BX barn find

[SupKim]

Hello forum!

I just joined, not as a proud owner of a BX per se, but something that might be of interest to you.

My father-in-law has kept his father's BX in their hayloft since 2006. The model in question is a BX16S-XBXE-VAN/2650 (I'm not sure if this code means anything outside of Finland ). It's a 1989 model, with only 108 000 kilometres on the odometer. The car passed the technical inspection (in 2006) with a note of "blue smoke rising", and then it'd been parked in the hayloft to wait for its destiny. So here we are.

So, dear BX-enthusiasts, what to do with it? I'm not in a position of "restoring" it or anything like that, at max I can get it to run and pass the technical. But what are your thoughts? Ideally I/we would just sell it as is, but I have no idea of the price range, or people's interest in this kind of vehicle. So all advice is welcome.

I'll post more photos in July, once we get it out into the sunlight.

Thank you!

Best regards!
-Kim

[saintjamesy89]

It looks like a fairly unique BX Kim, best of luck with it! A great utility vehicle if nothing else. Value would be difficult to say, but if you can get it running and perhaps roadworthy then you'll have a much better chance of selling it, if that is your aim.

[SupKim]

Thanks Jaimesy! Yeah I posted the same thing on a Finnish Citroen forum, and they told me that this Van configuration is purely a Finnish thing. The importer made these modifications for tax deduction reasons. So I assume this model might not be of much interest... even in Finland as it's a "botched" body.

I'll get back to this in the summer when I'll get the car from it's hiding hole.

[54M1]

Your post brought back so many memories. The story of this BX is so close to mine that it made me smile.

Back in 2019, my brother's friend's father bought an old farm and in the barn was this old BX.The friend's father offered that BX to my brother as he was in to Citroens, but my brother wasn't interested. He mentioned it to me and my interest went away when I heard it was a van. A few months passed and then my brother mentioned it again and said that it would be scrapped. I decided to at least have a look at it as it was going to be scrapped anyway.

It had 179k on the clock, almost no rust and seemed very tidy. I came back with battery and fuel and guess what, it started as if it had been left there yesterday. I bought it for 120€ and it came with a crashed spare car.

I kidd you not, I drove the thing to my place (only 10km).

The last time it was MOT'd was in 2005 and it also had a notification for smoking (valve stem seals). Even though it was in good condition, I did a lot of work on it and spent about 1000€ on repairs, but I think it was worth it. It still makes me laugh when I drive it in the summer, not because I enjoy it (although I do), but because so many people laugh at me and how hideous the car looks.


Sorry for the off-topic, but I felt I had to share this story. Vans are not worth much. Personally, I would not pay more than a couple of hundred quid for a project like that. The reason is simple: because nobody wants them and you might be able to sell one in good condition for 1000-2000€ on a good day. That's the main reason I still have mine, because no one wants it and I'm afraid no one will take good care of it because it's just a van.

If you need any help or advice, you can hit me up!

[SupKim]

Hi 54M1! Thanks for sharing the story!

The similarities are truly remarkable! Not only regarding the BX, as here's a photo of OUR 9-3 that we left for rest "next" to the BX a couple of years back. Not sure if the one in your photo is yours, but I couldn't not notice it. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NOq4Fg ... sp=sharing

Thanks for letting me know about how these vans are "appreciated" in the scene. And I'm super stoked to hear that you're still driving yours! I'm intrigued by the thought of leaving this for myself as a silly summer car, but yeah I'll need to think about it, as I already have a Suzuki Samurai filling that hole in my life.

I might need to see how I'll feel about it once it's in the sun and hopefully running. Inspired by your experience maybe we/I will try to start it - who knows maybe it'll win me over.

It would be cool to share the experience, so yeah let's stay in touch!

[54M1]

Oh, I totally forgot to reply to you, sorry about that!

That's really funny! Although I own a few hydraulic Citroens, I consider myself more of a SAAB guy. What is even funnier to me is that, if I see right, yours is also the lowest spec petrol 9-3, which is quite rare.

The van is a silly summer car for me, but it also works as a backup car when needed and it has been really reliable. Those Samurais are really fun off-roaders.

PM me if you need help and I can give you my phone number, discord or whatever you fancy.