RE: SOTW: Citroen BX GTI 8v
Discussion
Refreshing to see a BX not only as SOTW, but also gaining (almost) universal praise! Don't think I've seen a car this popular on SOTW, but then 2012 does seem to have been a bit of a love-in for old French tin. Looks like a tidy example too. LOLing at some of the comments about these being superior to the 16v....they're only superior if you don't want to rev the engine, want to cruise and want a smoother ride. In every other respect, a 16v is better IMO. Certainly in terms of PH. But there's always mixed opinions on these cars, and more myths than facts. I won't rabbit on about BXs in every detail, as I've done that already on here (and immediately wondered who the hell cared!)
This is my 16v, which I've had since June 2004. Well spotted by someone on an earlier page - it is the car used in the Forgotten Hot Hatches feature a while back:
This is it with my other 16v I'm currently doing up:
The grey one is actually very tidy - tidier than my red one. It's got factory-fitted air-con, which I'm going to raid and fit to my red car, rather than selling the red and keeping the grey (currently named G-SEG) because A) I've never driven a better valver than my red one and B) I'm attached to it! I need to do some welding on it though, get some pipework and get an MOT on it. Then decide what to do with it. Sell it probably, having read the love on this thread!
This is my 16v, which I've had since June 2004. Well spotted by someone on an earlier page - it is the car used in the Forgotten Hot Hatches feature a while back:
This is it with my other 16v I'm currently doing up:
The grey one is actually very tidy - tidier than my red one. It's got factory-fitted air-con, which I'm going to raid and fit to my red car, rather than selling the red and keeping the grey (currently named G-SEG) because A) I've never driven a better valver than my red one and B) I'm attached to it! I need to do some welding on it though, get some pipework and get an MOT on it. Then decide what to do with it. Sell it probably, having read the love on this thread!
Edited by Kitchski on Saturday 15th September 21:02
londonbabe said:
The geek in me notices that the later 16v has a steel bonnet, not the plastic one of earlier cars. I wonder why they tooled up for that so late in the car's life.
As said earlier, some early cars had them too. I believe they went back to the metal bonnets at a very late stage of manufacturing (mine was an August '92 IIRC) as it was cheaper than another run of plastic. Having said that, I've heard various tales about the reasons for it, ranging from legislation about fire prevention to using up old stock of metal bonnets. Don't think anyone really knows, but the metal bonnet was a whole load heavier than the plastic, that's for sure!When I was offered the chance to buy my own company car rather than go with the Sierra or Cavalier norm I discovered the BX. I had a GT, 2 GTI 8Vs, a GTI4x4 and the GTI engined estate, TRI/TZI? I absolutrly loved them, must have done the the best part of half a million miles over 10 or 12 years.
The GT stll had the old typically Citroen non-self cancelling indicators, a concept I was dreading until I tried them and realised just how sensible they were. The Citroen dealers lent me a vey early 16V for a day. What an amazing car! Someone said not much faster than 8V but they obviously weren't trying. A little story I heard was that these very early ones had rather more than the advertised 155 BHP because Citroen were trying to make them more desirable than the equivalent Pug 405. Peugeot cottoned on and forced them to detune them!
I loved my 4x4 even though there was very little snow when I owned it and it was a bit too much of a "car" for any serious off roading. When I did drive on snow I had to keep reminding myself that the road was supposed to be slippery and I should be more circumspect! The tyres were more or less unique to this car and looked to be difficult to find but then my local tyre depot found that Michelin had laid in a stock in anticipation of better sales and they were actually cheaper than the normal GTI tyres. However... my car was an ex Citroen Cars at Slough car and must have had an unsympathetic driver since the clutch failed at 27,000 miles... £650.00 or so for labour alone! Luckily when I complained the friendly service manager at Salters in Oxford put it through as a warranty job because they had to replace the thrust bearing which was covered. Later at about 80,000 £2,500 just for parts when the centre diff broke meant it had to go when the extended warranty ran out.
The GT stll had the old typically Citroen non-self cancelling indicators, a concept I was dreading until I tried them and realised just how sensible they were. The Citroen dealers lent me a vey early 16V for a day. What an amazing car! Someone said not much faster than 8V but they obviously weren't trying. A little story I heard was that these very early ones had rather more than the advertised 155 BHP because Citroen were trying to make them more desirable than the equivalent Pug 405. Peugeot cottoned on and forced them to detune them!
I loved my 4x4 even though there was very little snow when I owned it and it was a bit too much of a "car" for any serious off roading. When I did drive on snow I had to keep reminding myself that the road was supposed to be slippery and I should be more circumspect! The tyres were more or less unique to this car and looked to be difficult to find but then my local tyre depot found that Michelin had laid in a stock in anticipation of better sales and they were actually cheaper than the normal GTI tyres. However... my car was an ex Citroen Cars at Slough car and must have had an unsympathetic driver since the clutch failed at 27,000 miles... £650.00 or so for labour alone! Luckily when I complained the friendly service manager at Salters in Oxford put it through as a warranty job because they had to replace the thrust bearing which was covered. Later at about 80,000 £2,500 just for parts when the centre diff broke meant it had to go when the extended warranty ran out.
Ive had two of these now in past few years and they are awesome.. A proper sleeper..don't worry about the suspension, it's generally totally solid but parts are still cheap and the cars are easy for any mechanic to work on.
These things are crazy with lift off overseer because they are long and so light. Performance wise they are exactly (in a straight line at least) the same as a bmw 120d (raced with a friend!)
A true every day classic with a terrible stereo but huge kerb appeal
These things are crazy with lift off overseer because they are long and so light. Performance wise they are exactly (in a straight line at least) the same as a bmw 120d (raced with a friend!)
A true every day classic with a terrible stereo but huge kerb appeal
Adrian E said:
londonbabe said:
The geek in me notices that the later 16v has a steel bonnet, not the plastic one of earlier cars. I wonder why they tooled up for that so late in the car's life.
As said earlier, some early cars had them too. I believe they went back to the metal bonnets at a very late stage of manufacturing (mine was an August '92 IIRC) as it was cheaper than another run of plastic. Having said that, I've heard various tales about the reasons for it, ranging from legislation about fire prevention to using up old stock of metal bonnets. Don't think anyone really knows, but the metal bonnet was a whole load heavier than the plastic, that's for sure!I have had several of these cars. No arm twisting involved all my own choice. Only one was a s
tter a 1988 19RD.
The key with these cars is regular maintenance and a good eye for the Citroen specific bits. All pre 1989/90 (i think) had uncoated pipes an they rusted. Coated pipes last longer & with regular waxoyling last. Replace with Cunifer (copper nickel) pipes and they last a lifetime. Remember Citroen pipes & flares are different to all other cars & a special flaring tool is req to make them up. LHM (hydraulic fluid) needs changed every 3 years & tank & filters cleaned to keep system in fine fettle.
I still own one and still enjoy it!
My BX
tter a 1988 19RD.The key with these cars is regular maintenance and a good eye for the Citroen specific bits. All pre 1989/90 (i think) had uncoated pipes an they rusted. Coated pipes last longer & with regular waxoyling last. Replace with Cunifer (copper nickel) pipes and they last a lifetime. Remember Citroen pipes & flares are different to all other cars & a special flaring tool is req to make them up. LHM (hydraulic fluid) needs changed every 3 years & tank & filters cleaned to keep system in fine fettle.
I still own one and still enjoy it!
My BX
Kitchski said:
Refreshing to see a BX not only as SOTW, but also gaining (almost) universal praise! Don't think I've seen a car this popular on SOTW, but then 2012 does seem to have been a bit of a love-in for old French tin. Looks like a tidy example too. LOLing at some of the comments about these being superior to the 16v....they're only superior if you don't want to rev the engine, want to cruise and want a smoother ride. In every other respect, a 16v is better IMO. Certainly in terms of PH. But there's always mixed opinions on these cars, and more myths than facts. I won't rabbit on about BXs in every detail, as I've done that already on here (and immediately wondered who the hell cared!)
This is my 16v, which I've had since June 2004. Well spotted by someone on an earlier page - it is the car used in the Forgotten Hot Hatches feature a while back:
This is it with my other 16v I'm currently doing up:
The grey one is actually very tidy - tidier than my red one. It's got factory-fitted air-con, which I'm going to raid and fit to my red car, rather than selling the red and keeping the grey (currently named G-SEG) because A) I've never driven a better valver than my red one and B) I'm attached to it! I need to do some welding on it though, get some pipework and get an MOT on it. Then decide what to do with it. Sell it probably, having read the love on this thread!
This is my 16v, which I've had since June 2004. Well spotted by someone on an earlier page - it is the car used in the Forgotten Hot Hatches feature a while back:
This is it with my other 16v I'm currently doing up:
The grey one is actually very tidy - tidier than my red one. It's got factory-fitted air-con, which I'm going to raid and fit to my red car, rather than selling the red and keeping the grey (currently named G-SEG) because A) I've never driven a better valver than my red one and B) I'm attached to it! I need to do some welding on it though, get some pipework and get an MOT on it. Then decide what to do with it. Sell it probably, having read the love on this thread!
Edited by Kitchski on Saturday 15th September 21:02
Having been a lurker for ages, this SOTW made me register and post.
I bought my mums 14RE after uni. It felt like a rocket ship after a chevette! Its street cred came from discs all round and the ability to drop the ride height 'just a bit'. Always hankered after the 16v, However french electrics left a bit to be desired. No rear lights in the dark on the A1M being a highlight. Traded it for a 405 Sri. Just remembered the special lightweight french steel.
I bought my mums 14RE after uni. It felt like a rocket ship after a chevette! Its street cred came from discs all round and the ability to drop the ride height 'just a bit'. Always hankered after the 16v, However french electrics left a bit to be desired. No rear lights in the dark on the A1M being a highlight. Traded it for a 405 Sri. Just remembered the special lightweight french steel.
I've never owned a Citroen but I do hanker after some of their older cars. A friend had a tatty BX in the late 90s. Don't remember which engine but I remember the fibreglass boot had been drilled to break in!
Was this Citroen's last properly quirky car? Do like, not quite as much as a CX GTi though...
Was this Citroen's last properly quirky car? Do like, not quite as much as a CX GTi though...
s m said:
Kitchski said:
Refreshing to see a BX not only as SOTW, but also gaining (almost) universal praise! Don't think I've seen a car this popular on SOTW, but then 2012 does seem to have been a bit of a love-in for old French tin. Looks like a tidy example too. LOLing at some of the comments about these being superior to the 16v....they're only superior if you don't want to rev the engine, want to cruise and want a smoother ride. In every other respect, a 16v is better IMO. Certainly in terms of PH. But there's always mixed opinions on these cars, and more myths than facts. I won't rabbit on about BXs in every detail, as I've done that already on here (and immediately wondered who the hell cared!)
This is my 16v, which I've had since June 2004. Well spotted by someone on an earlier page - it is the car used in the Forgotten Hot Hatches feature a while back:
This is it with my other 16v I'm currently doing up:
The grey one is actually very tidy - tidier than my red one. It's got factory-fitted air-con, which I'm going to raid and fit to my red car, rather than selling the red and keeping the grey (currently named G-SEG) because A) I've never driven a better valver than my red one and B) I'm attached to it! I need to do some welding on it though, get some pipework and get an MOT on it. Then decide what to do with it. Sell it probably, having read the love on this thread!
This is my 16v, which I've had since June 2004. Well spotted by someone on an earlier page - it is the car used in the Forgotten Hot Hatches feature a while back:
This is it with my other 16v I'm currently doing up:
The grey one is actually very tidy - tidier than my red one. It's got factory-fitted air-con, which I'm going to raid and fit to my red car, rather than selling the red and keeping the grey (currently named G-SEG) because A) I've never driven a better valver than my red one and B) I'm attached to it! I need to do some welding on it though, get some pipework and get an MOT on it. Then decide what to do with it. Sell it probably, having read the love on this thread!
Edited by Kitchski on Saturday 15th September 21:02
And if you look at the BX in general today, although you find rusty ones on the whole they resist rust very well compared with their rivals. The metal is thin yet very mild steel. The engines and mechanicals are generally tough, the suspension is far more robust than you'd believe and it's still bloody smooth. They're all (forgetting some non-turbo diesel variants) pretty nippy too, and keep up with traffic easily. They're roomy inside, compact outside and they're not losing value either. Apart from being noisy inside and tinny outside (but if they were solid they'd be heavier and slower/lazier/worse handling etc), they're genuinely a good all-round car.
Kitchski said:
That's an interesting article - I've got pretty much all the 16v specific ones but that one had evaded me. The 16v certainly had some mixed reviews, though at the beginning they were all more like that one. By the time the ph2 (and this 8v SOTW) had arrived, the 16v was getting slated for being too rattly and too expensive (£14k by 1990 IIRC). In fairness, if you drive a Cavalier GSi2000 and then a BX 16v, the cavvy feels faster, gruntier, more refined, better built.....to most it would be the better all-round car. It probably is period. But the BX has a spark of character many in that class back in the 80's/90's were missing. Only the Alfa 75 or Saab 900 possibly getting near it.
And if you look at the BX in general today, although you find rusty ones on the whole they resist rust very well compared with their rivals. The metal is thin yet very mild steel. The engines and mechanicals are generally tough, the suspension is far more robust than you'd believe and it's still bloody smooth. They're all (forgetting some non-turbo diesel variants) pretty nippy too, and keep up with traffic easily. They're roomy inside, compact outside and they're not losing value either. Apart from being noisy inside and tinny outside (but if they were solid they'd be heavier and slower/lazier/worse handling etc), they're genuinely a good all-round car.
And if you look at the BX in general today, although you find rusty ones on the whole they resist rust very well compared with their rivals. The metal is thin yet very mild steel. The engines and mechanicals are generally tough, the suspension is far more robust than you'd believe and it's still bloody smooth. They're all (forgetting some non-turbo diesel variants) pretty nippy too, and keep up with traffic easily. They're roomy inside, compact outside and they're not losing value either. Apart from being noisy inside and tinny outside (but if they were solid they'd be heavier and slower/lazier/worse handling etc), they're genuinely a good all-round car.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff