BX as a daily driver?

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Ross S
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BX as a daily driver?

Post by Ross S »

Hiya folks,
Is it realistic to daily a BX in this day and age? I know they can rot quite badly, can they be effectively rust proofed?
I really am a novice with regards to these cars so any advice is much appreciated.

Ross
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jamescarruthers
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Re: BX as a daily driver?

Post by jamescarruthers »

Although I don't have a BX any more, I ran my three as daily drivers (84, 85 and 90 models) and have continued with cars of a similar vintage as daily drivers (XM and Volvo 480) without much issue at all.

My philosophy is to try and pre-empt stuff going wrong and after a good bit of time you will have anticipated most issues. After an initial big push things ended up working well. My preference is to buy a car not requiring too much body work then spend the money on mechanicals. Start with a mega service for piece of mind then try and identify if there any hydraulic leaks looking to come your way.

Good luck with your search. The BX is a fabulously comfortable and competent car. My most notable BX surprise was taking the BX14E on a 600 mile round trip in one day... I was tired but only a hydraulic Citroen (or something massively more expensive!) would make it bearable.

By the way, where are you based? If you're not confident you should hook up with an independent Citroen specialist, but obviously costs will go up. Pleiades in Sawtry and Chevronics in Hitchin were always good to me.
1987 Volvo 480 ES
2006 Citroen C6 Exclusive 3.0 petrol/LPG

Previous BX's:
A966 XRL -- BX 16 TRS
H767 BEG -- BX 14 TGE
B316 AMP -- BX 14 E
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Tim Leech
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Re: BX as a daily driver?

Post by Tim Leech »

Yes they can, many people did, the issue is rot, and of course wear on mechanical parts which are getting harder to source.

Quite a few people on here still do.

If you get a good one, and maintain and rustproof it properly there is no reason why you not.

Also finding a friendly local garage who knows them is useful although routine maintenance is the same as any other car (brakes, service, cambelt etc)

The diesels seem to ne the easiest ones to keep as a daily....
Lots of Motors, mostly semi broken....
Ross S
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Re: BX as a daily driver?

Post by Ross S »

Thanks for your replies guys, I live in south Buckinghamshire so Hitchin is not too far away.
I have run classics as dailies before, but not for some time and my last was an 88 Volvo 740 that I had professionally Waxoyled.
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Tim Leech
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Re: BX as a daily driver?

Post by Tim Leech »

Ah if you're near Chevronics that's useful as Rob can fully maintain it.
Lots of Motors, mostly semi broken....
rutter123
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Re: BX as a daily driver?

Post by rutter123 »

Up until last year I run my t/d as a daily driver for best part of ten years averaging 20,000 miles a year with no major issues except for a broken alternator, and a burst rear brake pipe, AA'd home both times, I think the trick is to go over everything with a fine tooth comb paying particular attention to the hydraulic system and perished or corroded pipes and replace wotever is needed as pipes will fail at the most inconvenient times like on the M23 @ 3.00am 5 up with suitcases in the pissin rain.
As the other guys say the rest is down to good maintenance, wizardry and luck
Happy bx'ing.
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Ross S
Confirmed BX'er
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Jul 28, 2018 8:03 am
Location: Wendover
My Cars: Skoda Octavia SE 1.6 TDI
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Re: BX as a daily driver?

Post by Ross S »

Well I have daily’d classic cars before, most recently a Volvo 740 fitted with the Volkswagen ‘D24’ six cylinder diesel....
despite Volvo’s legendary build quality, the car still had an amazing amount of things go wrong or fall off...
Also I am pretty fussy and obsesessive so I plan on keeping a very close on any BX I buy...
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