Cx 22trs 2165cc Petrol '89 G Silver 73k Miles

Silver Cx22trs 2165 cc petrol on a G plate. Mileage is just under 73k. 6 months MOT.
Would make an ideal practical first CX!! The s2 carb petrol 2.2 is the sensible choice really



My pal, Peter's car!

Preamble:
I've hummed and harred about having it (I've actually said on several occasions that I WILL have
it) but I really REALLY mustn't as my collection needs thinning as you may no doubt already know!
Peter drives a daily Xm and Xantia which he says reasonably grind the 1000+miles a week he
does for his business but without much in the way of excitement for him compared to that the
Cx gives! He adores the car but his circumstances have changed (at one stage he'd decided it'd
be a long term 'keeper') and as much as it pains him this will need to find a new home before the
end of the year now as dry storage will no longer be available for it. It really now needs to find
a caring enthusiast home and it shouldn't be left out in all weathers - if that's possible!!

History:
The car was a one owner car from the west country all it's life and never strayed far from the
local main Citroen Agent who carried out all the regular servicing and maintenance and in fact it
was sold back to them when the original owner decided to retire from driving any more 2 years
ago. One of the long term mechanics took a shine to it and bought it for himself and kept it fully
pampered for a short period before he decided it wasn't his thing after all and sold it to Peter,
who'd been holding out waiting for such a car for a number of years!

Interior:
This is one of the last saloons with the VIP extra spec over the ordinary 22 TRS including metal
electric slide sunroof, 4x lekky windows, GTi/Turbo herringbone/sawtooth velour interior and ABS!
The interior is in fantastic condition and looks like it's hardly been sat in. There's no wear on the
driver's seat in any of the expected places; actually the later Cx's have almost indestructible
seats. They're massively comfy and yet supportive in a way the Xm seats aren't. All switches
and electrical items work as they should including all the electric windows/roof/mirrors. The boot
is nice and clean and looks like it's never seen the kind of clobber I squeeze into my cars which
spoil the floor carpet.

Bodywork:
The car has spent almost it's entire life garaged and pampered and as such there are NO real
rust issues though it is nearly 20years old so there are going to be some minor aging pains.
Cosmetically, there are some details that DO need addressing sooner rather than later to
make the car a real masterpiece - no real effort will make the car even more of a looker than
it already is. There are signs of metal/paint needing sorting around/on the sunroof where it's been
anti-rusted and there's some bubbling on the hinged area inside the driver's door on the main
door frame that you don't really see and it's not structural - there's a scuff or two on the plastic
bumpers and the nearside front wing (again anti rusted). For some reason the nearside rear
door looks like it's got a slight difference in the finish as though it's has some early life door
skin repair by the Citroen agent but you'd have to look hard for it in certain lights and there
are no signs of rust in it if it was repaired. That said there's a soft dent 'wobble' in the flow of
reflections off the middle of the panel and I've tried to capture it in the pics - maybe the garage
made a localised repair to spare the previous owner's embarrassment and the paint's not wearing
as well as the rest of the car? Had this on my best Cx where some sh!t judo kicked it.
There's no record of it in the paperwork with the car.

Where these cars 'go' with rust are in the rear door jambs, rear 3/4's, around the A pillars and
front floorpan/sills and happily this is brilliant and fresh looking in all these areas and is obviously
fresh from an MOT pass anyhow.

Really, it's arguably one of the best colours for a Cx and the paintwork is bright and shiny, and
this CX wears it's age very well. If you REALLY wanted to be picky, the silver reflector of the
driver's headlight looks a bit thin and though not affecting the MOT or night driving looks a bit
sad being noticeable in the big styling feature headlights.

Steering & suspension:
The car rides 100% on recent spheres and has had a new timing belt and service in its last 100
miles. Don't forget there are no naff McDuff struts here to worry about with double wishbones
and big top/bottom balljoints. Centrepoint steering geometry means no wheel lean and precise
pinsharp steering and the car can be fed through winding country lanes as deftly as a stable
effortless 90+ mph blast down the motorway! The fabulous famous DIRAVI is 100% and it's
effortless to use with the correct assistance and weighting up across the speed range and self
centering as it should on it's big single spoke steering wheel. Incidentally, there's no noticeable
'pull' to the left or right when the car is allowed to run forwards free on an even flat surface.

Driving:
It drives with a nice tight feel and there are no nasty clonks or vibrations and it's a very
nice easygoing car to pilot about the place. The brakes are absolutely sh!t hot with no judder
or lag notwithstanding the ABS which does everything it's supposed to do! The clutch feels right
and there's no suggestion it's at the end of it's adjustment and the operation is smooth without
any snatching or slipping. There don't appear to be any issues with any carburettor jet problems
and when driven in everyday easygoing driving the car will return high 30's mpg and if you've a
more placid driving style should get low 40's.

Equipment:
Along with the usual s2 kit and electrics previously mentioned, it's fitted with a genuine Citroën
towbar and the fitment of a charging plug for a spare camping battery in the boot suggests it has
been used to tow a caravan by the previous owner. There is a spare steel unused from day one
found under the bonnet complete with wheel centre jack and handle.

Price;
I'm not personally involved in the £ value but it drives superbly and it DOES look straight and
smart; obviously there are cosmetics but realistically these aren't that significant; I'd suggested
a ballpark value for negotiation oiro £1000 to Peter though that's WITH THE ALFA ALLOYS with
perfect near new tyres as PICTURED here.

Reduce the price by 200 if you take it on with still legal but boring steels (which it's currently
being stored on). In fact, there may be a slight issue in finding nice wheeltrims as the alloys
are the preferred choice for it's regular use!!

As an incentive to see the car sold to an enthusiastic Citroen nutter I'm told Peter will listen to
sensible offers but we both feel the value is fair even in these current uncertain financial times
and a good one of these should start seeing figures of £1500 - £2000+ and none of them are
getting any younger or easy to find now especially with the life left in it with such modest
mileage this one shows.










Last word:
Inspections are welcome when given ample notice; and the car is located in Cowbridge
[nr Cardiff] - for more details contact Peter on pjones007@hotmail.co.uk
or call/text Peter on 07738 705007 or simply reply here as I'm always about and and
perfectly happy to converse about anything CX!!

After writing all of the above I'm not totally sure whether I just might have talked myself
into buying it yet and it's the simple practicality of one more parking space more than the
price that's putting me off snapping Peter's arm off for the keys!

See below for more pictures!!

Andrew

This post has been edited by Andmcit on December 02, 2008 04:55 pm

Drooooooool!

Is that the 2.2 pushrod engine with timing chain or the OHC with timing belt?

Pardon my ignorance but I may have to try to persuade Mrs Bigjohnh that what we REALLY need is a CX!


John

It's NOT the original Citroen (DS) derived pushrod/chain unit that's tougher than a Rottweiler
with a flick-knife but the later Renaualt/Volvo/Peugeot/Citroen Douvrin OHC unit and the
timing belt has been done and is the newest bit on the car!!

I personally think the alloys 'make' the look of this car and wheel trims or original Cit alloys
look fussy and in truth very last century and naff!!

I forgot to mention, if the nearside rear door REALLY is a deal maker, I've got one spare
and could be persuaded to sell it for a fair price!!

Andrew

On reading one point I made here earlier about the door frame I don't mean the bodyshell (sill/pillar)
surround; I mean the main frame of the actual door itself excluding the obvious visible outer skin!!

Anyone who knows Cx's will know where I'm talking about - it's a weird but visible spot that I'm
sure no other car suffers from rust issues with! You can ignore it alltogether or fix/replace the door!!

The sills and pillars of the car are fine!!!!!!



Dammit, I'm going to have a sleep on it and talk to Peter tomorrow.
I'm hoping someone does me a favour and takes away temptation!!

I AM really that keen myself as it's better than my 'best' 22TRS. Those who are eagle eyed here will
recognise the car is one of the pictures I've included in my reader's rides posting where I had at that
time agreed to take it from Peter but then he got cold feet and asked if I was just taking it on for
the sake of it and he ended up keeping it until now. Godammit, I'm not sure what to do myself!

Andrew

This might give a good indication of value:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=260318447896

Need some pics of the interior old bean

Yes - that's a map reading lamp that works in the passenger footwell!

Andrew

Look at all those Xantias!!

The Cx looks very tidy, they really suit your Alfa wheels.

Our old G reg TRS had the map reading light too, an odd idea.

The red ebay car is a very nice colour too. The seller has an Ami 6 too! Rare car indeed.

This post has been edited by Citroenmad on November 28, 2008 02:40 pm

Gawd, he puts in a shot of the INTERIOR! Someone kill me please...

Stop. Tempting. Meeee.
(hums repeated mantra:
It's a right-hand drive, Peter, and it's a manual, and it's a Series 2... you really want a Series 1, or else a TRD Turbo 2 automatic with left-hand drive... plus if you buy one, you also need a divorce lawyer )

Seriously: these were some of the best CX's made - and for that reason, some of the best cars made in that era. While I would personally favour a TRD Turbo 2, the 2200 petrol version has quite a reputation to uphold as well.

And it is true that the CX seats have more to offer than XM seats. It's just that the CX 'rolls' more in corners than the XM does, so you need the extra support more. But while the XM has excellent car seats, the CX chair made a fine lounge chair. My mother had one for some time as a lounge chair, actually (she loved the CX).

ps: am I the only one who doesn't like the wheels? They don't suit the car. True, the original wheels are "last-century", but then again, so is the car. I've always found the steel wheel with the closed stainless steel cover the quintessential CX wheel.

This post has been edited by peterh on November 28, 2008 05:48 pm

I love the wheels, true they are very modern for an older car.

They would not suit most cars of the CX generation, however i dont think the CX ages much at all, it was, when it came out very spaceship like, with its mad looks and even more insane interior, its not an older car, its just itself and dates very well i think. For that reason i think it suits a CX to have more up to date wheels.

Infact, IMO, what dates most CXs are their old style wheels, especially the GTi ones, like on the red ebay CX.

The Alfa wheels make the whole car look much more modern. Wheels make or break a car!

Likewise the Xm, i dont think that dates either, as like the CX there is nothing which looks similar. Compare a 1990 Xm with a 1990 Ford Granada Or Volvo, the Citroen is the only one which doesnt look its age. In my opinion.

The thing i think which helps that is, Citroen did not really update the CX or Xm very much over their life span, a lot of untrained eyes would not notice that there is a S1 or S2 Xm, the CX is different with its plastic bumpers, but everything else is pretty similar on the outside.

Where as the Ford and Volvo (an most things like that) got undates, facelifts etc which made the older ones look dated.

Or thats my thinking anyway

I think that the CX (and the DS, and the XM, for that matter) have a specific quality in that they are timeless.

Apart from small details, the basic DS design could still be used today. Same is true for the CX, the GS, the XM, and to a point, the BX. They age well because the basic design does not age at all -- it is not specific to any trend or fashion, it is just very much itself, and beautifully, timelessly unique.

This in itself is not unique to Citroën... Alfa Romeo has done the same thing for decades. What is unique to Citroën is that they pulled off unique designs without compromising on the principle of "form follows function".

Over the last three years, I've driven an Avensis, which is considered to be a miracle when it comes to space saving. Yes, the Avensis is spacious. That's mainly because the engine room was designed specifically for a 4 cylinder. As a result, the Avensis has a very short bonnet.

Brilliant, you might say. But here's the catch.
The XM Berline is only 8mm longer. Yet, it it as spacious in the front, offers more leg room in the rear, and as much trunk space. And yet it has a bonnet that allows fitting a V6 in.

What. Am. I. Missing?

I cannot even begin to figure it out. What did Citroën do to the XM to make it so much bigger than it really is? I mean, the XM (even though it looks longer) is 50 mm shorter than the Rover 600 that I drove. Where did they get all this space from, in a package that looks so bloody good?

I think the likely difference is the younger Avensis has an NCAP high star rating and the older car
doesn't! To manage this I'm sure a lot of computer crunching hours have been devoted to making
the bodyshell strong and manufactured to mind boggling tolenances BUT additional flab and
therefore weight has been added to challenge the interior envelope that is percieved as spacious
and airy. Is it any surprise now that a VW Fox or whstever is the size of a mk1 Golf and the
new Golf is the size of Switzerland!? How else would it get the all important 5 star rating!

Andrew

Yes, given that the Xantia is a 1 star euro n cap, i dont really want to think what the older design of the Xm is I cant imagine it being worse though but its never been tested.

Its ture though, thats where a lot of cars lose the space now, seats are thicker to have airbags in them, they usually have a longer dashboard and most modern cars have a massively long front. Look how much overhang the 407, C5 and the likes have, the front is very soft, you can press against it and the bumpers press in, all for pedestrian safety. Id not like to be hit by the Xm, that front bumper seems very solid and pointed.

On the other hand the C6 is a different ball game, is it not still one of the safest cars to be run down by!??

I always think of the Xm as a massive car, when in reality most modern large family cars are the same size. Have you seen a new Mondeo estate, they are huge!

Everything about the Xm is spacious, the bonnet is very long, as is the front overhang, there is plenty of space for front and rear passengers and a nice big boot to go with it. Just how a big luxury car should be!

I think the XM was tested, and came out very well as I remember, far better than you may think

Stewart