St Tropez restoration blog

[Tim Leech]

My 14RE with the suitcase engine was awful! stirring a pudding, but my St Tropez was quite sweet, as the boys say it may be just a worn linkage etc

[Des Smith]

Strange that the BX gearbox is wobbly, perhaps there is wear & tear on the linkages, get chevronics to have a looksey, it should be quite a nice shifting gearbox.

The linkages were all replaced in 2012. It's not a drama and totally predictable.

Quoted unladen weight of the 1.4i Xsara model is 1005kg against 921kgs for the BX 14TE, so 1.5 passengers difference, but that's not the point really. The engine characteristics are different; it feels strangled (by the injection system or the cat?) at low revs and needs enthusiastic application of the loud pedal to make life interesting. Once the motor is spinning, it's quite perky.

Kitch's comments have challenged me to extract more from the engine and that changes your mindset. Watch this space.

[Kitch]

Kitch's comments have challenged me to extract more from the engine and that changes your mindset. Watch this space.

The gear ratios and final drive will probably make the biggest difference. If you rolling roaded them, you'd probably find the Xsara has a wider spread of torque, and is making better use of the fuel/air.
But I do know what you mean. I had that engine in two ZXs and they both felt flat, unless you were razzing the arse off them, and if you did that, they responded better, but sounded bloody awful. My BX 14RE always felt much more sprightly than the ZX.

[Des Smith]

My St Tropez is not at all sprightly today. Tried to fire her up for a spin to blow out the cobwebs and the battery chugged a few times and gave up. Now out and on the charger. Tsk.

[Tinkley]

Shouldn't have left the radio on.....

[Des Smith]

Bump! After 7 years, I may be looking to move the St Tropez on to someone who can store her indoors.

£1500 is my bottom line, and if that seems a little steep for a 1.4, read the blog and figure out what she owes me! PM me if you are interested...

[Des Smith]

Well, seven and a half years' of St Tropez ownership cames to an end. Increasingly demoralised by the battle to keep the car clean, polished and resistant to the elements, I am pleased to say I have been able to pass her on to James Lelean, who has a warm garage and deep regards for Citroen BXs. Thanks to James, she will be polished and cosseted and can fulfil the point of the restoration, which was to keep the car viable for another 25 years.

She has paid back my investment in terms of smiles per mile and the highlight has to be the thousands of French miles she has had under her wheels. It's only proper for a Citroen to spend time in France, and more than half of the 17000 miles done in my ownership was on the wrong side of the road. She's never broken down and tackled every kind of road I've chosen to drive with assurance. The highlights have been the Citroen Challenges, and undoubtedly the best was the 2017 Alps and Jura thrash over some demanding cols when she held her own with other, more powerfully-engined cars. It was a great swansong for me and the St Tropez, although I hope James will be tempted to take her on a future road trip with all the other crazy Citroenistas, so hopefully not the last you'll see of the car.

So for now, I am BX-less and will invest my polishing time into the Xsara. I'll keep in touch with the forum and hopefully catch up with people on Facebook and possibly make more meets next year. Until then, au revoir!

[Kitch]

Cheers Des. I'd click the 'like' button, but it's gone!

[St.Eve]

Thats awful - i read the whole (!) topic on saturday (11.), and i was thinking "no, he is not gonna sell it. Nobody sells a car with so much time and money put in over that years and not for that price". I thought Des will overthink it and just get a garage or or a carport something.
Today i visit the forum again, and whoooooosh its gone.

Wow. That leaves me a bit speechless!
For you, Des - you have my biggest respect for all that work over the years you put in that lady (and documented it here)! I say that as a mechanic. So much work. And as you said earlier, some other would just have throw it away after 1 year / next MOT. You didn't.

I think you can be pretty much proud of yourself.
Best wishes and - see you soon! (as known, people which driven BX long time couldn't stand without one very long )
Steve