1996 VSX Estate, 2.5TD, Northern Ireland, Now sold complete for spares - thanks!

[Datsuncog]

After a lot of head scratching and chin stroking, I've decided to break my XM Estate. It's a fantastic driver, the interior and electrics are great, but tragically a previous owner's bodging has killed it.

Spec is:

1996 Citroen XM VSX 2.5 TD Estate, Manual
Admiral Blue
192k (nearly)
Blue/ Grey velour interior
Chassis no. VF7Y4NY0000NY7102
Originally GB registered as N540YBL
Located in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland

As mentioned, it starts and stops fine, has given me absolutely no trouble. I bought it in August last year to help with a house move, and have continued to use it for trailer towing and carting various bits of building material. It's the best driving car I've ever owned bar none, and it's breaking my heart to part with it. I'm no expert on XMs, but having failed its MOT spectacularly I felt this was too rare a beast to simply take to the crusher.

Good bits:
- Interior largely complete and clean, except two minor cigarette burns to driver seat (not mine). Tatty leather steering wheel with airbag replaced with much better item.
- Engine complete and running well. Belts changed up to 160k. All ancillaries doing what they should.
- All four electric windows and both door mirrors working perfectly
- Three good switches on the two front seats, motors working
- Central locking working fine; two keys (remote function not working on one, but fine in the ignition)
- All suspension spheres replaced March 2010 (receipts to show)
- Tyres and battery all recent.
- All lights and glass complete and uncracked; headlights, tail lights, front fogs.
- Towbar and electrics in good working order.
- All original owner's handbooks in wallet.

Bad bits:
- The bodywork. When I bought it, most of the panels were dinged in some way. There was a lot of poorly applied paint round the rear wheelarches. This blossomed into some spectacular rust blisters over the long, hard, salty winter.
- The MOT tester discovered that the nearside sill was composed of fibreglass resin, lengths of electrical conduit and lots and lots of plastic bags stuffed into the cavity. Basically there is no sill. Both drop sills in front of the rear wheels are corroded. The offside front jacking point is corroded.
- The nearside front suspension strut has nearly come away.
- Corrosion on the suspension turrets, inexpertly disguised with black Hammerite
- The exhaust has been extensively patched and the centre pipe section has detached from the rear transverse silencer.
- The heater doesn't heat and the demister fan barely works.
- The windscreen washers work erratically, and the front lamp washers sometimes pop up but mostly don't.
- The electric sunroof cords have come away, so it won't budge.
- The hydraulic regulator is weeping a moderate amount of LM fluid (top-up about 100ml a month)
- The LCD displays on the dash show a few blank lines
- The bonnet gas struts have a habit of dropping the bonnet on your head
- Someone drilled holes in the roof rails, for some reason.
- There's some slight dampness inside, possibly through the rear door seals, although not that major compared to other cars I've owned.
- Occasional 'thunk' from rear suspension, followed by a drop in ride height, which then rises up again.

The car was in regular use until it failed the MOT in April this year, and never broke down or failed to start. Over the winter it rescued a number of friends and family who were stuck or stranded, and pulled a few cars out of ditches. The torque and performance of the turbodiesel shamed many a boy racer at the lights. Truly this was a great car.

I was told by the former owner that the car was dealer registered on an N plate on 29 January 1996, then hung around the forecourt before being transferred to a Citroen dealer in Londonderry, NI. A local hotel then bought it and used it as a general hack for over ten years before trading it in at the dealer. One of the Citroen mechanics bought it and kept it for a few years to tow his stock-car (ghostly window stickers to this effect appear when it steams up inside). Eventually it passed to a chap from Donegal in Eire who intended to restore it but realised the initial registration fee to legally register it in Ireland would be over 1000 Euro, and so passed it on to me.

If it was only the welding needing done, I'd get it done. But the car is cosmetically not great, and the dents and scrapes all over the body mean it will never be worth restoring while solid original S2s are still available. The LM fluid leak, suspension strut problem, non-working heater and jammed sunroof have made me reluctant to spend money on a car which will never really be right. One day, I'll get a good XM to treasure and enjoy, but not yet.

The bottom line is that it appears to me to be only good for parts. A mechanic friend has advised that the carcass is worth about £160-£200 to a metal recycler, so with that in mind I would be willing to sell the car complete. However, tax and MOT has run out so this may be tricky to move. It's currently SORNed.

If there's any parts you're looking for, drop me a line below and I'll advise you if I have it/ if I think I can get it off without breaking it. I'd sooner see the old girl go to help as many other XMs stay on the road as possible before it's time for that great Autoroute in the sky.

Thanks,

Tim

This post has been edited by Datsuncog on May 14, 2011 01:21 am

[Datsuncog]

Oh, and there's plenty more pictures of it, inside and out, which I'm happy to send to anyone wanting more information.

T.

[robert_e_smart]

The car is now sold to me. I'll be picking this car up within the next couple of weeks.

This post has been edited by robert_e_smart on May 13, 2011 08:22 pm

[Datsuncog]

Condition of the nearside sill - forewarned is forearmed!