Good news! The Citroen is on the road again! Yes, I'm glad to report that the BX is currently parked outside my house, rather than in an industrial unit far far away. Even better, when I go out and turn the key, it actually starts and goes! Well, it did last time I tried it.
Myriad leaks contribute to BX's static 'stance'
last month
that starting the BX up was like watching a middle-aged Labrador rousing itself after a long, deep sleep. Well, to take that analogy a step further, at the moment it feels a little like I've just rehomed a rescue dog that has a heart of gold, but a few... ahem... 'social issues'. This stage in our relationship is the automotive equivalent of trying to break it out of the habit of leaving puddles on the floor in the middle of the night and snapping at the postman. Or something.
So while it is here and usable - and it doesn't try to asphyxiate me with its exhaust fumes any more - there are still a few foibles. To wit, a minor LHM weep from the pump, and a coolant weep from one pipe or other. The height correctors are a bit wonky, too, and just occasionally, the speedo decides it doesn't fancy the weather out. Oh, and the radiator fans decided to pack up the other day in heavy London traffic. Which was helpful.
Minor cosmetic issues next on the list
I'm resigned to the fact that this will never be a car which is entirely, 100 per cent operational; indeed, I reckon if I've got it somewhere around the 85 per cent mark most of the time, I'll be doing well. But weirdly, I'm still as besotted with it as I was the day I got it. Call me a sucker for
hard luck cases
. And frankly, the issues it has at the moment - with the possible exception of the rad fans - don't need urgent attention, so I'm happy to keep topping up the levels for now and deal with them at a later date.
All of which means I can finally start to think about turning my attention to the cosmetics. First order of business will be to sort that mismatched front bumper out, which should be a simple case of replacing it with a better one. Then it'll be a case of attending to the myriad surface rust spots around the car, the pin dents, and that press dent in the plastic rear quarter - the latter hopefully just a case of popping it out. Money no object, I'd ideally like to splash out on a full respray but I don't think I'll be able to stretch quite that far. Nevertheless, it would be good to get some of the BX's bodywork ills attended to by someone who knows what they're doing.
A puddle quite possibly lurks beneath
In the meantime, you'll find me somewhere out on the Downs, wringing the neck of that glorious D6C lump, revelling in the addictive induction roar, and... um... praying I don't get stuck in traffic on the way home.
FACT SHEET
Car: 1989 Citroen BX GTI 16V
Run by: Scrof
Bought: April 2013
Purchase price: £800
Last month at a glance:The BX is out of the garage and out on the road, but there's plenty more to do!