) of your XM collection, or perhaps searching for those elusive headlight washer covers? This is the place to do it.
Model: Citroen XM VSX 2.0 Auto Turbo
Year: 1997
Mileage: 106000ish
Tax: 5 months
MOT: 15th February 2010
Location: Edinburgh or Hertfordshire
Price: £600 WYH?
Additional Information:
This Emerald Green Pearlescent Mark II XM is in very good condition give or take a few niggles, irrespective of age. Those in the know will tell you that prices have pretty much bottomed out and let’s face it, there aren’t too many left on the roads these days. That said, new and used parts are still in good supply and as long as you can find a specialist Citroen mechanic, then happy days. Inside and out, this example looks and drives really well – an unmolested and well preserved specimen of this French limo.
I bought this car in November with the intention of using it as a winter runner - the nasty weather has scuppered that so I bought a jeep as well. The MOT is up on 16th Feb and this car will probably need a few jobs to put it through - I don't have the time to do these myself
OK so the car - Faultlessly reliable, it has never once let me down in 5k miles of driving - no breakdowns, no poor starting, fantastic! This hopefully dispels the myth that all big French cars are a complete liability – whilst some of the early XMs were certainly problematic, by the Mark II versions from ‘94 onwards, Citroen had got to the heart of the reliability issues (especially the flaky electrics) and were turning out fine executive motor cars – this cost around £23.5k new, yours now for under 5% of that figure, incredible value.
What’s the story behind this actual car? Well, it was one of only 15 of this particular type sold in 1997 in the UK - in fact Citroen only sold 163 XMs in total that year, so it was pretty much a collector’s item from the start. Well specified to almost Exclusive levels (alloy wheels and the electric armrest about the only things lacking), it started off life as a director’s motorway mile-muncher, clocking up 60k in its first three years (supported by a fully stamped service book from a Citroen dealer). It was then purchased by a Citroen Car Club member, who cherished it for the next five years, doing around 1,500 miles per annum, and servicing it himself. The previous owner bought it in 2005, and as with many older French cars, it’s going for a song now.
What will you get here for your money?
v Fully-stamped service book plus receipts totalling over £2,500 from previous owner ownership, maintained by Citroen specialists regardless of cost. Service log reads as follows (9k service intervals on these models):
v Front brake pads and handbrake cables (they run off the front discs) replaced 5 miles ago at a cost of £250
o Running in service – 1,266 (Lovekyn Citroen, Kingston), 08/05/97
o 2nd service – 10,321 (Lovekyn Citroen, Kingston), 29/08/97
o 3rd service – 18,615 (Lovekyn Citroen, Kingston), 19/12/97
o 4th service – 27,183 (Lovekyn Citroen, Kingston), 29/04/98
o 5th service – 37,347 (Lovekyn Citroen, Kingston), 08/09/98
o 6th service – 43,620 (Lovekyn Citroen, Kingston), 11/12/98
o 7th service – 52,291 (Lovekyn Citroen, Kingston), 02/06/99
o 8th service – 61,111 (Broads Citroen of Chalfont, Chalfont St Giles), 18/04/00
o 9th service – 71,810 (Citroen Centre, Oxford – Paul Johnson, XM specialist), 15/02/06
o 10th service – 80,861 (Citroen Centre, Oxford), 14/02/07
o 11th service – 89,840 (Ray Williams of Burnham, Citroen specialist), 28/02/08
o 12th service – 97,545 (Ray Williams of Burnham), 05/02/09
v Negligible/nil consumption of LHM fluid, engine oil and auto gearbox oil – uses about a pint of water in the radiator every two months (never overheats)
v The car benefits from a number of desirable factory-fitted features/extras:
o Sumptuous full black leather interior (including door panels) – near mint condition, no scratches, wear or sagging seats, extremely comfortable on a long journey (unlike some smaller Citroens I’ve owned)
o Cruise control – fully functional
o Full climate control – aircon working perfectly (as well as the electric sunroof), nice chilled breeze in hot weather or great for clearing misty screens when it gets colder
o Electric front seats – both adjust fully
o Super-sized 92 litre fuel tank (standard is 80 litres) – takes £95 to fill it, but a tankful lasts over a month (550-600 miles)
v Timing belt changed at 66k
v LHM fluid last changed at 80k (car raises and lowers without fuss), spheres replaced in 2005
v Front discs changed at 89k, rear pads at 97k
v £800 service last year (Feb 09) – mostly labour fixing niggly bits
v 5 decent tyres - 3.5mm tread on fronts, 4.5mm on rears, 6.5mm on the spare
v Smooth delivery of power, kicks down well, yet still returns 28-32 mpg in mixed driving – these engines and boxes are easily good for 150k-200k, and are probably the best option all told if you’re considering a petrol XM (see here: http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/index.htm?md=67 )
v A tight car and relaxing drive all round – no clonks, rattles or untoward noises
v 2 keys included
v Tailored car mats
v Plenty of paperwork – V5, several old MOTs, stamped service book, numerous receipts, owner’s handbooks, Haynes manual etc.
The bad bits? Well, I’m not selling this for crazy money and it correspondingly isn’t ‘A1 concourse’, but it’s certainly in excellent order. I’ll be as honest as I can so you can be full1y aware what you’re getting, but it’s all pretty minor stuff:
v Immobiliser pad cover hinge has broken but cover is still present and clips down OK
v A few columns of pixels are missing on the left-hand information / warning panel – still fully legible however (see photo)
v The intruder alarm can be set and it works, but it tends to go off randomly without warning – however, as I never use this (is activated by a separate button on the key-fob) I’ve not replaced the siren, fixable if desired
v Minor stone damage to near-side wing-mirror (see photo)
v One solitary dent right down low on the underside of the front bumper (see photo - not visible unless you’re really hunting for it), plus the tow-eye plastic cover next to it has come off. Other than this, you’re looking at an exceptionally nice example with NO car-park dings, scratches or rust.
v Exhaust manifold has recently started making a slight noise - I am including a new gasket with the car, may even get a chance to fit it before the auction ends.
v Front Electric windows need sorting - a kit is avaliable on ebay - thet sieze with lack of use and the cable breaks on them! - the drivers window is wedged shut to stop it from popping open on the road in the rain (as it did on me in Lincs recently)
v As a consequence of buggering around with the driver's window the interior trim of the driver's door will need clipping in properly - I will have a look at this as it is a wee bit loose - the plastic surround for the interior opening handle has fallen off and disappeard! hopefully it is in the car it looks like a generic '90s citroen part so easy to source.
v ABS warning light has come on - now this could be an issue and it could require either a sensor or the sensor cable bering replaced - XMS are complicated cars and this might not be a DIY job. I do not wish to tackle it as theXM is a tool not a toy and I have decided to sell the car with 1 month MOT left to someone who is willing to address this issue - there are workarounds on the XM forum but I would probably take the car to a Citroen specilaist (do not consider a dealer - most have never seen one of these)
This is why the car is £600.
The car is currently in Edinburgh but could be collected in Hertfordshire. This is a rock bottom price - would consider swaps WYH? I would be looking for a practical daily motorway cruiser or luxobarge of somesort.
