Going to look at an XM tomorrow - any advice

[messerschmitt owner]

AM off to look at a 2.1 manual vsx in green metallic tomorrow - two owners - Citroen for 38,000 miles and one man for 140,000 miles- garaged all its life with fsh (Citroen and citroen specialist) - not used for past couple of years but does start and goes up! Obviously no t&t.

Supposedly rust free and in excellent condition. So, what to look for?

[andmcit]

Check out condition of the tyres, exhaust and strut tops which will all have been festering with the long layup.
The brake calipers will very likely be binding as they've sat in the same position for ages and could be seized
into the locked position. Without pressure in the system the spheres could very well be OK but there's a
popular view that their nitrogen can escape faster.

The manual clutch won't give problems sticking on like other cars can. If it's running already the problem of
expelling any air into the pump won't be a hassle but you may need to pump and bleed the feed still.

Is the mileage 180k? Check the bite and action of the clutch.
Why was it laid up off the road for a couple of years - schizophrenic hydractive suspension?

Andrew

[Peter.N.]

Check around the coolant filler cap for signs of expelled antifreeze and at the end of the overflow pipe, if it has been blowing fluid out, that is a sign of head gasket leakage. Check to see if it has plenty of anti freeze, dip your finger in the coolant and tast it, it should be quite sweet, if its plain water it could be because its been blowing it out - gasket leakage.The head gasket is about the only serious fault these engines suffer with.

Check the condition of the clutch by pushing the pedal to the floor and feeling the resistance as you do, they are all fairly heavy but if there is little wear the pedal will get a little lighter as it nears the floor, if it feels the same the clutch is worn but not necessarily failing. To check for clutch slip, floor the throttle at about 2000 rpm or just over, that's when its most prone to slipping. If you can't take it on the road, put it into 5th gear, give it a few revs and see if you can stall it.

The 2nd gear synchro tends to fail with age, make sure it goes into gear without crunching. Apart from that and the usual visual checks, I can't think of anything. You will probably have to replace all the spheres, if you want a decent ride anyway.

Peter

[messerschmitt owner]

Ta all

it was laid up as he inherited a Ford Escort and started using it instead - he's a retired computer engineer, which fits the XM profile too.

He has since scrappaged the Ford and bought a C1 - now he wants to see the XM go to a good home.

[Peter.N.]

Is it a Mk1 or 2?

[messerschmitt owner]

A 1997 Mk2 with the immobiliser keypad and, I guess, lucas epic diesel pump, mileage is 180k.

[andmcit]

Sounds good especially the manual and it being green bits although it may have a requirement for it's 3rd clutch
although Peter will now no doubt say he gets 300k out of each clutch...

Andrew

[Peter.N.]

That's a very rare car then, hardly any manuals made or sold after '96. Hope its OK for you, look forward to seeing some pics.

Peter

[Peter.N.]

Sounds good especially the manual and it being green bits although it may have a requirement for it's 3rd clutch
although Peter will now no doubt say he gets 300k out of each clutch...

Andrew

292,000 is the record

[andmcit]

Nearly right then!

Yes, a rare manual diesel s2. Icing on the cake is it's colour (well for some anyhow).
Seems many late cars didn't make it to Exclusive spec and SX and VSX seem more common.

Is this seen as an addition to your expanding eclectic fleet or a spares donor M-O?

Andrew