The restoration work is mostly done, how much is my Citroen BX 16V now worth? After adding up all the costs, will I make a profit or a loss? Also want to get the back of the car checked as I don't think rear suspension is right!
Never sell a car to a friend. If something goes wrong he'll be mad and you may even feel guilty. If he doesn't take good care of it you may be disgusted/upset. It's lose-lose.
Quite right. I sold a Megane turbo diesel to a friend some years back and about 6 months on he had a run away with the turbo. That made me feel rather bad. A few years later some friends wanted to buy my Toureg from me but they always neglect their cars, so i wouldnt sell it to them.
Honestly depends on the friends group. We got a golf 3 Cabrio with a gti engine. We just keep selling that car in a circle. Also my first car is now one friends wife daily, and I had a car of a friend for a year. That said we are all fucking hacks so one expects them to be sketchy shitboxes which can blow up any second
The BX was genius. Saved Citroen. Brilliant mix of Citroeness and normality. We had them as company cars in the 90’s and they were way better than the Rover 200 and 400’s and Vauxhalls and Fords we had. Reliable, economical and comfortable. Please keep this one.
@@robinburn4974 Far more rot resistant than any Ford Vauxhall or Japanese car of the same period - even this example which has been sat in a damp field for a number of years is structurally perfect underneath - which for a 30 yr old car is doing extremely well - and not uncommon on Bx's. Lightweight yes - but built certainly not built from tin foil.
@@byronmills5952 the one I owned was, my daughter borrowed it, alright she was driving it in her boots, but bent the bracket that held the accelerator pedal, and said that the car didn't go very fast 😂
Older Citroëns are really popular here in Denmark and those who buy these cars mostly know exactly what they are doing. The models that are popular these days are especially C5 mrk.II, but also late C5 mrk.I and not least C4 Grand Picasso mrk.I and mrk.II. C4 mrk.I with one of the larger engines (THP 150 HP, VTS 177 HP and HDi 140 HP) are also popular (especially as coupé which is a relatively rare model). Personally, I'm looking for a late XM with the 2.9 liter ES9A V6 engine with 211 hp. I really enjoy the videos you make. It is good entertainment and not least a good atmosphere. Having had 11-12 French cars (Citroën and Peugeot) since the 80's, I feel like I know these cars. They are a bit of a mixed bag, but overall the quality is much better than many people think. They usually drive brilliantly and generally much better than, for example, German equivalents from Wolfsburg. A very good thing is that the French had very good rust protection of the cars in the 90s and 2000s, unlike the Germans. It is largely a lack of status that has meant that French cars have been scrapped, which is a shame. Keep up the good work :)
The fuel gauge stays on full until the 10L “extended range” tank in the fuel filler neck is emptied. All the lesser models had just the 55L fuel tank, but GTi and 16v had the extra tank under the wheel arch for a total of 65L. Obviously the gauge sender unit is in the main tank, so it has no idea about the first 10L…
Sad to see this one go. ..and having a bit of a hard time with cars making 2 second guest appearances, before moving on. Not worth getting invested in them. ..but you did a good thing helping this car get back on the road. They are SO cool.
Would be good see them have a proper road trip before moving them on, maybe the Tomato could have had a few days in France? Drive the Elise to Knockhill for a few laps?
Years ago I used to get a BX-GTI as a taxi driven by a Mexican dude (Unusual in Newcastle). The car was amazing and the guy was too, Told me story's of his life in Mexico. I holiday there every year now (Covid willing) because of him and that car.
Had 3 BX's, the last one was a K reg 1.9 diesel. 107000 miles in seven years and apart from servicing items only needed a rear cam oil seal. Its still about today according to the MOT history. Great cars.
What a lovely series, you have worked your magic on the 'Rotten Tomato' and turned it into a prince fit for anything - Well done! really looking to see what you have coming along next...
I remember many years ago my mate's dad worked at a citroen dealership. One day he brought a BX home, brand new literally less than 20 miles on the clock. He hadn't bought it or anything, just 'borrowed' it. Anyway my mate's parents went out for the evening, so we took it for a spin. Bloody hell that thing was fast. Put about a hundred miles on it. He got in MAJOR trouble the next day when his dad saw the mileage. Totally worth it.
Amazing transformation from when you bought, great job and great viewing. Looking forward to seeing Biggles or whatever your going to call that "thing" you have just bought ')
Thanks Jack, Southways have got a good Rep in TVR circles, nice to know they do other quirky things! Hope the M27 50mph limit didn't slow you down, they seem to take forever! Great work on the Tomato - it's not a cost if you've enjoyed it!
The value of the knowledge that you potentially saved a car from the crusher is priceless. I just spent a few months working on an old w202 Benz thinking I'm gonna make some serious $ on this one. Then along comes a friend who wants to buy it so it goes for cost. C'est la vie.
Another great video, 30mpg is pretty good for an old un, I just went potty and purchased a nice 2013 C63 coupe on Friday, Am jumping for joy getting 21mpg !
A great save of one of the most fun mid sized cars of the late 80s. If it does head off to your mate - keep us in the loop of its further adventures. 🙂👍
I'm not really a BX fan, but I would have thought that was worth £3k of anyone's money. You'd be lucky to find a low mileage anything with that good a body for £1.5k.
I had the pleasure of owning a 1992 BX 16valve (the phase 2 model) from March 1996 until mid 2003 when I rather foolishly gave it to my brother. It was a colossal car! A wolf in sheep's clothing that happily surprised unwitting drivers of BMW's, VW's, etc. It was not the cheapest car to keep on the road but it was generally reliable and easy on fuel. I had to get the gearbox rebuilt in 1998, some pipework had to be replaced and I changed the spheres every two years along with fresh LHM. The engine was, in my opinion, a revelation! Easy to Potter about at low revs but after 4.5k it was unbelievably fast. Without doubt the most fun car I have ever owned... Suffice to say, brother didn't get it 😢
I've seen the fuel gauge issue before, in other cars, and it was the floater pivot getting stuck(rusted), so when it gets empty a jolt plus gravity move it to the correct level, but for a long time it doesn't. I took it apart, cleaned the rust and all went back to normal. I suggest fixing it, cause eventually it won't move and you end up without knowing that you ran out of fuel. Don't ask how do I know? :)
The fuel gauge is working as it should. It sits it the main tank, so it can only measure the main tank's fuel level. You have an extra 14 litre tank behind the rear fender. So until the fuel in that extra tank is being used up, the fuel gauge won't move.
I couldn’t believe you’d bought a ratty old BX when I first saw it, but that car has really grown on me. A really honest quality bit of motoring with great character and Gallic panache. I love it now and am sad to see it go too. Compulsive viewing. Hoping the next one is as good. All the best Jack. 👍🏻
I have really enjoyed the Tomato. Sure you could have looked for a little profit. Looking forward to the next project. Awesome channel keep up the great content.
Really enjoyed that and well done, a BX saved 👍 Very fond of these, I had a BX 19 TRi Estate, it was brilliant, loved it. The only bug bear was it had very heavy clutch. Luckily it was used for much of it’s time commuting from Bournemouth to London, so lots of motorway driving.
Never liked the BX when I was younger, I’d happily own one now, think they’re really cool! Also used to hate 309 GTi’s and I’ve owned one now for the past 13 years… funny how tastes change 🤣
Had a 1400 bx diesel estate 20yrs ago great motor even ran it on 50% waste cooking oil when we had the drivers strike years ago..until the gearbox blew a bearing race through the gearbox case!!
Enjoyed watching this and a really great choice of car. You no doubt want to move on away from Citroens for the time being but I'd love to see a CX at some point in future if one comes your way, particularly the GTi or even the late Turbo version. Not sure how realistic that is with such cars being so much older and presumably rarer.
I had one from new. White, from Wood & Krailing of Theydon Bois who'd moved from Lancia to Citroen. Long gone. It rode way stiffer than the standard GTi and rattled and chattered like crazy - every type of plastic carefully selected and crafted to react with whatever it met. I had half matchsticks crammed into every gap of the interior. Way out handled my mate's Calibra and I did love it, but I did go to BMW afterwards for less rattles.
Wood & Krailing is a name from the past ! I purchased a brand new BX19 RD estate from them in March 1987, and loved the car. It was my first BX and I had it for 7 years before I sold it with 220,000 miles on it. The site where Wood & Krailing was is now houses.
Nice project, rare car and liked by many .It was never going to make much money but it,s good viewing for the channel and more views more money you make on you tube.
There is an absolutely stunning Citroen SM in the Haynes Motor Museum in Somerset if your ever passing... Its beautiful! (and plenty of other stuff too of course).
Exactly same sound (light reminder) in my 2005 Xsara VTS. Also sound when fuel reserve light is on WHEN starting the car and also if you open the driver side door when keys are in ignition (even if everything position 0) it keeps beeping.
It has to be a great feeling to have a knowledgeable mechanic keep saying, "Oh yeah. That's good. That's original. People pay for that." All really good, Jack. Spot on work. Perfection costs money. :-) But hopefully RU-vid coverage on it has paid some dividends. And the experience cannot be priced.
My old Citroen ZX Turbo Diesel was fast 120mph and 0-60mph in 9 secs so it definitely did pin you back when you put your foot down when the turbo kicked in lol
I had a 3 door Volcane back in the day. I took it to Brody Britain racing in Banbury or Brackley, and they put a stronger spring on the turbo wastegate. Went a lot better after that.
Turbo diesels do that because of the characteristics of their torque delivery. In terms of speed, a BX 16v is on another level to a ZX Volcane, too. Even the ZX 16v is slower.
I saw an SM parked at my local beach last summer, gold in colour which checking online was probably the Or De Simiane. It looked great but had the sag look as some classics do.
The selling price might surprise some but as Richard pointed out, under the worse-for-wear exterior it's a low-mile, rot free example. It's got to be well well worth someone's time (and a few hundred quid) taking care of the cosmetics.
The Tomato is the car that made me a subscriber, but don't worry, I'll stay on anyways :) By the way, is there a chance we'll get to know more about that Alfa Romeo 75 I've spotted in the workshop?
Cracking stuff Jack….. how about if you sell the Tomato maybe try an XM next they are literally the most comfortable car ever! It’s funny people always slate French cars but I really like them I don’t really get all the bad press 🤔 I’ll look forward to more content buddy 👍
I knew I'd seen that SM on somebody else's RU-vid channel. I just checked, and Hubnut was here in this same workshop getting his Australian Ford Fairmont ready for the road, and he also remarked on the SM while he was there. It's a small world.
On my old BX 16v GTI in grey had the same speedometer ticking lol…never fixed itself but I loved that car until a front end smash knacked the spheres and it was never the same…but did 20,000 miles in it!,,✌️😂
I didn't think it was the rear suspension tube bearings. On my brother-in-laws BX GT those bearings failed, they just made noises but didn't effect the working of the suspension that he noticed. I helped him replace them on my driveway with axle stands under the car and it didn't take long. We replaced both bearings and all the brake/suspension pipes that failed the MOT in about 2 hours.
I owned a red 16v in the late 90s. Loved it, but gave it to my brother in Switzerland who failed to pay his car tax and it was crushed by the authorities. 😢
Well it would have been nice to see you make a little more...but that's the price of tomatoes. Am interested in seeing the new cars (I hope there is some more French stuff in the mix)...and maybe a peak at the new house. And where are the Lotus and Influenzo...in a garage or under car covers? It's hard to think of them as keepers when they are out of sight for so long. Could their days be numbered as well?
Love this little car. Youve done wonders with it. And regarding money, you say you’ve made nothing on the Tomato, but of course you haven’t included the 750k in RU-vid advertising… what’s that? RU-vid have paid you 7.50? 😜
I've had 2. Both 1.7TD. Good points: economical and good ride quality. Bad points: had a head gasket go on both. Turbo failed on the first one. Driving position not good if you're tall with long arms. Pedals not far enough away. I prefer close steering wheel and far pedals. Good memories from my first one though, a white estate. Camped overnight in the back while UFO spotting at Bonnybridge.
If the paint was sorted you could ask a lot more for it as it would look as clean as it actually is. I think it’s a very chic modern classic but I’m massively biased, obviously… 🤷♂️
