General What we used to drive before Multis came along...

[disgusted]

In the olden days, this Citroen CX is the sort of car that was available if you had more than 3 kids. It has 3 rows of seats, officially for 7 people, we once got 11 in it (the constabulary might disapprove these days).

We replaced ours with the new Multi in 2001.


Having spent a fortune restoring the Citroen CX, we kept it.

Following my redundancy, however, Mrs Disgusted insists that I reduce the fleet (she's worried about money, but she doesn't know about my secret accounts!).


So far, I've got rid of the offspring's Punto (to one of the offspring)

My next move is the Citroen CX 2400 Super Familiale C-matic 1979. I've had it for 21 years, since offspring #4 appeared. It has been SORN'd for a while. It is even thirstier than my Alfa 166, costs almost the same to tax & is half as fast. It does have a certain charm & is wonderfully eccentric. None of this is of use if it's not on the road!

So I've found a Citroen nutter who wants it.

The only trouble is that I'll then have TWO empty garages. The temptation is becoming too much...

I fancy a Coupe 20v Turbo and/or another 500 (a Giardiniera estate). I'm just figuring out how to sneak them in.

 

[ben]

Did the CX also have the pneumatic suspension that you needed to "charge up" each time you started the car (my family had the BX) - kinda like that Ariva buses around nowadays?

 

[disgusted]

Arriva bus!

Scandalous suggestion.

Yes Ben, pretty much the same system. Don't remind me, I'm already feeling upset over the loss...

 

[turbo_pib]

Ha ha i remember my uncle had one of those cx with a tow bar...
The car was so low when parked up and this guy with a fiat uno parked front bumper touching rear cx bumper (thats the way to park in italy) and my uncle started car up, suspension went up and ended up towing the fiat uno!!

 

[momoe]

Used to have a CX 2400 GTI (GTI stood for Getting Towed Imminently), as the damn thing had an electrical fault which took a long while to locate, also metric sized tyres which were scarce and therefore not cheap.
Working on it was a pig, especially anything between the bulkhead and what was a good impression of a young Forth bridge which the engine/suspension hung off, also had a sump protection plate that would have done a Chieftain tank proud!
Other than that!!!
Great car, ultimate long distance cruiser, used to get up (Very) early and do North London - Whitley Bay in 3 1/2 hours before speed cameras were around.
Guess I've always been into quirky cars!

 

[JTDman]

For me it was an Alfa 155 widebody Q4 , god i miss that car.

 

[momoe]

155 widebody Q4, gotta agree with you on that, if that's the turbo version that's an integrale in a saloon body.
That's a rare car, they didn't make many Q4's in the widebody.

 

[JTDman]

Yes it was, 1 owner full history 96 car which i think was one of the last made, sold via ebay for not what it should have made (£2250) to pay for the multi :bang: would love another but you cant even find them for sale in this country.

 

[BikeDoc]

Had a couple of VW Campers, wish I still did.
The only electronic bit on them was the dimmer for the instrument lights.
You could work on any part of it with just basic tools.
I just got fed up with welding them

Had a '92 Espace after that, not a spot of rust anywhere (galvanised chassis and plastic bodywork), but (and it's a BIG but) French electrics/electronics :bang:
At one point I had a fault that cut the ignition whenever the wipers were on, that was fun driving 26 miles into London in a downpour

After that was a Toyota Estima Lucida, which was very reliable until the head went, and then the cam-belt about 10,000 miles later

 

[Alpitlum]

French electrics. Before the multi we had a 55 megane which developed a fault that whenever the alarm went off it wound its windows down.

 

[disgusted]

Hey, we'd need a whole forum for French car electrics.

kind of agree with bikedoc. Points and carbs are the way to go. You can see the spark and you can see the petrol going in. Those were the days!

 

[BikeDoc]

My Daughter has a 1971 1300 Beetle.
If it wasn't so expensive to get a good one, I'd be tempted, definitely.

 

[momoe]

Points and carbs are tangible to anyone who is prepared to get their hands dirty, however I remember replacing points with hall effect contactless breakers (MOSS?) which worked well enough.
If you had a Mini and drove it in the rain, you either took out shares in WD40 or went for a more permanent solution, I took the contactless breaker option and a home-made rain shroud for the distributor.

 

[Alpitlum]

Points and carbs are tangible to anyone who is prepared to get their hands dirty, however I remember replacing points with hall effect contactless breakers (MOSS?) which worked well enough.
If you had a Mini and drove it in the rain, you either took out shares in WD40 or went for a more permanent solution, I took the contactless breaker option and a home-made rain shroud for the distributor.

A rubber glove made a cracking water shield for the mini dizzy.

The dizzy was meant to be at the back when they originally designed the thing but they couldn't stop the carb icing up in trials .

 

[Snoo]

Only been driving cars 8 years as have always been a motorcyclist (still am) until the first child. First car was a Peugeot 309 diesel. Loved that car. Holes drilled in the dash and filled with lollipops, faux leopard skin seats and metalic gold paint. I probably looked like a 1970's child abducter driving it . Used to go to supermarkets and herd shopping trollies for fun. 2nd was a Mk 3 Golf diesel. Engine was about to die so chopped it in for a VW Bora. Excellent car. I'd buy another at the drop of a hat. Then the twins came and I had to sell it for the Multi. The most unreliable of the lot (Unless you cound the Golf, but it was still running when I sold it!!
Got a little Clio DCi for the commute as well now. Brilliant little car and a joy to drive. Currently getting 70mpg too.

 

[BikeDoc]

...have always been a motorcyclist (still am) until the first child...

Good man!
Didn't bother taking my car test until I was 26, when our first Son was born (1988).
Never been without a Bike in 34 years

 

[Snoo]

Good man!
Didn't bother taking my car test until I was 26, when our first Son was born (1988).
Never been without a Bike in 34 years

I think I was also 26!
Is that your Guzzi? I've almost finished rebuilding my FZX750 (with a few extras) and just sold a Speed Triple.

 

[urchin]

we had a punto but it met a grusome end on the M5