%#@&*!! (or, another perfectly good XM totalled)

[peterh]

On Sept. 26, I was peacefully waiting at a roundabout for an opportunity to enter it, when a Renault Mégane ferociously slammed its front into the rear of my silver-grey XM 2.1 TD of 2000. The collision was so violent that, when I tried to take my car out of the traffic line, it appeared that the Mégane (which was evidently not in a position to move on its own anyway) was stuck to my XM's rear.

Long story short: both cars were write-off's. The Mégane would never move again except on a recovery vehicle, and the XM's chassis was bent -- to the tune of well over 5000 euro's. Since it was evident whose fault it was, it was an insurance issue.

The good news: my XM was valued at 4500 euro's, and I got 950 euro's for the wreckage (which was still running fine), so the opponent's insurance will pay me 3550 euro to cover the damage.

The bad news: my XM was a particularly good runner - quick (for a 2.1 auto) and very smooth, and good 2.1 TD autos are getting rare.
I did find a decent one, from 1998, in Bleu Mauritius. It has all options that I had (climate control, cruise control), and a few more (full leather, trip computer, and the "double rear window" which stays down when you open the hatch), but it doesn't run as smooth as the grey countess. But then again, there aren't many that do run as smooth, according to the guys at Renard. It did come with a fairly complete service history. And a sunroof, which is not the original Citroën sunroof, but a very expensive (and very reliable) Webasto sunroof.

The good news: at €2750, it was quite a bit more affordable than the grey countess. It had a few minor issues, which were sorted before I got it (tyres, tyre alignment, rear brakes needed to be bled). The only thing I need to sort is the cruise control. Plus I got wobbly-web-wheels with it, which were in better condition than the wobbly-webs on the grey countess.

Last Tuesday, I took the grey countess to her last resting place (the broker who bought it). That was rather sad. Apparently, he's going to strip it for parts. I nicked the ashtray and the manuals, for sentimental reasons.

Everyone else likes the dark metallic blue colour better than the silver grey. I'm not so sure.

[Dean]

Hi Peter

Im sorry to hear of this but on the upside at least your not hurt and the insurance covered you, just such a shame to loose such a nice car, i hope this one brings you more luck as i believe that is now the second time someone has ploughed into you beloved car??

Any pictures of your new toy for the nosey amongst us then???

D

[colinxm]

Hi Peter,so sorry to read your news... one the plus side, you are unhurt and it sounds like you've found a good replacement - not an easy thing to do anymore... didn't you fancy salvaging the the engine etc for yourself ?

Colin.P

[andmcit]

Hi Peter - good to see you found us all here again after losing club-xm.com but sad news to hear your silver Countess is no more.

I do find the colour makes a significant difference to the impression you have of a car despite it being identical model/trim/age etc.
I recall the car was a particularly nice one to drive from your descriptions in the past so it must be a real wrench seeing it irreparably
damaged and broken up for pieces.

The new car may never fully win your heart as much as your head but at least it's still an Xm!!
All the best with your new journey in the Citroen adventure.

Andrew

[citroenmad]

Thats very sad, your old silver one did look a very tidy car.

You seem to have a replacement which sounds just as nice though, maybe doesnt feel like your old car but it might do with time.

Chris.

[Ciaran]

Hi Peter,

Very sorry to hear about your accident, and the loss of a fantastic XM. As others have said, at least no one was hurt, and the insurance are actually willing to pay out a sensible price. If that had been here, you'd have had an uphill battle on your hands to get more than a few hundred for it
I recently had a minor accident in my series 1 car, it was only a broken grille and headlights, no structural / metal damage, and though I wasn't thinking of claiming anyway, I was informed in no uncertain terms by the insurance company that if I did claim, even for that, then the car would without doubt be an immediate write off... I'm glad your company seem to have some sense.

This new blue car sounds nice. I know its not quite the same as the beloved silver one, but hopefully in time you can come to enjoy it.

Glad to have you back on the forum in one piece none the less!

Ciarán

[peterh]

Hi Peter

Im sorry to hear of this but on the upside at least your not hurt and the insurance covered you, just such a shame to loose such a nice car, i hope this one brings you more luck as i believe that is now the second time someone has ploughed into you beloved car??

This is true. The first time, it was repaired to the tune of €3700, but now, it was bent way beyond that.

Any pictures of your new toy for the nosey amongst us then??? D

No good ones - yet. But that will be remedied.

If that had been here, you'd have had an uphill battle on your hands to get more than a few hundred for it

In our neck of the woods, things are done in a different way. The insurance looks at a realistic replacement cost for a car of the same age and mileage. Since good, young XM's are getting rather rare here, the prices are on the up -- and whatever insurance values the car at is driven by the market.

When trying to find a new one, I came across one 2000 XM 2.1 TD being sold at € 12.000. That's a bit stiff that is.
But then again, these S2 2.1 TD's are VERY good cars. Service them, sort out the electrics, and the only way to kill them is to slam a Mégane in its rear end. I've had only two cars that were as reliable as the grey countess - a Rover 600 (which is essentially a Honda Accord, so that figures) and - believe it or not - a Series 1 CX 2300 Pallas. All others (including a Skoda Octavia 1.9 TD, and a 2006 Toyota Avensis) have been less reliable than the grey XM.
She never missed a beat, and she only needed regular service - a bit of oil and LHM and the odd wiper and bulb, that's it. She took us through grim winter weather, and up the Pyrenees in a scorching hot Southern French summer, without so much as a frown, let alone a hiccup.

The Blue Angel hasn't had as much luck in the past. The service history tells about a broken fan belt that also took out the distribution belt, which necessitated a head rebuild. She's also had her Lucas Epic pump rebuilt, and her windscreen and passenger seat replaced after a steel bar came off a truck to hit the car (there was nobody occupying the passenger seat at the time. Phew.)
The only thing that's left for me to sort out is the cruise control.
She's not as smooth as the grey countess, but Renard (my Cit diesel specialist) reckons that she's got a lot of miles left in her anyway.

[peterh]

A (crappy) picture:



Believe it or not, the grey XM on the right is a write-off.
The dark blue (Bleu Mauritius) XM on the left is my 'new' XM. I've nicked her "the Blue Angel" - she's named after the most reliable diesel train that's ever graced the Dutch railroads. I hope she lives up to her name.

This was the last time they were at the same location at the same time - this picture was made when we delivered the car at the broker's, and we said goodbye to the Grey Countess. We needed to get back home after that, so we needed to drive to the venue with two cars. My wife, who will maintain at gunpoint that "it's just a car", specifically wanted to drive the Grey Countess that evening. I'm fairly sure that she liked that car quite a bit more than she's ready to admit.