On Ebay Monday 2nd

[Dieselman]

decent economy (If driven normally) win/win situation.

Which is what?

[steelcityuk]

Here we go... put on the tin helmets.

2.5s are that good I sold mine for a HDi 110 C5 then chipped that to 135bhp and have finally worked my way back to a 2.1.....

Seriously though,

The 2.5 is good, smooth and powerful (but not in modern terms) but if you have to work on one more than basic servicing it usually involves removing other things first - for example to remove the intake chamber you need to get under the car to release the EGR clip! But the bit I couldn't get on with is the rarity of spares and the price of them if you can find them. MPG wise I got around 32MPG in my usual daily routine.

I'm hoping to find out if a mildly tuned 2.1 is as good as a standard 2.5.

Steve.

[Dieselman]

But the bit I couldn't get on with is the rarity of spares and the price of them if you can find them. MPG wise I got around 32MPG in my usual daily routine.

That's the rub. I get more than that out of my 3.0L Auto.

I used to get 32mpg out of my 2.1 Auto, but I caned it everywhere. One trip to Wales and back at ~85mph saw about 55mpg.

[cgt]

Hi,

Why is a 2.1 preferable to a 2.5?

Not really it's just Peter's preference (If you've ever come across his posts, you'll tend to see) I personally prefer the 2.5 TD Saloon/Hatchbacks IMHO there for winners, I have two (a VSX with 220k and Exclusive with only 39k)

Super smooth hydraulic clutch, superb performance and decent economy (If driven normally) win/win situation.
I see you've revised your Wanted ad in your other post/thread, so you've seen the light to avoid 'Sluggo-matic's' !

Title edited, I want a manual now for the better mpg

But

Thanks Andrew but I am TOTALLY non technical. I don't know a thing!

I'll look for one that's drivable..

So if that's the case, go and price up a clutch cable for a 2.1 TD and if you have to pay some-one to replace it too, well you may decide to forget searching for one of them also !

Also get a price for the front suspension strut's top too, either (Small or large piston/rod) types

That's if your checking out the cable @ the main dealer's as the front suspension strut's top are only O/E supplied, it may frighten you all together in owning any guise of XM

All the best with your search/decision.

XMX

Thank you, very insightful post. I guess I need to see/drive an XM properly to see if it is for me. All I know at the moment is that I lke the look of them and they sound like fun to own

[Peter.N.]

Paying someone else to repair your XM is not an option in my mind.

[andmcit]

Where are you CGT? Seems you ned to do more than talk about Xm's. You can't be that far from
someone on the forum here who can show you around one or go and see one for sale somewhere.
Just get 'genned up' on the handbrake operation first and you'll likley know more about the seller
before you even drive the car!!

As you'll see elsewhere on the forum, there are plenty of cars semmingly popping up on ebay and
there's even a handy debate about the merits of all the favoured engine options too. What use/mileage
do you expect to get with the car as a decent petrol (and therefore decently frugal) 16v 2.0i could
be just the job though these were only ever s2 and autos. Manuals were available on 2.0i Turbos
as well as the autobox and if you're really fortunate or have a few bob to spend a V6 manual s1
or autoadaptive late s2 v6 could be the job IF you can find one!!! The autoadaptive is a true honest
to goodness gem!!

If you really want a manual s1 your options of spec/colour and engine fuel can be a bit pot luck so it'd
be worth looking at any/every car you can get to see in a bid to feel out what works for you.

Andrew