- - - will have to be replaced one day. It is seven and a half years old,has done 64000,has had its cambelt changed and 6 new spheres,had new glowplugs a while back unnecessarily when a main dealer failed to cure bad starting, has 2 brand new tyres on the front,rides perfectly,has no rattles,no rust (but paint is flaking off the bonnet because of a lousy repair done by my insurers when a deer impaled itself on the front)and I would start it up in the next 5 minutes and drive it to the south of Spain with no worries at all and have in fact done this 3 times in the last 6 months.Fantastic car.
It is the best car I have ever had.
My wife thinks we need a more modern motor. No idea why but I have little idea how her mind works at the best of times.Nevertheless one day it will have to go for something newer.How much more can I expect out of my Xantia ?
Should I try to find one of the very last Xantias registered or should I go for a Sinclair ,sorry,C5.
The C5 does not seem to have caught on like the Xantia did.Is it simply too technically overloaded with gizmos ?
Is it a worthy replacement for the Xantia? Does anyone have a view on the C5 based on everyday use? Please.
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Tony,
Well you're at home here, very similar to my thoughts about my 9yr old TD.
Have you seen the C5 "report" Mark and I produced on the old forum? Have a look for it on Search and ponder on the opinions. If you are happy with the Xantia one of the last may just be a safer bet than the C5.....or you could get a nice Mercedes for the money!
David W
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Having test drove a couple of Xantia's, i can only described them the worst cars i have ever driven. It must take a particular taste to enjoy a car whose ride seems totally detached from the tarmac, driving a Xantia gives the sensation of a magic carpet!
I found the gear change balky and the interior poorly put together and depressing.
At the time i was looking for a replacement for my Primera, in the end i got another one.
But i realise we all have different tastes and requirement from a car, so given that you love the car and it has been no trouble to you? why change, the trade in must be peanuts.
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Jud,
"It must take a particular taste to enjoy a car whose ride seems totally detached from the tarmac, driving a Xantia gives the sensation of a magic carpet!
Exactly.....the very ride quality car makers have been searching for over many years.
On the sharply undulating roads in the Fens a Xantia can make brisk progress where other decent/sporty vehicles are shaking their occupants to a very uncomfortable degree.
The same quality keeps the wheels in firm contact with these bumpy roads to give very secure braking and handling.
You are right about the prices, absolute bargains to be had.
David W
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""It must take a particular taste to enjoy a car whose ride seems totally detached from the tarmac, driving a Xantia gives the sensation of a magic carpet!
Exactly.....the very ride quality car makers have been searching for over many years."
Interesting that eldest bro has just changed his allegiance, after a BX and two Xantia (plural Xantiae?) to a Mondeo and is raving about the ride and handling of the Ford.
Personally I was also rather impressed.
Question for HJ or indeed anyone in the know. Is it possible to order a Mondeo TDCi auto yet?
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And the old Primeras ride/handling is similar to the Mundeo, i like to feel the road through the seat of the pants and the wheel,The Xantia as mentioned gives neither
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Tony, if you like the car a lot -keep it. You'll get many more miles out of it. I've been to Normandy in a zantia diesel turbo several times driven my dear friend who's a complete nut on the road! Very comfortable. I thought the seats were ok. Its quite a good looking car. Not sure about the C5 design personally.At least Citroen are innovative.
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Thanks People for all your views.I think I will give the C 5 a miss.How very sad they have taken their eye off the ball.
Instead I will think hard about a car that you see hundreds of in France and Spain all being driven like bats out of hell - - the Xsara.
Right then where do I find the views of David W and Mark on that one - - - - ?
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Tony,
The bad boys don't have a full set of road tests yet ;-). In fact I don't think you're going to see Mark in a Xsara at all.
Think hard about the Xsara. Possibly the main thing that dominates the feel of the Xantia is the excellent suspension. The Xsara is OK in a conventional way but has nothing like the same feel.
That feel that has produced both the + and - comments here.
David
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>>The bad boys don't have a full set of road tests yet ;-). In fact I don't think you're going to see Mark in a Xsara at all.
Lets assume "not".
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this thread's been going for a while, but my advice echos that of a few others...keep the xantia. i have owned mine for 5 yrs now & 165,000 miles later runs like a dream. 64,000 is nothing to these cars, as long as they are serviced regularly & by people who know their citroens. i am lucky in that i know just such a place. while ever the old girl keeps going & does not cost the earth in doing so, i shall keep her.
however, when the time finally comes for a change, i am seriously considering switching my loyalties to a mondeo 2.0l tdci estate (unless citroen can iron out the glitches with the c5). I need a towing beast & this car seems to fit the bill.
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Tony
I drive a three month old C5 Auto and it has been back to Citroen several times for minor and major problems. For instance, the absolutely invaluable automatic headlamps come on alright in dull conditions but will not go off again until I switch off. Citroen have "had it on the computer" several times and informed me that there was no fault so the next time it played up, I brought it back to them with lights switched off but still on. They then accepted the fault and said they would take advice but two weeks later, they have not been back to me. I have an ongoing problem with the auto and I am beginning to think the car is too clever for its own good. I am also a little uneasy about tte smart climate control which takes ages to cool the car on a hot day. What worries me is "the computer says". Common sense seems to have disappeared.
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What a great thread..
Xantia a/c was the most inefficient a/c system I have ever used. If I'd paid extra for it, I think I would want my money back, it's that bad :(
MG-Rover Questions? Click on www.mg-rover.org
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A Peugeot 406 HDI 110 would be a worthwhile successor. they have a very good ride and handling, and are comfortable, Ive done 40000 miles in the last year in mine and its been fantastic and returns 45 mpg even when thrashed. you can get a good deal on a nearly new one too, they still look great, especially in metallic turquoise. the Climate control in mine is fine.
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Must be a different system on the 406, Fox. The a/c on the 'S' plate Xantias we look after is not very efficient IMO.
MG-Rover Questions? Click on www.mg-rover.org
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As you obviously love the Citroen way of doing things, why not go the whole way and buy one of the last XMs You'll get it for peanuts and the previous owner will have sorted out the early niggling problems for you.
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"buy one of the last XMs You'll get it for peanuts and the previous owner will have sorted out the early niggling problems for you"
I'd want that in writing and a pile of repair invoices to back this up!
MG-Rover Questions? Click on www.mg-rover.org
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Some thoughts on this thread, since I have recently owned a Xsara 1.8 VTR, Xantia 1.9 TD, Focus 1.8 TDCI in that order.
The Xantia was a good car but I was forced into changing it because of a head gasket leak. Given the miles it had done, the cost of the repair (£700!!!) and the risk of finding head or block damaged also was really too much compared with the value of the car.
So I have recently become the owner of a 6mth old Focus TDCI Ghia. For both performance and economy it easily beats the Xantia. Although I no longer have the magic carpet ride of the Xantia, the feedback from the Focus more than makes up for this in driver enjoyment. Given the majority of my driving is with only me in the car, I don't really miss the extra space offered by the Xantia.
The Focus is also one of the most secure cars on the road today. I was disgusted to learn of the ease in which you can break into a Xantia when some scumbag broke into mine. It was possible to do this and trip the central locking without the alarm going off! 10 seconds will do it, as the police demonstrated when they examined the car and took prints. For this reason alone I doubt I will ever purchase another Citroen. You may say all cars can be broken into, and this is probably true, but surveys by What Car highlight which manufacturers are making an effort to make life difficult for the car thieves. Based on my experience Citroen isn't one of them, but the likes of Ford and Toyota are succeeding.
I agree with other comments in this thread regarding the air con system of the Xantia. Dipped beam headlights never offer much illumination in my opinion. However, the car does have its good points. Profile of the car is pleasing and distinctive compared to copycat designs in this segment (Passat, Mondeo, rear tyres never seem to wear, comfort, etc.
The Xsara I owned was the first version of this model, hence the prettiest as I don't like Citroen's recent trend of elongated headlight design. The performance offered by it was quite good, although I was never happy with the brakes, which seemed undersized for the potential of the vehicle. In terms of acceleration, I now think the Focus TDCI is on a par with this, albeit with much better fuel economy and certainly no criticism of the brakes.
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I too have been driving a Xantia for a long time and love it. It has its quirks but what car (or person) hasn't! I hope to change mine later this year but haven't made up my mind what to have. Not since my teenage years when I was a Beetle nut have I had two consecutive cars the same. I am tempted to beak this rule. Interesting fact - I got into my wife's hired 2.0 Passat with 6k on the clock and it was distinctly sluggish when compared with my 115k SX TD. The chap who looks after my car also cares for two other Xantias (both taxis) each with 250k on clock and both going strong. The engine certainly is bullet proof.
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I dont know if you have changed cars yet but for your info, having had my C5 SX back to London Dealer four times and major faults still not fixed, I asked them for a buy back price . They think so much of the car that they offered me 5 k less than I paid for it four months ago. I am trying a new Dealer but it is the last Citroen I will ever buy. From my experiences, I would go for dead reliable unsexy Skoda Octavia The C5 is so clever it forgets much of its software each time it starts up.
Apart from its many apparently unfixable faults, its a very comfortable car
pete.>>
- - - will have to be replaced one day. Itis seven and a half years old,has done 64000,has had its cambelt changed and 6 new spheres,had new glowplugs a while back unnecessarily when a main dealer failed to cure bad starting, has 2 brand new tyres on the front,rides perfectly,has no rattles,no rust (but paint is flaking off the bonnet because of a lousy repair done by my insurers when a deer impaled itself on the front)and I would start it up in the next 5 minutes and drive it to the south of Spain with no worries at all and have in fact done this 3 times in the last 6 months.Fantastic car. It is the best car I have ever had. My wife thinks we need a more modern motor. No idea why but I have little idea how her mind works at the best of times.Nevertheless one day it will have to go for something newer.How much more can I expect out of my Xantia ? Should I try to find one of the very last Xantias registered or should I go for a Sinclair ,sorry,C5. The C5 does not seem to have caught on like the Xantia did.Is it simply too technically overloaded with gizmos ? Is it a worthy replacement for the Xantia? Does anyone have a view on the C5 based on everyday use? Please.
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Dear Tony,
How her mind works! Are you having a Larf?
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