Parkers guide

[MULLEY]

Enjoy Oh, dear what have we bought

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/check/cit ... 84-95).pdf

[Tim Leech]

The parkers guide is approx the same size per page as sheet of loo roll, and thats about all its good for As soon as a customer approaches me with one in his/her hand everyone does a runner.

[Way2go]

Enjoy Oh, dear what have we bought

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/check/cit ... 84-95).pdf

Linky, it no worky!

[Philip Chidlow]

Well, I checked and Glass's Guide now puts the average value of the BX at £1.00 - £1.25

Hey ho.

[Tim Leech]

Well, I checked and Glass's Guide now puts the average value of the BX at £1.00 - £1.25

Hey ho.

Lol err no. As they work on auction prices a BX going through the sales would fetch FA.

[Philip Chidlow]

Well maybe they were having a laff? - given it's 1st April an' all.

[Cool Abe]

Linky, it no worky!

This one does:

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/check/cit ... -95%29.pdf

Note that it's a pdf file, 800kb big, so there'll be a short delay whilst it's downloaded, checked for viruses, the Adobe reader loaded, the pdf loaded into the reader ...

[Way2go]

Linky, it no worky!

This one does:

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/check/cit ... -95%29.pdf

Thanks for that.

Can you see their guide prices too without paying? Message comes up that it's only free for cars later than the year 2000.

[Cool Abe]

Not as far as I know ...

[Tim Leech]

You have to join up and they do charge you, which is hilarious as inaccurate as an american WW2 film.

If anyone does want a free car valuing please let me know as I have access to Glasses Guide and Cap Black book.

[DLM]

To be fair, that guide has got some of the essential checks there - it's better than a thwack on the wallet from a rusty BX. Perhaps we shouldn't throw stones when there's nothing on the site that acts as a BX-buying thumbnail sketch (all of which are a compromise and subjective).

I could see it saving someone from buying a wrong 'un on certain points that a first-time buyer, or one with limited mechanical knowledge might miss (e.g. rusty boot floors, sills, A-and-C pillars - front-rear suspension pipes, rear arms ). There's another thumbnail buying guide on HonestJohn's site that has some of the salient points, and a relatively reasonable attitude.

Like nearly all such guides, some of the conclusions drawn about costs are debatable or questionable (the DIY factor is ignored - one of the most compelling argument for buying a BX to me is the fact that it's a car that can be DIY-maintained. Often it's the ONLY way to keep it properly and sensibly maintained.

After all, as many BXs have a value best expressed in terms of their utility and fitness for use, trade or "classic" price for a BX can be a fairly meaningless concept open to considerable manipulation. A fair price is, as ever, in the the eye of the beholder, and it's the buyer's perogative to ignore or walk away from a prospective deal that doesn't make sense. Equally, the value of a BX in good fettle should obey all the "any car" rules of valuation in terms of length of MOT and tax sold with the car. I've just increased the value of my BX through MOTing and taxing it - I'd interpret its value to be that of any well-looked-after diesel estate car with that length of tax and ticket.

Autocar recently described the C6 as "Citroen's slowest-depreciating car ever" - and it wasn't their April Fool's day edition.... hmmm. "Citroen's slowest-depreciating car" was a soubriquet once applied to the BS diesel estates in their heyday - though it didn't take many years for the guides to place the BX outside of the scope of "normal " pricing. Not that I'm complaining - I have spent less than £8000 total to obtain 10 BXs over 17 years. More than 60% of this went on the very first one, and 80% on the first three.