National 2008

Here members post meetings, events, meet ups and the like
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Aerodynamica
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Post by Aerodynamica »

Hi Ian, didn't see you there at all! sorry about that. Anyway, I'm finding it pretty smooth TBH, so far it's worked from day one in May, it has broken down once due to a little design fault based on an assumption I'd made about the arrangement of the CX's heater pipes... modified that and it works very well. 390 miles on Saturday at 75-85 all the way (except the A66) without a hiccup (I had to make time on Saturday since I slept in and didn't leave for Cambridgeshire until noon :oops: ) return leg was more leisurely and I just cruised back at low speeds to see if the consumption would be maxed.

The car runs smoother and quieter, it heats up quicker but then runs hotter over all as observed by the fans cutting in more often at low speeds. I don't notice any loss in power.

As for the logistics, the 80l tank is good for 300 miles but one thing with LPG is the need to plan a journey by looking at all the available LPG stations in advance of a long jaunt, Generally I note that Esso tend not to do gas but Shell are more likely to have it. If you've got SatNav you can enter all the LPG stations into that but I am having to use the LPGA directory and multimap. I filled up once on the way down and once on the way back (at the same Shell garage just before Scotch Corner)so success on the 100% gas front there.

I ve' really taken to gas and don't want to go back to petrol now - I was really disappointed one time when I had to fill up on petrol, not just the cost but I just felt so........ dirty....

I'd recommend it to anyone - now is the time for LPG, it might lose its appeal in the future for a number of reasons, but at present it's my only option. Plus there's a certain novelty value to it on an old gas guzzling 70s luxobarge like a CX :)
Please elaborate Very Happy
!!well, it was about 1999, I'd been driving less than a year I had my first Cit,a (mostly) maroon 1984 BX14E called the slug mobile, and I'd joined the Citroen club. I was about 18-19. So there was an ad in CCC mag for Channel 4 'deals on wheels' with that Mark Brewer geezer. It was one of those crappy 90s reality shows where they film 'interesting' folks' deals selling their cars. I applied and they accepted! great! I'll get on TV! but I had to sell the car - fine I wanted to move onto the next Citroen anyway. So they gave me 12 weeks to put it up for sale and get it sold, contact the potential owner and check they're OK for doing TV etc. A few weeks pass, I have the thing advertised in Auto trader, CC mag, the free motor ad weekly thing, it wouldv'e been on ebay if ebay had existed then! and some weeks passed. The production team kept in touch "how are you getting on selling the slug"? they'd ask (a VERY nice girl called Mel I recall (very nice indeed, yes, very nice) and I'm like: "O, still up for sale not long I'm sure, dropped the asking too...not long" I assured. And she tells me it's fine and that there's loads of time. Weeks pass, nowt happens. Only 2 weeks left and Mel phones, "still no joy? - sorry, but remember if you don't get it sold you can't go on TV" - darn it I thought, that sluggy shed couldn't be given away - its 12 previous owners had ragged it I thought and I was lucky No. 13. A week later and a week to go, I had a brain wave; I get on the phone to my mate Stu in East Kilbride, and ask if he's up for a bit of real acting... to pretend to be the buyer for the show and we could get on TV! He said yes.

So I call Mel at Ideal World Productions and she's really happy and starts making the filming arrangements etc. So a date is set for filming and Stu and I are planning how we'll play this, even down to the haggling for price.
On the day of filming (the second day as the first was a sort of background to the people thing) they film myself talking about the car and why I'm selling and Stu turns up hung over (christ) and they film the whole "hello, I'm Graeme" "Hi I'm Stuart" (stuart? - nearly pissed myself at that we NEVER call him that) but we acted the whole thing, We did the whole servicing chat, the lies about why I'm selling, all in front of a camera crew. Stu foolishly presses on the 'bad' door caused by a drunken bit of maneuvering (off the road) and the door skin goes 'Dang!' in and out - it was quite loud and his expression was priceless. We go for a test drive where the car is rigged up with cameras we have a good chat about the running but to keep it real mention the slippy clutch. All of it filmed. Of course, even off camera we need to act like we've never met - did the crew suspect anything??? hmm. finally back at my house we 'do a deal' and this is the bit where the acting skills are stretched beyond redemption, It went something like this:

"I'm really interested in the car but you want £250 for it?"
"yea, hoping for around that - what do you say"
"well not bad but what about the clutch"? he sez.
We negotiate a bit here and there with more lies such as tank of petrol etc and end with:
"OK what about £200?" to which Stu replied "deal"!

O jeez he must've copped out of the acting there! so we shake on it thinking we're sorted and it's called a day and we hang out with the film crew for a bit.

Anyway, Ideal world Productions keep in touch with us both for months after telling us when it'll be aired etc.

The big day comes and all the friends and fam are round for laffs at watching us on TV on evening. Of course, the actual final program has the presenters doing a thing on the BX before hand and them making comments and suggestions on the edited cuts of film - i didn't help Stu's haggling image as Brewer and the other bloke value the car at a 'Poney' £25, we never meet the presenters BTW. anyway it all goes smoothly until the 'deal' at the end where the fake-o haggling comes out in the wash! "£250? what about the clutch" "OK £200" "deal" looked ridiculous, and the presenter says "£50 quid to change a clutch? - he must be doing the job himself anyway, Graeme did a great deal on that iffy looking Citroen" to which everyone in the room roared with laughter (as did everyone across the country I'd imagine) except Stu who looked stupid..... so that's it. Jog anyone's memory? someone must've watched it?
Graeme M

CX 2400 Pallas LPG
2CV6 dolly (SORNed)
Mk1 Xantia 1.9TD SX

'c'est hydropneumatique'
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Tim Leech
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Post by Tim Leech »

Yes I remember seeing that some years ago lol
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Ian_Fearn
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Post by Ian_Fearn »

I remember the 'Pony' thing where Mike wrote £25 on the windscreen with some strange type of pen.... :lol:
Over and out from me
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MULLEY
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My Cars: 1999 Xsara LX 2.0HDI (90) Hatch - Fern
2002 C5 2.0 HDI (110) Estate - Jasmine - SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - SORN
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 really enjoyed this event, great weather & a fantastic array of BX's. Apart from Tim's excellent GT, i also warmed to that Metalic Gold A reg & had a good old natter with the scottish chaps, sorry forgot your names. And Chris's very honest & unique pastel blue mk1.

Great to meet up with all the old members & to see some new ones, citrojim, bxtgd, jaba, jonkw, david, & others who's names escape me, & the legend that is Todd.

Time just seems to pass by so quickly, apologies to those i didnt meet or didnt chat too very long, never seem to have enough time.

Good to have a chat to the owner of that low mileage n/a diesel next to mine who came with his family, fingers crossed you have some happy motoring. p.s. did you realise that your wife was trying to get into my boot before i cheerily suggested that she might have the wrong car :lol: . The moral of that story is never park next to the same coloured BX :P

Cheers to Simon for arranging me parts to come up & to Jonkw for looking after them.

Another award that should have been supplied was to Ian, who had the reddest BX i've ever seen, no pink in sight :lol:

Loving that Alfa, cant go wrong at the price Kitch :D , always fancied a 156, are the diesels any good?

Great to speak to you again Dave, so pleased that you are well on your way to getting back to doing the normal things in life. When i'm next up in Hellifield i'll pm you & we can meet up & look at the steam trains over a cuppa :D

Also to the chap who lives in Sheffield who was thinking about getting a bx estate, hope he joins the forum shortly.

Philip, did the owners of both those BX's which had the odd rear lights ever exchange them with each other, so that they had a matching set each? couldnt believe they were parked next to each other & didnt spot that :lol:

Boot was full of spares etc...wifey wasnt amused when i started unloading the car "What do you need all those for"? erm me cars :oops:

Cheers guy's you made the event worth turning up for....
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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Tim Leech
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Post by Tim Leech »

Good to see you Mulley, Ian, Phil, Dave, Doc, Stuart etc etc, as you would Imagine I was particularly thrilled to win the "peoples choice" award for the BX Catagory, which makes the hours of long hard graft getting the GT back to health again worth while, you see all that polishing does work :D .
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Philip Chidlow
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Post by Philip Chidlow »

MULLEY wrote:Philip, did the owners of both those BX's which had the odd rear lights ever exchange them with each other, so that they had a matching set each? couldnt believe they were parked next to each other & didnt spot that :lol:
Well, it worked out pretty ok. We did do an exchange of rear lights. Although the 208k-miler's light (not having enjoyed much garaging in its life) was a little more faded than the other 50k-miler's one!

So - I pick up that GTi auto (with it's fairly galactic mileage) when I get back from 2 weeks in France... and I must say I'm really looking forward to being behind the wheel of a BX again!
• 1992 Citroen BX TZD Turbo Hurricane
• 2006 Xsara Picasso 1.6 16v
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Baldbazza
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Post by Baldbazza »

MULLEY wrote: Loving that Alfa, cant go wrong at the price Kitch :D , always fancied a 156, are the diesels any good?
Provided you don't mind it sounding like a tractor, albeit a growling tractor (Alfa somehow manage to make even diesels sound not-quite-so-bad!)

Avoid the 1.9JTD 8 valve - sounds like a tractor and goes like a tractor...

I have the 150bhp 1.9JTDm in my GT; goes rather well and still delivers 40mpg. A lower-rated version (120bhp?) of this engine was available on the 156 although you could get 150bhp with the 2.4JTD.

Have a word with the chaps over at http://www.alfaowner.com/ if you're really tempted. But try not to drool too much over the keyboard... :wink:
1985 BX 19 GT
2007 Alfa Romeo GT
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docchevron
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Post by docchevron »

Aerodynamica wrote: I was really disappointed one time when I had to fill up on petrol, not just the cost but I just felt so........ dirty....
Ooh, a Gilmore Girls moment!
Dude, I'm liking you more and more all the time (er, in a totally hetro way like).
Get thee a BX again and come hang with the BX boys, since next to the 2CVGB guys, we know how to party!
RoverTimMan wrote:I was particularly thrilled to win the "peoples choice" award for the BX Catagory
Indeed, and congratulations, but dont you feel a little cheated?
I bloody would have. A poxy bit of paper and a handshake from Nigel...
How.....hhmm....cheap.
Mulley wrote:Philip, did the owners of both those BX's which had the odd rear lights ever exchange them with each other, so that they had a matching set each? couldnt believe they were parked next to each other & didnt spot that
I cant believe I didn't notice that!
Shows how little notice I was taking!


Ooh, and yes, bloody great to meet Sir Jim of the databases so it was!
Alas yet another dude I didn't speak to for anywhere near long enough.

So, Jim and Graeme....coming to Stratford???????
If so, bring tent, and come sit with the BX posse in the gazeebo, and drink lots of beer!
I know jim doesn't drink, but we'll make you!
Even if it's tea...
Smokes lots, because enough's enough already!

Far too many BX's, a bus, an ambulance a few trucks, not enough time and never enough cash...
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Aerodynamica
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Post by Aerodynamica »

Dude, I'm liking you more and more all the time (er, in a totally hetro way like).
-Ha cheers! thank god for the bit in brackets as I have a bit of a history in attracting the wrong type in clubs an stuff i.e. they're not wimmin!! jeez it must be the way I move or something

Not abs certain about Stratford but deffo come up the the Galashiels rally next month!
Graeme M

CX 2400 Pallas LPG
2CV6 dolly (SORNed)
Mk1 Xantia 1.9TD SX

'c'est hydropneumatique'
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Tim Leech
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Post by Tim Leech »

RoverTimMan wrote:quot;]I was particularly thrilled to win the "peoples choice" award for the BX Catagory
Indeed, and congratulations, but dont you feel a little cheated?
I bloody would have. A poxy bit of paper and a handshake from Nigel...
How.....hhmm....cheap.


Not really Doc, tis the first thing Ive ever won! :D
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Baldbazza
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Post by Baldbazza »

roverman wrote:Not really Doc, tis the first thing Ive ever won! :D
And you deserved it Tim, well done!
1985 BX 19 GT
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Tim Leech
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Post by Tim Leech »

Hope to get a few more bits done before stratford, namely that dent and a few bits under the bonnet.
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docchevron
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Post by docchevron »

Aerodynamica wrote:Ha cheers! thank god for the bit in brackets as I have a bit of a history in attracting the wrong type in clubs an stuff i.e. they're not wimmin!! jeez it must be the way I move or something
As most of the old boys from the CCC and quite a few from here will tell you, I'm definitley the "wrong" type! I'm a trouble maker me!

Rest assured though all you'll get from me is a handshake and beer!
Aerodynamica wrote:Not abs certain about Stratford but deffo come up the the Galashiels rally next month!
Do try for Stratford, we party hard at Stratford!
And yes, I shall try to get oop narth for Galashiels!
Roverman wrote:Not really Doc, tis the first thing Ive ever won!
Fair do's, I just think a proper plaque or something a little more of substance than a piece of A4 paper would have been nice..
Smokes lots, because enough's enough already!

Far too many BX's, a bus, an ambulance a few trucks, not enough time and never enough cash...
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Tim Leech
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Post by Tim Leech »

I take your point Doc, but its better than nowt ey! See you all at stratford.
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Aerodynamica
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Post by Aerodynamica »

I'm going to Stratford :D although it's even bluddy farther than Huntingdon :?
Graeme M

CX 2400 Pallas LPG
2CV6 dolly (SORNed)
Mk1 Xantia 1.9TD SX

'c'est hydropneumatique'
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