“Fantôme Noir”

[Ferdinand]

I been telling myself since October 2022 when I bought an Y3 V6 BVM that I need no more cars…. Yet an old friends pristine Laguna Initiale sneaked in my collection last year… but that was it.. No more cars!!!

But last saturday I went by a friend, who’s been importing Citroën for the last 30 years…. He’d posted an advert on Facebook about a black a Y4 XM V6 Exclusive from 1997 with manual gearbox, that he had for sale… I told myself that I had to see it in order to assure myself not to buy it… as it’s black, way to cheap and not without issues….

But… the paint wasn’t dull as I expected, and the black leather seats have also been taken well care of. The ES9J4 engine sounds fantastic and the suspension works perfectly. It was SORN’ed in october but until then It had been taken well care of by the seller.

It was imported from France to Denmark in 2008 and given a full service and a very good rustproofing. The list of things being fixed/ maintained over the years is long… But the previous owner gave up when the clutch suddenly went knowing it also needs a new exhaust in the very near future.

I’ve ordered a new clutch, and it also needs a new hydraulic slave cylinder, but luckily I have a Y4 V6 BVA that can donate a better exhaust, a rear parcel shelf, a set of fresh stuts for the tailgate etc. The right front wing needs replacing, but a new comes with the car + what ever I might need from the seller.

I can’t decide whether buying it was a good idea, but simply couldn’t bare the thought of it being scrapped or ending up as someone’s everyday runabout. I plan to use it as a fun summer car… Already named it: “Fantôme Noir” - will have a pair of decals made for each front wing

[Dieselman]

It's a V6 with a manual gearbox, of course you should have bought it.
In the Uk the ES9j engine was only offered with automatic gearbox, which Imho, was a mistake. I know Citroen were trying to market against Jaguar and Mercedes as a luxury car, but they should have marketed the sporty side of the Xm and offered a manual as well. By the mid 1990's people wanted sports saloons.

I'm not a fan of Xm in black, but per-se it looks in very good condition, what is the issue with the front wing?

[Ferdinand]

I'm not a fan of Xm in black, but per-se it looks in very good condition, what is the issue with the front wing?

Couldn’t agrees more on that, but I fell i love with a early Y4 black XM 24V 200HP that was for sale in Germany some years ago, but it sold within 2 weeks and ever since then I’ve been wondering whether I could live with that colour.

There’s a bit of rust in the bottom of the front wing - it could be saved, but since I’m getting another wing for free in the buy, I might as well change it and have it resprayed. With a good polish, an good clean inside and some TLC attented to the glovebox which is momentarily kept closed by some horrible gaffa tape - I guess, that this ageing black bastard will give me lots of smiles (and hopefully no speeding tickets). Some where in the future I might also try to find a set of tan leather seats… all my cars have dark interior - except the Volvo 144S, so it would be a nice change, keeping the black carpets though.

The previous french owned Citroën import company had the same philosofy about which models you could have here… they would however get you a manual, if you insisted… But I’ve never seen a XM in the same cathegory as BMW 7 series og Mercedes S-Class… Is just like a BMW 5 series or an E-class, but with a better ride quality

I would have loved a sunroof in it, but beggars can’t be choosers…

As all ny others are personalized - so will this be… So need to find a set of black Y3 wing mirrors, and fit my 16” alloys from a Peugeot 605 SV24… I was originally planning on putting them on my 2.5 TD, but will find a set of 24V Speedline for that instead.

[Gasa]

..looks very good, many happy kilometers and enjoy driving.

[gwolfski]

That paint looks near perfect! A great find.

[Dieselman]

The previous french owned Citroën import company had the same philosofy about which models you could have here… they would however get you a manual, if you insisted… But I’ve never seen a XM in the same cathegory as BMW 7 series og Mercedes S-Class… Is just like a BMW 5 series or an E-class, but with a better ride quality

I would have loved a sunroof in it, but beggars can’t be choosers…

I wouldn't change to a larger wheel size, the Xm rides and handles very well on 15" wheels, although the Series 2 (Y4) does use taller sidewalls than S1.

The Xm was marketed to particularly rank against the E class, but a 3 litre with manual gearbox would have put it squarely in 5 series category. I know people rave about Rwd, but the Xm is a sharp handler, where the back end will drift out before the front loses grip.
As far as interior finish goes the upmarket brands do have the edge, but for overall experience some think the Xm beats all the others.

If you really want to know https://pocketmags.com/practical-classi ... ugust-2019

[Ferdinand]

I wouldn't change to a larger wheel size, the Xm rides and handles very well on 15" wheels, although the Series 2 (Y4) does use taller sidewalls than S1.

… and normally I would totally agree with you, but I can’t resist trying it trying it… and if it feels completely wrong I can also swap back to the ever lasting design og the Sepeedline 24V wheels.

SV24 alloys were rare even in the haydays of the Peugeot 605 and since then they’ve become even more rare, but next week I’m picking up a second set for pocket money, (I have a set of them already, but they need a lot of TLC, finding a nice clean set is simply beyond my wildest dream… But if I get tired of a harsh suspension I also a nice set of the original Speedline 24V alloys for it.