RE: SOTW: Citroen CX Familiale

[Agent Orange]

Riggers said:

Lead said:

Didn`t Clarkson use one of these as a basis for his `motorhome` in last years series? Seem to remember that it stood up well to having a three storey construction placed upon it but just don`t mention cliffs!

Call me a curmudgeon if you wish, but I think that was a terrible thing to do to a lovely car. why not use something a bit less rare?!? (can't think what, though)

Is it rare though? I'm all for preserving one off, limited run, hand built, historically significant cars/bikes etc. but really the CX is "just" a mass produced car isn't it? Not being anti CX or anything but personally I have no problem with people cutting up, chopping, modifying or doing whatever they like with mass produced cars.

I absolutely love those 6 wheeler conversions though!!! They definitely should be preserved! Give me a jetpack to match

Edited by Agent Orange on Friday 29th October 17:12

[the fury]

Anyway, as Pistonheads was started as a TVR fansite we should at least give the CX 'massiv respec' for the wing mirrors, eh?

[Sumshi]

used by ladies of the night in Paris - not that I induldged but i have observed men climbing in for the drive of their life !!!!

[Mogsmex]

Utterly fantastic, Dad had one the same estate but was the early type with single spoke steering wheel and rotating clocks, stuff of awe when I was growing up, try'd to buy one a couple if years ago but they were all serious moneypits, shame would love an early one in silver with chrome bumpers

cool as.............

[Caruso]

Top shed...vive la difference!

[ess]

I owned a lovely low mileage, 2 owner '88 CX 2.5 GTi auto for just over a year; paid a grand for it in 1997.
Lovely mota, effortless motorway cruising and stunning design (beauty in the eye of.... etc...)
Was fortunate with the repairs, just a hydraulic suspension recharge at a CX/SM specialist in Neasden, London.
General build quality very poor though; resorted to a cardboard box on the back seats for all the trim that kept falling off, plus the electrics were a bit hit and miss.
Written off in the end in a hit and run.

Don't think I still have any photos, but she looked sublime on her haunches after hydraulic discharge.

Missed. Good call PH

Also had an SM for a week, but that's another story......

[robsco]

Top shedding, the best for ages. Old quirky Citroens are truly fascinating

[Eggman]

johnpeat said:

2woody said:

without a doubt the worst car I ever drove

That just suggests there are a stLOAD of cars you've not driven.

I've had the "pleasure" of driving an FSO Polonez - for example - which means I have a proper benchmark

The FSO Polonez is my benchmark too - a truly miserable driving experience. It's been a while, but istr the pedals appeared to pivot from a point somewhere above the midpoint of your shin which required you to lift your heel from the floor when operating them and the gearstick was somehow too far back in the car so it felt like you were reaching behind yourself for it.

I think it'll take some beating - I'd love to have a go in a Polish 'Tarpan 237' pickup though - they look truly horrifying:

[Jon951]

This one is just outside shed territory but still a heck of a bargain imho

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C184445/

[pugwash4x4]

my father had one of these when i was a kid

he has never bought another french car because of it- it spent longer in the garage than out of it in the year we owned it.

[Toyo Jim]

dockertrigger said:

Great SOTW!, Can you think of a better way to travel your family or 7 of mates about?, It would stand out in the supermaket car park amongst all the S Max/Scenic/Zafria parked in it wouldn't it!.

Or just add another set of wheels FTW!


1989 Citroen CX 28 TRi Safari Estate 6 Wheel by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

Spotted one of these not far from my parent's house the other day - if I'd known how rare it was I would have taken a picture!

[Negative Creep]

I love them, I know regulations mean you can't make the exterior of a new car outlandish but why can't we have the same level of effort into the interior. Case in point - the C6 looks nice but the interior is a slab of black plastic peppered with buttons.

I could never buy a CX though - I'd be terrified of it going wrong

[GKP]

Spotted one in its natural habitat earlier on this yesr:

[williamp]

love it!

And wher would 90s superfcars been without the CX door mirrors? TVR, Mclaren, Aston Martin, jaguar all used them. Probably more...

[svenster78]

Once a yes, twice a yes, thrice a yes!!
Fantastic shed, it wont be easy going - likely to be all manner of niggles in there that will be a sod to sort out but this is the last great Citroen IMHO ( until the C6 appeared, but thats still pales in comparison and unlikely to be shed money any time soon ). Its not the best colour or spec but at this price you cant be too fussy, hope it goes to somewhere that can appreciate the quirky charm of this individual gallic smoker.

[80quattro]

I bought a CX 2500 DTR Turbo 2 Estate about 3 years ago, with 6 months MOT for £250, from a chap local to me. Back in 1988, 120 bhp from a diesel engine must have been a bit of a rarity, and this thing actually shifted quite well for a big old bus.
I sold it before the MOT expired to a chap from the CX Register, possibly the oddest person I've ever met

[Dangermouse78]

I remember my uncle had a CX as a company car many years ago... I used to love doing for drives in it. the way it rode over potholes, the hissing of the suspension, the sci-fi dash..... fantastic shed

[Kitchski]

Immense shed! Possibly not what the PH purists would like, but for well learned petrolheads everywhere that's a win.

Not sure where all this moneypit talk is coming from though. Worst you'll have to cough up for this car will be a welder in a few years time. For now, it's remarkbly clean.

Fuel tank leak? Don't fill it up, or use plumbers mate and wait for one to be broken. People are generous in Citroen circles; parts often change hands FOC
The engine's basic and reliable, though I believe the 2.5's had a tendancy to develop a porous head. Could be the diesels though, not sure. I know the 2.2 carb versions were the most bomb proof.

Utterly brilliant cars though. You've never driven such a large car which feels so compact on the move. The DIRAVI steering is one of it's best features, which self centres even when the car is stationary, as it's power operated, not power assisted. Even with the engine off theres enough pressure usually left to straighten the wheels, so you rarely see a CX parked up with the wheels turned. Or an SM for that matter.

To say "you could have a 5 series or Merc for that money" is missing the point. You could have a Mini Clubman for the price of a Freelander too.


Random CX fact: No CX was ever offered with anything other than a 4-pot engine, even though Citroen could probably have bought in the PRV6 (before the Peugeot takeover). The reason? It was initially planned to use a triple-rotor wankel engine instead, hence the spare wheel being under the bonnet (a rotory engine would be compact) and the low bonnet line among other restrictive features. But when the twin rotor unit used in the ill-lived GS Birotor ended up an expensive experiment that didn't work out (in fact Citroen bought nearly all the 800odd cars made back to scrap them, because it would be cheaper than paying out for warranty work) the rotory idea was binned. Sadly, the engine bay and layout couldn't easily accomadate anything bigger than a 4pot without hefty (and costly) modifiction, hence the more powerful engines were turbocharged instead.

So there you go.

[thetwistys]

props for the knowledge there kitchski - top geekery

[Justayellowbadge]

Kitchski, you sound like you know your stuff, so it's probably my memory failing, but I didn't think Citroen actually sold any of the Birotors - weren't they on some sort of lease scheme?