Citroen Xsara's, whats the view on them?

stepbar

I have my eye on a Citroen Xsara - 1999 1.4 VT, priced at 2k, 75k on clock and 2 owners prior. This will be my first car. Insurance seems reasonable @ 1.3k (TPF&T) and Road Tax is 292eur.

What about selling on? Once I pass my test I think I'd be going for something a bit more flash.

Whats the view on Xsara's, 2k for a 1999 seems cheap. Is it a case of you pay for what you get?

peasant

The Xsara is not a bad car, very comfortable and the 1.4 is quite lively, you could do worse.

The Xsara is a very unloved car though, they were sold cheap (Citroen always had some form of special deal on for them) and most of them were "consumed" rather than cared for. Finding a good one could be difficult.

2k for a 99 is cheap ...but not really for a Xsara. They have gone out of fashion big time and you will have some difficulty selling it on in a year or so, especially if you put some more dings and scratches into it while practising.

On the other hand, 2k is not a lot for a car and if the Xsara that you have your eye on is in reasonable condition, you're getting quite a lot of car for your money.

Worth looking into at least.

racso1975

They have gone out of fashion big time and you will have some difficulty selling it on in a year or so, especially if you put some more dings and scratches into it while practising.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO dont say that i just bought a 01 diesel for 4400 :rolleyes:

Anyhow i thought it was a great deal and nice car to drive and only cost me 800 to upgrade from my 99 yaris.

Stephen

I imagine a diesel would be easier to sell than the petrol when the time comes.

cashback

Well OP I have a Xsara 1.4 vt... Passed down from my aunt when she got a new Civic. It had 150k on it so I wasn't sure what to expect.
Have it about three or four months now and it's going great.

Seems decent on petrol and it can hold its own on the road.
A guy stopped me in tesco carpark a month ago and said he used to work on them and that they were a great car. he then offered me a set of wheels which i politely refused.

Anyway I reckon it's hard to go wrong for that price.

stepbar

Just an update:

This is the car I was talking about:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carid=732933

I wouldnt buy it if you gave it to me for free. I knew it was too good to be true. I brought a friend with me just to have a look.

- The body work was full of small scrapes and the bumpers looked if they had a few run ins.

- The milage on the car is 87k and not 75k as advertised.

- The car wasnt valeted and was messy inside.

- Radio didnt work.

- The engine looked in poor nick, coolant was dirty and underneath the sump was leaking oil / seal was broke.

- A mild burning smell could be found when I drove it.

- It wasnt serviced and the salesman has the cheek to say that I would have to pay for it :rolleyes: No service history either.


TBH the salesman had a poor attidute as well. Dont know how it passed the NCT TBH.

How in ever, I'm looking at another xsara on saturday, this time a little more wiser

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=740172

Should I waste my time? Are these chaps reputable?

Anan1

To be honest, i'd forget the backstreet dealers. Find the best car you can privately, with FSH, and then have a mechanic look it over prior to purchase.

bazz26

I'm afraid when you are looking at cars in this price range at a dealership it is usually the rubbish parked at the back of the forecourt they took as a part exchange and usually offer them as "sold as seen" without any warranty.

In this case there is no advantage in buying from a dealer over a private sale, you will probably get better value from a private seller to be honest.

Turbulent Bill

I've a 98 1.9 turbo diesel with 130k miles, no serious problems to report. There are a couple of minor niggles, but in general it's a fine car; the old PSA diesels seem to have a better reputation than the petrols.