Xantia of truth !!!

Advantages: Performance, Reliability, Price & Fuel Consumption
Disadvantages: Turning circle.

...About three months ago, my car completely gave up the ghost and I was left needing to purchase another car as soon as possible as I had no other way of getting to work. I have friends who work in the trade and I was able to ask them for their advice and assistance. I was told that due to my budget (which was less than £1000) my best option would be to buy a trade-in vehicle that the dealership wanted rid of quickly. These are usually very competitively priced as the dealer does not want them taking up space in the compound and they also feel that they can get more from a quick sale rather than send it to auction. After looking at a number of similar vehicles (such as a Mondeo and a Vectra) I decided to buy a 1993 L Reg Citroen Xantia 1.9 TD for £200 from a Citroen dealer in Chester. The car had 63000 miles on the clock - which...

edd1977 17.10.2006 · Read review
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Review of Citroen Xantia 1.9 TD

Xantia 2 Litre Estate

Advantages: Loads of space
Disadvantages: Expensive parts

...good when your in a hurry off a standing start. Once into 2nd gear it really begins to pull with 60 MPH coming up in about 10 seconds from standstill. Top speed is rated at 120 MPH. The downside is that its thirsty, averaging around 30 to 35 MPG and sometimes dropping down to a mere 25 MPG, OUCH !!! This car, along with all Xantias is fitted with the famous Self Levelling - Hydro Elastic Suspension. This gives the car a superb ride. Probably the most comfortable car to ride in its class. If it goes wrong its a nightmare to fix and costs a fortune, so get a good warranty. The car is all electric with Electric ; Windows, Sunroof, Door Mirrors, along with an adequate Radio Cassette. Other standard equipment includes an Alarm, an Engine Immobiliser with a keypad, height adjustable Steering Wheel, buttons for changing the settings...

bond008 08.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of Citroen Xantia 2.0

Citroen Xantia 1.9 diesel N reg

Advantages: comfort, economy, style
Disadvantages: none

...I am surprised to read the poor review by Degsy. I have owned a Xantia 1.9D N reg for nearly 2 years now which I bought from a friend who had run it for about 2 years himself. During the time my friend had it he twice drove to Italy and back, the second time towing a medium sized caravan. There were no problems. Since I have had it, I drove all round the south of England and through all Wales and back to Manchester on just over one tank of diesel and the car just went nicely all the way. Last year it sailed through its MoT test requiring only one rear bulb to be replaced. It is about to go for this year's test and I am only aware of one low tyre to replace and flexi brake hoses at the front, and wiper blades. Very cheap and reliable is what I would call that car. It has never failed to start first time and has never let me down. I use...

Rubendow 17.11.2007 · Read review
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Review of Citroen Xantia 2.0

Well looked-after examples are an amazing bargain.

Advantages: Still looks modern, fantastic ride comfort on long journeys, great for towing.
Disadvantages: Some common faults develop (but they're well known and easy to fix). Bargains to be found!

...I bought my Xantia about 6 months ago and it has been the bargain of my life. I was lucky to find an example that had been very well looked after and I have had minimal problems with it. You'll often hear that the suspension is complex on these Citroens but it's really not, once you understand it. It's just very clever (and different)! Mine doesn't have all the toys but it does have air conditioning which will be very welcome as the weather heats up. In fact this is 'climate control' where you can set the temperature to your desired setting and put it on 'auto' and the car will work the heater, air con and blower semi-intelligently to maintain that temperature in the car. The 16-valve engine is smooth and sufficiently powerful (but no more). The car is often noted for being one of the best towing vehicles ever, due to its automatic...

Izzard-UK 19.02.2006 · Read review
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Review of Citroen Xantia 1.8

French and Stylish

Advantages: Styling, Ride, Comfort, Gadgets
Disadvantages: Thirsty

...I've now had a Xantia 1.8i 16v for nearly 6 months now, It was bought as i'm pretty lanky and was completely fed up with small cars. Being 6'6" this is an ideal car as there is plenty leg room even when I have the seat back, I can have someone sit behind me. Also these cars can be picked up very cheaply, especially the Mk1. I paid £375 for a 1996 N reg with a year MOT and 100k on the clock. I had looked for a diesel version as this would have been more economic with fuel and insurance, but they were out the price range I had set. Even with the high mileage this car runs sweet. No noises from the engine and no smoke from the rear. For the price second hand I couldn't recommend something better, especially with equipment. INTERIOR The interior of this car is great, lots of room for 5 people and the seats are really comfortable...

John_severn 19.04.2006 · Read review
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Review of Citroen Xantia 1.8

Classic Citroen Comfort

Advantages: Comfort, handling, nice to drive, loads of room
Disadvantages: cost of parts

...of an RAC blunder- maybe an op on that sometime!). It was going to be away for 3 weeks. I teach in a boarding school in the middle of nowhere. You know the sort- ex stately home.The upshot was, no car no work. If I don't go in for any reason I do not get paid. Such is the sorry lot of the music teacher. I was left then with no choice; I could hire a car or I could buy another cheapish second hand one. So there we have it- I set off with my only available five hours to go car shopping. I had given myself a budget of a maximum of three and a half thousand. Ideally I wanted diesel and an estate car. Sadly, that was not to be as time to shop was very limited indeed and nowhere in a travelleable distance had anything in my price range. I won't bore you with all the others I looked at as this is a Xantia opinion! I finally settled on a 1993...

water-witch 28.10.2001 · Read review
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Review of Citroen Xantia 1.8

Lovely car

Advantages: smooth ride, hydraulic suspension, good finance deals at Citroen at the moment, lovely ride and very spacious
Disadvantages: hydraulic suspension can be a costly repair if it goes on you

...A while ago I had the pleasure to go on a journey in a Citroen Xantia and I have to say I was very impressed. I have always been a fan of Citroens, we've had a couple of Citroen vans over the past 10 years (C25 and Berlingo) and both have been incredibly reliable and economical (or as economical as you can expect a van to be). The Xantia is no different. The engine has plenty of power and can accelerate without too much hassle at all. The interior is very nice also. There is bags of space both in the front and in the back and they have amply sized boots too. The ride in one of these is excellent also. This has a lot to do with the fact that the Xantia has Citroens hydraulic suspension in it, an ingenious invention if you carry heavy loads as it can help maintain the cars excellent handling and balance under loads of all sizes. Also...

CyrixDes 07.09.2000 · Read review
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Review of Citroen Xantia 2.0

A floating cruiser

Advantages: ride, handling(for a large car) and economy
Disadvantages: noise and parts cost

...The styling of the xantia has dated better than expected and this has made them more desireable as a sensible family car than many competitors. Inside the Xantia is the standard family car with a reasonably good helping of electrical gizmos as standard to keep the children amused. The car is a very comfortable one to ride in for long distances due mainly to the hydraulic suspension coupled with adaptive dampers which give a soft, floating, cushoning ride whilst removing a lot of the body roll that plagued the earlier Xantias. Our car is L registered and the suspension is still as good as new. The 1.9 TD engine develops fair torque at low revs but tends to run out of power very early and rapid up shift is required to keep things on the boil. The 5 speed manual gearbox has a short throw which helps quick gear changes and is relaxing...

NickHall 08.08.2000 · Read review
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Review of Citroen Xantia 1.9 TD

A shed on wheels

Advantages: Comfortable seats, steering wheel mounted stereo controls
Disadvantages: unreliable, boring, poor residuals

...I had the misfortune to own an M reg Xantia 2.0 LX for 21 months. It is the worst car I have ever owned. Reasons why? 1) The keypad immobiliser drove me nuts. I had to type in a code everytime I started the car. The sensor was conveniently located under a wheel arch, so everytime it rained, water got in the system, and the car would not start. Cue another trip to the garage. My first service after owning the car three months cost £650! 2) It handled like a barn door and behaved like a jelly on springs anytime you even looked at a corner. There was no grip in the wet, and the brakes were terrible. Also because it was a 2 litre engine, my insurance company classed it as a sportscar! They had obviously never driven one. 3) The car cost £15k new. One would have thought for that price the cassette player would have a rewind...

gray 26.09.2001 · Read review
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Review of Citroen Xantia 2.0

A joke on wheels

Advantages: I can't think of any!
Disadvantages: Too many to mention, please read on.

...I have never felt so let down by a car as I have done by my Citroen Xantia. In two years of running this poor excuse for a car, I have suffered the humiliation of breaking down no less than three times within a 14 month period. I will list below some of the many faults and rough repair costs I have encountered: 1. New engine & Clutch - £950.00 2. New mid & rear exhaust sections - £160.00 3. New brake pads x 3 sets - £180.00 4. New brake discs x 2 sets - £280.00 5. New battery - £35.00 6. New gear linkage - £160.00 7. New set of hydractive suspension globes - £550.00 8. New rocker cover box & Gasket - £160.00 9. New brake calipper - £130.00 As you can see for an L reg car with only 56'000 miles on the clock when I got it, it has not been a cheap car to run. I perhaps wouldn't mind so much if I did a high mileage...

Degsy 06.02.2002 · Read review
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Review of Citroen Xantia 2.0