looking at a bx..

[enthused!]

Hey all, Im interested in looking at a BX as a second car and runabout.

There seem to be a couple about for fairly small amounts of money.

Im really only looking at bx16s or maybe stretch to a bx19gt, but id rather stay away from the 16v as they tend to cost a little more..

can anyone suggest what sort of things i should look out for? what are the majhor rust points etc. And id especially like to know what to look for/ how to check the upsy-downsy bits

Id already guess to check:
oil
radiator
tyres
brakes
cvs and boots
aircon/heater

Im not looking for a mint car, im just looking for a car thats not going to cost me down the track, so id like to know what warning signs i should watch out for..

thanksfor any advice.

 

[DoubleChevron]

Personally I'd steer away from the carby fed cars. I think a BX19tri 5spd has your name written all over it.

There is quite a few of them around for sale, some of them quite cheaply. The trick is to find one worth buying. eg: Mines cheap but I wouldn't recommend it as a BX for you to buy (leaky struts, trashed interior, due for cambelt change, dodgy clutch etc, etc...).

For the sake of simplicity and reliability I'd steer away from the 16valve and automatic versions. I ran the old BX19tri for over 100,000kms (180,000 - 280,000+kms) with not much more than oil changes.

Check for:

leaking front struts
rear arms bearings gone
general condition of the car

Really they are only a 405 with a vastly superior hatchback body and proper suspension.

seeya,
Shane L.

 

[enthused!]

Personally I'd steer away from the carby fed cars. I think a BX19tri 5spd has your name written all over it.

so is a 16trs a carby car?? definately want a manual.

Check for:

leaking front struts
rear arms bearings gone
general condition of the car

ok. how do i check for leaking struts? does this mean the car sinks down quickly after switching off the engine??

rear arm bearings - would this give side to side slop? so how do i check??

Really they are only a 405 with a vastly superior hatchback body and proper suspension.

easy! youre talking to 405 driver here!

 

[DoubleChevron]

A BX16trs has a carby fed 1.6litre motor in it, the BX19gt is a carby fed 1.9 litre motor.

Really you can buy a BX19tri, BX19tri 122 or BX 19tzi for not much (if any) extra $$$ over the 1.6 litre car. So why would you want the hastles of the carby motor.

If the front struts are leaking they'll be wet with green LHM as will the brakes and front wheels. If the rear arm bearings need 'doing', the rear wheels will look tilted in at the top... ie: instead of being | | from behind , the car could look like | \ , / | or / \

seeya,
Shane L.

 

[Alan S]

I'd suggest you start off here and bookmark this site:

http://www.tramontana.co.hu/citroen/index.html

That covers most things BX or hydraulic Citroen for that matter.

Another great resource is Brij Dogra's site from Malaysia. In the BX section, you'll find road tests and comparisons.

http://www.citroenz.com/

As far as models go, anything with an "i" at the end is fuel injected as Shane says. They are an ultra reliable set up, but I've owned 2 16Trs cars (ie) 1.6 litre carby models and I don't have a problem with them.
They have 2 main failings; the carby has a problem with getting shit in it and causing rough running and sometimes high fuel consumption as a consquence, but with a couple of decent filters fitted, I used a V6 Commode filter on one of mine prior the fuel pump and a smaller disposable between the pump and the carby, along wirth a float levell set as low as possible without affecting the running and taking the carby and hot box back to original after the local yokels have dismantled it and you'll find 7.2L/100klms is quite achieveable. Performance on the 1.6 is nippy without being neck snapping and I have heard it said that the 19GT will stay very close to a 16V for performance.
The early engine seemed to also have corrosion issues possibly caused by dodgy electrics creating stray currents to cause electrolysis.
Low mileage TZis/Tris have this habit of guzzling oil possibly due to bore glaze, but seem to go forever and whilst they may suck a litre every 1000/1500 klms. they don't seem to blow clouds of smoke out the back. :crazy:
Suspension is a false bogey as it only has 5 spheres and only 4 of them diorectly affect the ride. At idle set in normal ride height, the front should push down reasonably firmly by about 4 - 6 inches. The rear slightly more but requiring much less force to push down. In both cases, the action should be smooth. Sticky struts aren't the major hassle they used to be since we learned how to lube them. They have problems overseas with struts seizing etc mainly due to driving on the snow that has been doused in salt.
Rust is a non event; BXs just don't rust as a rule apart from a bit that might get into the frame of any car with a sunroof and occasionally in a panel if the car has been in an accident.
At present, you'll find there's a few very cheap BXs floating around if you wanted to test the water with one. Some are so cheap that if you bought it and decided you didn't like it, you'd get your money back even in parts at a pinch. As a practical all round workhorse/shopping trolley/ sporty toy/family car they take some beating. They will legally tow 1100kgs and legally carry 1500kgs and all whilst staying perfectly level. We have 4 at our place and all are good cars that get used for a variety of purposes.

Read up on them and make an informed decision from there and as a bonus, I doubt you'll find any other car that has as much resources available to it as a BX has. The back up Worldwide is unbelieveable.


Alan S

 

[enthused!]

cool thanks guys- i think i understand the beast a little better now

ill be off to have a look at a couple on the weekend. let you know how we fare.

 

[ARCHRIVAL]

Small warning

Some of the TRi 122 cars 88-90 had oil consumption problems valve stem seals but I would gather that this has most probably been fixed or the car scrapped by now ,my first trs suffered this and the dealer tried to cover it up to his cost amazing things warrentees if you know how to enforce them