty and daring presence. It was so exciting and far more real than those other thoughts about cars.

I coveted the DS and read about the history of citroen and their cars, their spirit and maverick approach. Thats when I caught the bug. My first BX was and still is the best/softest ride ever. It was the most comfortable drive of any car, more so than the DS which I got after the BX died, my everyday drive for seven years.

Now Im back with a BX and loving it. Its not immediately beautiful but I cant stop looking at it. Design is really important to the interest of a car and the BX retains a fascination. Its different, individual without being 'in your face'. A genuine pleasure to own and drive, and more so than the DS. I just need to soften things up to get the full Cit effect!
Last edited by anaconda on Thu Sep 08, 2011 12:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Defender110 »

Roverman wrote:
MULLEY wrote: Your a bit out on that one mate, I would say nearer 60%, remember lots of old dears change their motors regularly and they normally pay cash!

As for 15 years shelf life, I think they say that 8-12 years is a cars expected life cycle. So all of our BXs are doing well! :lol:
I think your out on this one Tim, got to agree with Mathew; at least 90% if not more. They may turn up to buy the car at your place with the money but thats only because they've already sorted their loan elsewhere.
As for shelf life; Scrap yards used to be full of rotten cars needing replacement sills they are now full of perfect bodily cars needing ECU replacements?
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Post by Tim Leech »

Defender110 wrote:
Roverman wrote:
MULLEY wrote: Your a bit out on that one mate, I would say nearer 60%, remember lots of old dears change their motors regularly and they normally pay cash!

As for 15 years shelf life, I think they say that 8-12 years is a cars expected life cycle. So all of our BXs are doing well! :lol:
I think your out on this one Tim, got to agree with Mathew; at least 90% if not more. They may turn up to buy the car at your place with the money but thats only because they've already sorted their loan elsewhere.
As for shelf life; Scrap yards used to be full of rotten cars needing replacement sills they are now full of perfect bodily cars needing ECU replacements?
Sorry Kevan im sticking to my guns on this one, I've been selling cars for nearly 20 years for some big main stream manufactureres, so I base my opinion on my experience, I take care of my own finance customers, so know who uses what funds.

I'm talking about RETAIL cars, not fleet or motability. Dont underestimate the amount of money people have sat around, or people who bought there house in their mid 20's and have now paid off the mortgage so need to spend their salary on something! On used cars the percentages is considerably lower than on new.

Would I buy a new car? possibly, its nice having something that takes no looking after and you can jump in it and drive anywhere without thinking. But, Ive owned 31 BX's over the years and NONE have ever left me stranded.
Lots of Motors, mostly semi broken....
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Post by B-Hive »

Irrespective of whether new(er) cars are paid for on HP, another cost that most people don't factor in is the cost of using their own cash to finance a purchase...If you can get say 6% on cash in the bank a 20k car purchase will still cost you 1.2k AND that amount would be a compounding amount...

I spend less than a quarter of this one amount in a years maintenance on the BX.. :lol:

Smug bug....you bet I am
Current
85 BX GT Mk1..
86 BX TRS Mk1
87 BX TRi


Gone
85 BX TRS mk1 auto... SOLD
90 BX TRi..parts....cubed
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Post by Defender110 »

Roverman wrote:
Sorry Kevan im sticking to my guns on this one, I've been selling cars for nearly 20 years for some big main stream manufactureres, so I base my opinion on my experience, I take care of my own finance customers, so know who uses what funds.
Then I obviously bow to your superior knowledge on the subject Tim, I didn't realise there were so many people about able to buy cars with ready cash having said that I'm always gobsmacked every year when Radio 2 hold their Children in need auctions. There are always dozens bidding on each auction which end up at vast sums. £60,000 to drive one of Chris Evan's Ferraris for a day and he sold drives on 6 of his Ferraris.
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Post by Tim Leech »

Defender110 wrote:
Roverman wrote:
Sorry Kevan im sticking to my guns on this one, I've been selling cars for nearly 20 years for some big main stream manufactureres, so I base my opinion on my experience, I take care of my own finance customers, so know who uses what funds.
Then I obviously bow to your superior knowledge on the subject Tim, I didn't realise there were so many people about able to buy cars with ready cash having said that I'm always gobsmacked every year when Radio 2 hold their Children in need auctions. There are always dozens bidding on each auction which end up at vast sums. £60,000 to drive one of Chris Evan's Ferraris for a day and he sold drives on 6 of his Ferraris.
Theres plenty of money about trust me, its just that people dont like spending it, as mentioned you normally find its the 50+ empty nesters who are the cash rich.
Lots of Motors, mostly semi broken....
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Post by citsncycles »

As for 15 years shelf life, I think they say that 8-12 years is a cars expected life cycle. So all of our BXs are doing well!
I know a few people in the repair trade, and its interesting how they almost always say an older car is easier to work on, both in terms of access and the degree of simlicity.

I'm also amazed at the number of cheap Korean motors that end up getting scrapped just after their warranties (generally around 7 years) run out. They seem to suffer from an electrical failure of some type that turns out to cost more to put right than the value of the car. With the number of cars of this type bought through the scrappage scheme, it may result in a shortage of bargain basement motors.
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