Citroen BX

...was one of those old Citroen BX. I loved it.

These cars are great. Why, you ask?

.*´¨ )
,.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ : (¸.•´ : (´¸.•*´¯`*•because they are sooooo comfortable.

~~the front seats are really large and can be adjusted in many different ways; you can incline the back of your seat until lying position, you can adjust the leg space area, and you can ...
...- i found a younger Citroen ;-)
- i was fed up with having to wait 5 minutes for the car to go up before i could drive off. No point being in a rush.
- of electrical problems. When I'd break, the headlights would light up!!! Impossible to find the solution to this puzzle, many tried!
- i was convinced it wouldn't pass another MOT
- it had 255 000km on the clock
I managed to sell it in that condition!! (1000€ =650 ... more

Hello! I wanted to talk to you about a car i used to have, that i sometimes regret. It was one of those old Citroen BX. I loved it.

These cars are great. Why, you ask?

.*´¨ )
,.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ : (¸.•´ : (´¸.•*´¯`*•because they are sooooo comfortable.

~~the front seats are really large and can be adjusted in many different ways; you can incline the back of your seat until lying position, you can adjust the leg space area, and you can increase or decrease the height of the seat, with makes it very comfy.
~~the suspension consists of a hydro-pneumatic system. This consists of 2 "spheres" under the bonnet and 2 above the back wheels, which stock the hydraulic fluid, the level of which must be checked regularly. This system is at the time very comfortable, giving a sort of "flying" impression over bumps, but also can get very expensive to repair, as there are several meters of this tiny pipes which run under the car diffusing the hydraulic fluid from the front to back suspension, but also to the breaks, and to the power steering. They do tend to crackle when they get old, and the fact that they are under the vehicle makes them vulnerable to temperature changes, or sticks and branches you may roll on.
~~the visibility you have when you drive it. It has windows all the way around, with very few blind points.
~~the back seats are comfy too, three real sized places with enough leg room for even the tallest amongst you all.
~~the interior design is luxurious. There are big pockets in the back of the front seats.
~~the boot is huge, i could get as much in there than i can with my ZX break now.

.*´¨ )
,.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ : (¸.•´ : (´¸.•*´¯`*•because they are sooooooo nifty

~~the hydraulic system, which is unique to this car, is self leveling. That means that you can modify the height of the entire car. Yes, for those who have never seen or been in one of these, the first impressions are really weird. There is a lever between the front seats which has four positions;
1. minimum -in this position, the car is really low on the ground, sometimes almost touching, and you can barely see the back wheel under the bodywork. This position is only used when repairing the car. However, if you don't start your car up for a while, it goes down into this position automatically. My advice ; don't park with your nose over a pavement! Or the pot!
2.normal driving height - to be at the right height, you have to start the car up. After a short wait, (depending in what condition your hydraulic pump is in) the car lifts itself up. You kind of feel like you're going to take off!
3. Intermediate height - This is the clever bit - you're driving in the country side, and you see a beautiful place to picnic by the river, only there's a great big mount of earth stopping your car from approaching your paradise...well, you just lift your lever to position 3. and tataaaa....your car rises, leaving you about the height a 4x4 would.
4. Maximum height - this position is used to check the level of your hydraulic fluid, or to change your tyres or wheels. It looks really odd from the outside. The car looks like it's on stilts with tyres! You mustn't drive in this position, or just to get out of a tricky situation, at a very slow speed, knowing that you risk to break something.

~~I had the BX Turbo Diesel, which was a real bomb...overtaking was so simple, and fast. Pulling out from a side road into fast rolling traffic didn't bother me, the acceleration was remarkable.

~~The power steering made parking child play! I could park using just the palm of my hand! Changing directions on a busy road was negotiable. All BX are front wheel drives. Mine had 5 gears, but some have 4 or are automatic.

.*´¨ )
,.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ : (¸.•´ : (´¸.•*´¯`*•because they are sooooo cheap!

To tell you the truth, i got this one by swapping another one; a 10 year old C15 (Citroen van) with a leak in the cylinder head gasket, which would have cost me a lot to repair. Also, i needed to change because my kids needed to sit in decent back seats.

It was also equipped with central locking, a roof hatch (which leaked in heavy rainfall), electric windows, and a little drawing of the car on the dash board which would light up if a door was badly closed, or if the boot was open. You can adjust the height of the headlights under the steering wheel, and there is a light in the glove box, which is handy.

It was extremely cheap to run, as the turbo also helps to economise. I recon 4l/100km. Insurance is also cheap as it had a small engine.

I kept it two years.

Why did i get rid of it?

.*´¨ )
,.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ : (¸.•´ : (´¸.•*´¯`*•because ;

- i spent a lot repairing it, and there was more to go...
- the roof leaked....
- it was 16 years old
- i found a younger Citroen ;-)
- i was fed up with having to wait 5 minutes for the car to go up before i could drive off. No point being in a rush.
- of electrical problems. When I'd break, the headlights would light up!!! Impossible to find the solution to this puzzle, many tried!
- i was convinced it wouldn't pass another MOT
- it had 255 000km on the clock
I managed to sell it in that condition!! (1000€ =650 pounds)

For those who want to know a little BX history, (found on the net) read on....
for those who don't give a damn.... i'll let you off....

The design of this car came out of the Italian styling house "Bertone". Marcello Gandini also designed the memorable Lamborghini Countach.
The first BX was presented at the Eiffel tower, Paris, on september 23rd 1982. It came out in the UK one year later. The first models were ; BX, BX14E, BX14RE, BX16 and BXTRS.
In march 1984, the first diesel appeared, the BX19RD.
1985 announced the BX19GT, a petrol model built with higher performances. That same year the BX Leader replaced the BX, BX14E and BX14RE, but kept the same engine and transmission.
In mid-1985, the first break versions came out; BX16RS estate and the BX16TRS estate. A special edition, BX 4 wheel drive rally car was constructed, the BX4TC, with also a twin carburettor BX sports mode.
In 1987, out came the BXGTi (fuel injection), the BX19GTi (soupapes) with 16 valves and an engine and motronic fuel injection/ignition system. The dash boards are improved and ABS is an option.
1988 was the introduction of the BX Turbo Diesel 1.7 litres with inter-cooler and ABS.
1989 a BX 4x4 and a BX16GTi arrived.
Early 1990, a BX19 TZi with catalytic converters.
The TRS,TRE,TGS,RS and RE models are replaced by the TZI, TGI and TGE models.
In late '92 the BX16TXi. Catalytic converter equipped saloon and estate models were added to the range.

The BX production ceased in 1994, replaced by the Zantia.

2.5 million cars were built, making it the most popular Citroën after the 2CV.
I'll include a few pictures that i found on the internet, seeing as i never took any of my one.
Well i think that's about it, thanks for reading me! ;-)

 

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