Underpants on the outside and cape blowing in the breeze...

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Thu Jan 06, 2011 5:55 pm

(Did I forget to say I quite like the understated looks of the Xsara?)....

stuart_hedges · Post by **stuart_hedges** » Thu Jan 06, 2011 9:08 pm

The only Xsara in the village eh? It's a 16v.

Personally I really like the looks of the mk1 and I feel they ruined the mk2 with its big surprised eyes and dopey smile, but it *is* a better car and I wanted the youngest car I could afford so it was a no-brainer really.

A fully-loaded 2 litre HDi coupe would have been ideal, but they're seriously rare. A VTS would have been too expensive on insurance, but I did look at a sexy black VTR coupe which unfortunately turned out to be a complete and utter shed.

Post by **docchevron** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 1:13 am

I'd have a VTS, awesome car, and massively under-rated.

rayfenwick · Post by **rayfenwick** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 1:33 pm

Philip Chidlow wrote:Of course! As well as the extra rear screen (which although it adds weight is useful in keeping the inside of the car's temperature more constant when the boot's open).

oh, and heated screenwash jets. (again, useful!).

It's a nice little club to be in

Philip Chidlow wrote:Mind you I hanker after the simple life - guess how many fuses the GS has... three. Or four if it has the continental-fit extra heater.

The XM has loads. Given mine's had a few upgrades, it's got even more...

Post by **Tim Leech** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 4:12 pm

Sold quite a few used over the years, plus had one as a "loaner" from Chevronics and yes they aren't exciting but a good value comfy drive.

PhilGreaves · Post by **PhilGreaves** » Wed Aug 10, 2011 9:04 pm

I'm sure im going to regret this but..i have to ask electronically *controlled* centre arm rest...what? Does it have to be controlled; does it intend on leaving(!) Seriously though..what actually is it...

To docchevron...how dare you insult products made in leeds, solos are very good. Lets face it they could be worse (could be Optare Deltas

)...or heaven forbid Wong bodied lunar eclipse Capricorn* volvos....

Anyway back on topic. I've never been in a xsara, prefer them to the zx though style wise. Oh and yes mk 1 xsaras are better looking, although some old neighbours of ours had a late reg met blue hdi (110) coupe that was nice...but wierd electrics. If you held the key in your hand and then waved your other hand (around a foot) above it then the central locking would go

*i may have got the name muddled up a bit...

stuart_hedges · Post by **stuart_hedges** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 1:14 pm

Well...

As you may have gathered from some of my other posts on here - it's gone.

It was a very sensible little car, but it never really interested me - it was purely an appliance, a means of getting from A to B.

It had none of the interesting features that I love on old Citroens - no real quirks, a boring dashboard and no hydraulics. However, it did have the same crappy build quality (especially in the electrical department) as Citroens of old and when I realised I'd got to the point of chucking good money after bad I decided it had to go.

A couple of attempts on ebay saw a car that set me back £1875 from a dealer a year previously sell for just £570. Disappointing, but it was never going to make any more with the electrical and mechanical problems that it had.

Back to bangernomics for me, so I set about looking for something cheap and cheerful. I used to have a £500 limit on buying cars, but used values have risen (thanks scrappage) so I set a limit of £1000 and finished up spending £800 on this magnificent beast.

2012-04-12 15.11.06 by stuart_hedges, on Flickr

I've only had it two weeks so I'm still in the first flush of enthusiasm, but honestly - this is an absolutely brilliant car. It's really solid and well built after the flimsy Xsara - despite having two more years and 40,000 more miles on it, nothing's broken, everything works, it's smooth and quiet with no funny habits and no flat spots on the engine. The gearchange feels good and when you press the buttons stuff actually happens.

It's a nice drive with plenty of power, being the 2 litre turbo, smooth controls and very safe and predictable handling. Comfy too, with big plush seats and excellent ride quality.

I actually look forward to driving it, which is a feeling I haven't had since the last BX went.

Caffiend · Post by **Caffiend** » Wed Apr 25, 2012 8:54 am

stuart_hedges wrote:A couple of attempts on ebay saw a car that set me back £1875 from a dealer a year previously sell for just £570.

Seeing this post yesterday on me phone was a factor in possibly deciding to hang onto my Xsara for a bit, so thanks for sharing. I'm really sorry to hear that you lost so much on yours. I bought mine (91 Y plate) for £2300 from an independent waaaay back in in 2005 or 06 and felt ripped off 'cos there were cooling problems from the start and eventually had to get the head gasket done a year later. So I don't think what you paid for it was necessarily over the odds, I think it's just that most brands of family-sized cars depreciate really fast until they manage to reach classic status (if they ever do!).

Glad you're enjoying your new acquisition though!

stuart_hedges · Post by **stuart_hedges** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 11:15 pm

To be honest, the sensible thing would have been to hang on to the Xsara forever, until it had some really catastrophic failure.

But my girlfriend and I really couldn't stand the thing, so we agreed to take the financial hit in favour of having a car we'd actually enjoy!

I don't think I was ripped off either, I just bought it at the wrong point in its depreciation curve.