Citroen XM Forum

What shade of blue is that then?

Thats British sky blue i think
Dont you find it odd that every XM advertised recently seems to be one of the best in the UK? nice looking car hough, seller seems like a nice enough chap too.

D

With only 775 left on the road, most of the dogs have gone.

Not sure I agree about all the dogs being gone.
I suspect that the current rapid XM cull is fairly random.
A small but high cost problem to the current owner can take out an otherwise good and savable long term car.
Equally I think there are many XM's on the road but carrying problems, particularly rust ones for the next MOT.
There are also at least twice as many off road XM's.
Many probably most mouldering in dubious storage.
For many easy to do just enough to get through the first MOT then sell on.
Then though regular use will show up all sorts of problems.
So I think finding a good XM is getting more difficult not easier.
The costs of travel to inspect the rejects alone are likely to outweigh the purchase cost of the selected one.
I do not think there is an army of monied collectors waiting to grant the XM classic status by their actions.
I suspect that scrap value plus a bit will remain the XM currency for another 5 years at least.
Bit sad really but we need to be realistic as there is no money in XM's just costs and the enjoyment of using them.

John

You have been looking at my white one haven't you John

I agree that there are still a great many dogs out there that will not attract prices much above scrap values, but there are an increasing number of cars being offered at premium prices. As a potential purchaser (missing my previous XMs) this creates something of a minefield. The differences between the two groups are very often clearly apparent, but without specialist knowledge it is a concern that a well polished example may hide expensive issues. I speak from experience.

If one lives somewhere between the M62 and the M25 then there are more cars within viewing distance but the three I am currently interested in will all require a round trip in excess of 350 miles, and then another, if a deal subsequently follows.

And they are all in the "premium" price range, topping out at an advertised 3k.

Every time I make myself think logically and sensibly about this, keeping my Saab seems the only thing to do; but I still hanker after an XM again.

Rob

Hi Rob

It is such a pity that a bit of XM ownership usually causes such an affinity with the experience the car use generates.
I think the high price "quality" XM's have always been available.
In earlier years they sold those cars quickly with the specialist suppliers often having waiting lists so just a single phone call.
Often the deal was done before the car came in.
In my opinion the more we are now seeing advertised is just an indication of how difficult the current market is.
Very few suppliers are left and there has been an even greater reduction in customers for XM's.
Those remaining cars are on average older so statistically more likely to have problems in the next few years.
You also need to consider what "quality" XM really means in relation to the extra price.
No private seller usually gives any come back on failure.
So inspection and paper records are key.
I personally find it very difficult to justify the extra price for these cars.
With commercial sellers realistically no £2k car has had more done than the minimum that inspection dictates.
If the sellers has extensive previous XM experience that may lead to a few extra items and checks done as a precaution.
The seller will give probably give some come back on early failure but will need to repair themselves.
If they are not local to you the logistics of getting the car to and from repair could be considerable.
Again this makes the buying decision very difficult to evaluate.

John

S908 MKV - Sold for £500.11p !

Did any one off the forum secure this one ?



.

ragger wrote:
Every time I make myself think logically and sensibly about this, keeping my Saab seems the only thing to do; but I still hanker after an XM again.

Rob

Well hang in there... I WILL come up with something for you.. You just missed one which went to Vince.

But theres more on the way.