And again....off I go...Citroen Xantia Activa

And again....off I go...Citroen Xantia Activa

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Discussion

S10GTA

Original Poster:

12,638 posts

166 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
To be fair, its a bit of a dog, but I got it for £370.

Mark-C

4,964 posts

204 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
Good work - I really must summon up the balls to do something like this ....

S10GTA

Original Poster:

12,638 posts

166 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
Home now after my trip to see the Activa. My day started in the civic, followed by a blast up to motorway to Dunstable in a saxo vts



We arrived at the worst car lot in the world full of utter crap, including this lambo....



To find this very tired, unloved xantia Activa.



The stop light was on constantly, the bodywork was in bits and the brake lights didn't work. The guy was on his own and wasn't overly keen on getting it out unless I was really interested at the price, shown as £499.

I really should have walked away, but we fitted a new battery and started it up. It sounded spot on. I was interested, but not at that money.



It was still reasonable value at that price, but it was time to play hardball. I offered £300, which was rejected, then £350. For this I would take the car away as it is, without driving it, and without his one week warranty. A deal was struck for £370, to include the tax (end of Jan) and I drove it away.

My first port of call was the local halfords for some LHM.



Twelve quid later, and the stop light issue was fixed.

I then stuck twenty quid of fuel in it, and set about the 2hr drive home, where I am now. I even made it without breaking down.

Initial reactions are good. The spheres need replacing as the ride is rock solid, but crucially the Activa part works, and the car doesn't lean. I need to fix the brake lights, along with a few other small jobs. The bodywork is in a bad way, but can be saved.







The interior isn't too bad, if you ignore the wood



It has a 6 cd changer in the boot, and a traffic master button too. I need the key code for the radio tho.

Oh, and I found a quid in the ashtray, so this one cost me £369.



drdino

1,139 posts

141 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
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Amazing find! Are you going to flush the hydraulic system? I am sure you are aware of it, but make sure the pipes in the engine bay are not too rotten. laugh

rossub

4,396 posts

189 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
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Saxo vts you say scratchchin The poor thing must be REALLY confused by its number plate then!

S10GTA

Original Poster:

12,638 posts

166 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
Once upon a time it was a vtr....

Anyway, brake lights fixed! The switch on the pedal was unclipped.....was this car about to be used as an attempt at insurance fraud?!

Max M4X WW

4,784 posts

181 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
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Amazing!

Bumpers should be an easy find on ebay and you have to keep the 'wood'!

S10GTA

Original Poster:

12,638 posts

166 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
Yep, just need to find one in silver!

Anyway, final update for tonight. I have removed the 3 remaining mud flaps.





This is how it stands for now.



Edited by S10GTA on Sunday 7th October 18:25

v8will

3,301 posts

195 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
A lex said:
Great find!

I wouldnt even bother with the bodywork - its an honest £400 car and it looks all the better for it!

What happened to the XM? frown
He got bored and sold out.

I agree, a little patina does it no harm. Run it till it needs something expensive and then move on IMHO.

JayTee94

10,974 posts

156 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
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We had a 2000 Citroen Xantia 2.0HDi Estate. We had it a month and cost approx £2,300 in that one month. In the end we got rid. Maybe just our example, but it has put me off Citroens of that era for good. We paid good money for the car aswell. irked

I wish you all the best though, you always find bargains. smile

S10GTA

Original Poster:

12,638 posts

166 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
v8will said:
A lex said:
Great find!

I wouldnt even bother with the bodywork - its an honest £400 car and it looks all the better for it!

What happened to the XM? frown
He got bored and sold out.

I agree, a little patina does it no harm. Run it till it needs something expensive and then move on IMHO.
Can't agree on this one. These things are rare and deserve to be looked after. One has just gone on eBay for significantly more than I paid.

JayTee94

10,974 posts

156 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
I think I read that the Lambo is a replica aswell. I am happy to be corrected. smile

rossub

4,396 posts

189 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
S10GTA said:
Once upon a time it was a vtr....

Anyway, brake lights fixed! The switch on the pedal was unclipped.....was this car about to be used as an attempt at insurance fraud?!
It was the "M3" as well as the VTR that prompted my comment smile

Best of luck with this one, I do enjoy your threads.

v8will

3,301 posts

195 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
S10GTA said:
Can't agree on this one. These things are rare and deserve to be looked after. One has just gone on eBay for significantly more than I paid.
Indeed, overlooked the fact it's an Activa. Apologies.

S10GTA

Original Poster:

12,638 posts

166 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
v8will said:
Indeed, overlooked the fact it's an Activa. Apologies.
No apology needed. It's just a xantia to most, including my Mrs!

CarlosV8

765 posts

171 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
Ooooh, good choice. Let me know if you get bored of this one, I've fancied a go in an Activa for some time and will be in the market for a cheap 5 door runabout sometime soon wink

northwest monkey

6,370 posts

188 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
S10GTA said:
v8will said:
Indeed, overlooked the fact it's an Activa. Apologies.
No apology needed. It's just a xantia to most, including my Mrs!
At the risk of sounding stupid, what's the deal with this car? I'm with your Mrs here (not literally) - it just seems like a Xantia to me.

For the uneducated on here tell us about this carsmile

davepoth

29,395 posts

198 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
northwest monkey said:
At the risk of sounding stupid, what's the deal with this car? I'm with your Mrs here (not literally) - it just seems like a Xantia to me.

For the uneducated on here tell us about this carsmile
Active suspension, in a nutshell.

http://www.citroenet.org.uk/miscellaneous/hydrauli...


northwest monkey

6,370 posts

188 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
davepoth said:
Active suspension, in a nutshell.
As in the F1 style active suspension?

Pretty impressive!

davepoth

29,395 posts

198 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
northwest monkey said:
As in the F1 style active suspension?

Pretty impressive!
Yes, pretty much. The system is designed to control springing, damping and rolling automatically. In corners the car is pretty much flat, which keeps the contact patch of the tyre on the road. As a result it can corner at ridiculous speed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09-C33SrJi8&fea...

thusly.

The turbo version is nice because it can be made a lot more powerful. As a result the Activa Turbo is a pretty awesome Q-car.