RE: Spotted: Citroen ZX 16v
Discussion
Another past ZX owner here. My second car (and first with any poke) was a 92 (pre cat) 1.9i volcane. Terrific fun, even took it on a european roadtrip in 97, including discovering just how much of Spa is public roads.
Best drive I've ever had was the A5 through north wales to Anglesey late one night, you could really get the back end pitching. So fluid.
(I'll admit I muppetised it in the end, fitted 16"s (stock were 14") and slid that rear bench fully forward for a big home made sub box
)
Best drive I've ever had was the A5 through north wales to Anglesey late one night, you could really get the back end pitching. So fluid.
(I'll admit I muppetised it in the end, fitted 16"s (stock were 14") and slid that rear bench fully forward for a big home made sub box
)rhysenna said:
rastapasta said:
Id agree with the above comments, diesel is probably more desirable. These things really handled though. Very surprised none made it onto the rally stages ala the 306 maxi's of the same generation.
Think they where used mainly in Europe.
rijmij99 said:
the volcane was my halo model, the first (ready to be corrected) performance diesel
They also did a petrol Volcane; very quick car and much quicker than the figures here suggest unless it was a bit nippier than the 16v shown here. I used to drive one regularly and it was a lovely car to drive.I had the 1.9TD Volcane and it was brilliant.
My Dad has a 1.9 Diesel version. Slower than coastal erosion, but it rides as smoothly as a Jaguar XJ.
He's had it since new (1996) and it's never, ever broken down. He hacked a hole in the dashboard to fit a CD player, the paint is very badly faded and one of the window rubbers is held on with machine tape, but it's always been serviced on time and still starts first time every time whatever the weather.
Unless it explodes, he'll keep it going forever.
He's had it since new (1996) and it's never, ever broken down. He hacked a hole in the dashboard to fit a CD player, the paint is very badly faded and one of the window rubbers is held on with machine tape, but it's always been serviced on time and still starts first time every time whatever the weather.
Unless it explodes, he'll keep it going forever.
Funny to see a lot of nostalgia for the ZX in general, not just the 16v! I can't for the life of me remember why I didn't find something more exciting than a diesel ZX as my first car, but it was cheap and well equipped at the time. I had it for about a year and had a lot of engine trouble (stuck and broken glow plugs, head gasket, water pump, etc...) but have fond memories of the trips I did and motoring freedom! That faux leather plastic dashboard and door trim, the dashboard lights that are always on so you forget to put your lights on round town, the spring that goes in the rear parcel shelf so the string always hangs out the boot (laugh when I still see that!), the single front wiper, and the early pioneering rain sensing wiper technology on mine (the water that got into the rear wiper motor and made it go when raining!)
It rode and handled well, so twice the BHP would have been nice!
It rode and handled well, so twice the BHP would have been nice!
Edited by Hub on Monday 4th February 20:01
I had one! Looked great in metallic dark grey, but apart from that a bit underwhelming. From reading up about them after I bought mine, the power output was nowhere near the claimed 155bhp. The engine was shared with the 307 S16, which was dropped after a short run in favour of the 167 bhp GTI6 engine.
I bought my brother a green 16v about 4years ago - 87k on the clock, 2owners, fsh and totally mint - cracking car to drive and easily one of the most reliable and nicely made French cars I've ever come across. I paid £600 for it in a private sale so £2300 is very steep in my opinion - he sold it for £800 before emigrating and it was still in great shape - Terrific to drive and felt very much like a more modern and refined 205 gti
I had one of these in 1995. I think the plate was L208OAC if anyone has it. Fantastic little car,and on new Michelin Pilot tyres, unbeatable in the wet or dry. An ex Slough car as many were, it had black leather, a/c and all the other toys. Started going quirky though when one day I couldn't get the headlights off, made even stranger as I hadn't switched them on....time to go!
Seeing this feature got me to look through my folders to find a picture of my '96 16V and I found it!
Red and in great condition. Cost me £1500 in 2003 and was a laugh a minute to drive! Had much "better" cars since, but I still fondly remember the old ZX!
Edit: I remember reading somewhere that the 16V plastic add ons were designed by Bertone and if you squint and look at the rear wheelarch extension, it does bare a passing resemblance to a Countach rear arch...
Red and in great condition. Cost me £1500 in 2003 and was a laugh a minute to drive! Had much "better" cars since, but I still fondly remember the old ZX!
Edit: I remember reading somewhere that the 16V plastic add ons were designed by Bertone and if you squint and look at the rear wheelarch extension, it does bare a passing resemblance to a Countach rear arch...
Edited by sorrel on Monday 4th February 17:14
Edited by sorrel on Monday 4th February 17:15
MiniMan64 said:
I had a £300 ZX TD for a few years that was epic fun, only cost me tires over two and bit years and made 50mpg+ plenty of times. Sold it for £280 as well.
Dog rough, left big puffs of black smoke when you planted it, knocks and dings all over the place, cavernous boot but just epic wallowy fun. First time I ever owned a car that could properly "go" which of course was relative at the time.
I still look fondly at the large green scrap in our local multistorey from more than a bit of touch parking.
Affectionately known as the TankDog rough, left big puffs of black smoke when you planted it, knocks and dings all over the place, cavernous boot but just epic wallowy fun. First time I ever owned a car that could properly "go" which of course was relative at the time.
I still look fondly at the large green scrap in our local multistorey from more than a bit of touch parking.
eliotrw said:
The best of all is the ZX Dakar version (It was limited edition)
They were very late ZX16v's with the Gti-6 engine.
Although a Phase 1 306 GTi-6 is essentially the same car with a 6 speed box.
The 306 had passive rear steer too...
the zx handles quite different to the otherwise identical 306 due to 0degree toe on the rear arms. its a mod people used to do to the gti6. They were very late ZX16v's with the Gti-6 engine.
Although a Phase 1 306 GTi-6 is essentially the same car with a 6 speed box.
The 306 had passive rear steer too...
Johnnytheboy said:
Wasn't the 2 litre like this badged as the Volcane too?
I recall it going up against the RS2000, Astra 16v and Golf GTi(?) in an Autocar group test and getting thumped.
Unfortunately the ZX is forever tainted for me by the fact that it seemed to be the numpty car of choice in my area for a few years.
there was an 8v 2.0 volcane that was slower and heavier than the alloy block 1.9 volcane. the 2.0 16v was never called a volcane and was in three door only unlike the volcanes.I recall it going up against the RS2000, Astra 16v and Golf GTi(?) in an Autocar group test and getting thumped.
Unfortunately the ZX is forever tainted for me by the fact that it seemed to be the numpty car of choice in my area for a few years.
the rear arches on all other 3 door zx's are also straight and quite different to the 16v which has a round arch under the kit.
More years ago now than i care to remember i had a 16ver for 4 years, and remember it very fondly indeed. At the time a 16v Golf mk3 or mk2 were still silly money, and had very dull handling by comparision. The Gti-6 was too new and hence commanded a high price too. But the Citroen was the forgoten child even back then. £2k changed hands and i got myself a L plater red 16v. I found a GTi-6 breaking and snalfed up the 6spd box (rare, had to go to scotland to get it!) and slotted that into place in my citroen, followed by some GpN beam mounts and rear ARBs. It was a fab little thing then, would oversteer absolutely everywhere, and had no trouble at all keeping up with friends in a proper gti-6 and a Clio willy (how we did die in a massive multicar pile up i'll never know (young and foolish we were ;-)) Little known fact, due to the VIS intake manifold on the citroen, it had an engine driven vac pump, that operated the VIS actuators, but also provided brake booster power. This mean't it was perfectly set up for epic amounts of left foot braking, as you could be on the throttle and the brakes for ages and the brake assistance didn't drop off!
I really quite fancy one again, but i fear the rose tinted specs might ruin my memories, and that would be a shame.
In summary, fast, flightly and fun, a grown up (ish) 205 Gti, and the first car i drove that i would say had "modern" handling i.e. very flat cornering, with a high ratio steering rack and excellent damping. Drive a golf, or worse and escort GTi from the same period, and it handled like a wardrobe in comparision ;-)
I really quite fancy one again, but i fear the rose tinted specs might ruin my memories, and that would be a shame.
In summary, fast, flightly and fun, a grown up (ish) 205 Gti, and the first car i drove that i would say had "modern" handling i.e. very flat cornering, with a high ratio steering rack and excellent damping. Drive a golf, or worse and escort GTi from the same period, and it handled like a wardrobe in comparision ;-)
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