I usually do classic motorcycles online. But this wet autumn weather in December makes you think outside the box. This way you can wash your Lief's car. He's already nice and wet. And then you are at the beginning of a nice bit of market development. On to Sylvia's BX14 1400 from 1989.
That is my Lief's fifth BX since 1999. I bought it as a surprise for her driving test that day. She had failed. The beautiful white BX was a bare 1400 and it cost 1.000 guilders at a village garage in Ulft, the cradle of Auto Motor Klassiek. In the meantime, BXs became increasingly cheaper. Then the opportunity came to buy a very nice copy. A little later it was rammed amidships by a fellow countryman who ran a red light twice, possibly because he was thinking about the fact that he had no driver's license and was uninsured.
The BX was renovated again by fellow villager and friend Theo Terwel. And in the end the other party paid. Not entirely pleasant, but still... Just afterwards a phone call came from what was then Schoot & de Groot. Paul Schoot asked laughingly whether my wife still did not drive a real car. “Ha! I thought so! I still have four hubcaps for one of those! But there is something to it.” What was with it? There was another BX between the hubcaps.
The 1400 had belonged to an old lady. It was to her Official Citroëndealer for maintenance and possible repairs. That greedy garage owner had put together such a long repair list that the old lady didn't even dare to drive her BX anymore. She had Paul or Vernon pick up the car with the comment: “Do whatever you want with it. But he is very dangerous. The old lady bought a neatly used Toyota from Schoot en de Groot, now 'Schoot car company'.
With an investment of a crate of beer, six euros plus a fresh MOT, Sylvia had a great BX. With sliding roof. The next BX was proof that low mileage is not everything. Certainly not with a 'hydraulique'. Low mileage, stacks and stacks of dealer invoices and the car was proven to have belonged to an 84-year-old. The man must have kept the entire garage business going. But during the first 1000 km everything went wrong, loose and broken. Once all the muscle stiffness had been massaged out, he took us to Serbia and back without any problems. But the BX was one from the last year of construction when the pressing molds were already a bit tired. The resulting additional seams and cracks were bravely sealed at the factory. But the car became very crispy, too crispy.
The fifth BX, now not white or silver, but a dark metallic blue, was purchased from what was once one of the two BX specialists in NL: Hesselink garage in Dirksland. Like its predecessors, the dark blue one was also maintained at the Berben garage in Ulft. When Peter quit, we bumped into Pascal from the Snoekfabriek/BX fix in Buren. Pascal is just as driven and friendly BX adept as Peter was.
At the last service we paid around €800. That included control arm bearings and some other small stuff. A classic, a daily driver that serves you faithfully for less than € 1.000 / year in repairs and maintenance. Where else can you find that? A usable classic that yields as much when sold as it cost when purchased. Ha! Maybe he'll earn more. The idea is current. Because we already know we are at BX number six! We dream away softly...
It has been an incredibly fun trip to see a car change from a throwaway item to a 10 grand collector's item. The fact that this 'journey' lasted a quarter of a century makes it extra clear. The time when you got rid of your BX because filling the tank cost more than the car was worth is over. BX blocks have already been overhauled at Pascal in Buren. And the restoration job that is now almost done for a customer? It cost almost 16.000 euros, including the basic BX. But that was a car with which the owner and his family had and still have a very strong emotional bond.
Meanwhile, we reported very early on the editorial BX in AMK, at a time when people thought BX was a disease instead of a car. BX riding started from 'Please take that bitch!'. After that you had a wide choice between 300-1.000 guilders and later that amount of euros. After some time to think about it, the prices of BXs went between 1.500 and 2.500 euros. And now, in 2024, you no longer have to be surprised on the Internet about BXs with asking prices around € 10.000. Now these are usually not sober 1400s (which simply remain the wisest choice), but still... Even at Gallery Aldering there is one perfect 1900 GT with double Webers on the purchasing wish list. The station wagon versions have an unimaginable volume and a local diesel estate managed up to 650.000 km. Then he was impaled on the drawbar of an escaped trailer.
Today, the parts supply for BXs has improved significantly in recent years. Citroën BXs have therefore become truly classic, but very usable enthusiast cars. They are no longer available, but not yet unaffordable. However, in connection with the hydraulics, it is preferable to buy the best possible copy, whereby putting the potential purchase on hold is actually a must. Replacing the hydraulic lines takes more hours than you would like. And that is why there is sometimes quite a bit of patchwork done to avoid those costs.
Because I wanted to show my children what their grandfather used to drive, I bought a 2023 BX with a 1993 petrol engine in May 1.4.
Drive great. Now one of the children wants to drive it. Almost has a driver's license.
So, grandpa's love continues.
LPG will soon be available and it will be nice and cheap to drive.
I have had 5 (new) BXs since 1994. The first was
(1st model with “rocker switches”) a 1600 on LPG.
The next was a 1900 GT also on LPG. Then 2x diesel 1900. The last BX was a turbo diesel TRZ and also the nicest. Actually never had any problems with these cars apart from the last "unblown" diesel. It contained a Lucas diesel pump that started working as a kind of turbo at the strangest moments. Replaced it under warranty with a Bosch pump and then the problems were over. All cars that I still look back on with pleasure.
Yep. Lucas…. There was a lot of grumbling about that. Just like about BXsen….
My experiences with the BX (and the dealer!) are not that good. At the end of the eighties I bought a new BX 16 in the so-called Montreux version: metallic paint, tinted glass, alloy rims, etc. A beautiful car.
However, right from the start, starting problems, extremely high fuel consumption, irregular running or even stalling, often accompanied by gasoline smells.
After 9 months still no solution to the problem despite repeated contact with the dealer. Sometimes resulting in towing, sometimes roadside assistance or leaving the car for longer with an AX as a replacement. Then I contacted the ANWB. They knew enough after mentioning the chassis number because the problem was known. At that time, the catalytic converter was emerging and cars equipped with it (Volkswagen and Opel were at the forefront) were given FL. 1.500,00 subsidy. At Citrroen the market share was seen to decline and the exhaust of a whole series of cars already produced was sawn in half and a catalytic converter welded in between so that the car had a catalytic converter on the license plate. Apparently they did not care that the engine management in this series was not prepared for this. ANWB advice: talk to your dealer and record it because things will not work out with this car. In three months your warranty will expire and you will have to pay…
The dealer did not recognize himself in that story... and only wanted to exchange the car for a used BX 14 in crisis version.
Obviously not done.
I didn't feel like dealing with legal wrangling and eventually traded in the car (it wasn't easy because Opel and Ford didn't want to trade it in) on a new Toyota. That Toyota dealer called me after a few weeks because they had a customer but could not start the car and there was a gasoline smell around the car. Advised them to contact the Citroendealer across the street. They know this car very well...
Fantastic cat solution! I only expected that from Italians! Apparently BXsen was just like mushrooms: if you found the wrong one you could get really sick. But now the bad ones are dead and the teething problems have been resolved
And that Toyota was good for years!
A few weeks ago I bought my 4th BX from Pascal's pike factory. A beautiful Belgian Biaritz from 1991, with virtually nothing wrong with it. The 1400 with 75 hp pulls the car well, with carburetor and hand choke. No power steering, but you get used to that. But with electric sliding/tilting roof, electric windows, electric mirror, spoiler and tow bar. And it sits in the old-fashioned excellent way in the beautiful chairs. It's something different from the Toyota Celica that I drove for 12,5 years. And very economical.
And in the meantime, we BX riders are already getting thumbs up and spontaneous conversations with passers-by. Our BX is also maintained by Pascal
Has Aaldering become poor because he has a BX with the rut hut pull option?
Hohooo! This is the semi-editorial BX. A good 1400. We were visiting Brummen and of course we parked it in style. A 1400 is a bit too little for the Gallery. But Nick is actively looking for The Pefecte 1900 GT with double Webers
Too late, had it for a long time and sold it...but my first love still went to the Dès, where I also learned love. in of course, La Douce France, with yes of course, a Belle Francaise…..
my brother owns a bx 1900 cc 4×4
That's rare. I think Pascal from BX fix/de Snoekfabriek still has spare parts for that! Have fun in the trackless Ardennes!
From 1991 to 2000 I had two. The first a 1 GTI (red) and the second a 1988 GTI1991V. White
Had a lot of fun with it, especially that 16V which, after I had taken off all the nameplates, fairly anonymously, went through traffic very smoothly. Just as easy with a (quite too heavy) car ambulance on the hook, neatly flat due to the hydropneumatic suspension, sliding between everything. It happened several times that the highway police drove up next to it, thoroughly inspected it, and then accelerated. After which I saw them a few kilometers further along the side with a car with a junk cart behind it.
Or full throttle back and forth to somewhere in Germany. You shouldn't be surprised that it was in 5th in the rev limiter and the speedometer.
Unfortunately, after 9 years and 225.000 km, it was hit from behind, causing the rear to bend. I received Fl5500 for keeping the wreckage. A normal BX would have been a total loss twice, even then.
Then I said goodbye to it and started driving another brand. The successor Xantia did not sit well with me.
Then there is only 1 option: quickly score another BX before they become unaffordable. We recognize your view on the Xantia
I am now very happy with my BMW E28 535i, for which we still have an agreement in principle, Dolf.
Let's wait for the good weather! Last year has been pretty crazy!I'll email you
I had a BX 'Deauville' from 1992.
Quite a lot of welding, such as front inner screens and trunk. Had a nice interior of a 1600. Despite many efforts to get her started in one go, the secret ended up in a watery grave.
After a slip, the BX disappeared down a slope on a dark November evening and then disappeared upside down in the water.
My daughter called 112 underwater.
Things ended well for us except for trauma.
The BX was a total loss and I had to say goodbye after almost 16 years
Was a nice car. An Xsara estate from 7 via an AX for 1999 years now.
And yet, that BX…
You can live with trauma. As a dead person you are trauma free (as far as we know) So congratulations! Because life can be worth living. Even without BX. But a neat, good BX is still affordable. Even pays for itself. A few years ago we had the bad idea to go to Serbia with a 1976 Chevy. At the end of the street a spring plate broke on the rear axle. The fat rear tire was firmly stuck in its cage. Chevy pulled over. BX caught. Load your luggage and hop, hassle-free Serbia up and down. And later calculate what the difference was in fuel. The 1400 BX ran about 1:14. The 5,7 liter V8 in the Chevy did not achieve that...
It is better to leave the BXs from the last two years of construction (91 and 92); Unfortunately, crispy trunk floors are the rule rather than the exception.
Take one from the heyday, so everything before 1990.
The 1400 is a basic entry-level model; we will see the 1.4 TU block later in ZX and AX.
Actually a bit too light for the BX, but economical...
Fantastic car, a beauty Citroën!
1 in 14, with the additive Yellow Miracle oil almost 1 in 16. Don't hurry in terms of air miles. But it does feel nice in the cut.