Words By Dionysis Nanos
What is the meaning of a relationship? In my mind a relationship is an umbrella term under which companionship, love, admiration and respect are all present among others. Sure you’re going to have rough patches every so often but if relationships ended after the first fight then the internet would be more full of self proclaimed quirky individuals that try to pass their toxicity as a cute character trait than it already is. A relationship is also something that develops over time, through highs and lows and moments, cause at the end of the day that’s what our lives are. We think of our past memories as we’re on our way to making new and exciting ones. And before people start questioning my sanity as to why I’m starting an article about a 25 year old car by trying to define the meaning of a relationship, allow me to introduce you to the Citroen Xantia. Not just any Xantia, but my Xantia.
First a little background on the Xantia itself. First introduced in 1993 it was a stylish yet a bit bland replacement for the mad Citroen BX. See, Citroen was owned by Peugeot and Peugeot didn’t care about quirky styling. They wanted sales and lots of them at that. That’s what led to the introduction of the ZX in 1990. And while Citroen fans were disappointed other car buyers soon took notice and realized that Citroen actually made some half decent machines. Throughout the 1990s pretty much all Citroens sold well within the millions and the fact that you still see Xantias, ZXs, Xsaras and Saxos around means that they did make them properly… And then promptly forgot that once the 2000s rolled around but that’s a story for another time.
And now about our Xantia. It’s from 1996 and a 1.6 at that, which means 87 HP and acceleration that’s measured with a solar clock. While it is deathly slow that 1.6 engine was the reason for it’s success in Greece. Ridiculously high car ownership tax for anything over 2 litres and diesels not sold in major cities because of pollution meant that most people opted either for the 1.6 or 1.8, with the majority of those buying the 1.6 because of it’s lower price. And to add the cherry on the cake Citroen offered competitive financing, and that alone sealed the deal for my dad who ordered one, and here we are talking about it 25 years later.
Has it been all smooth sailing? Well, depends on how you look at things. With the amount of stuff this poor car has hauled which at times involved live animals, an armchair, about 200 pairs of shoes (thankfully not at the same time) and enough luggage to fill a medium sized football field we’ve certainly had our money’s worth. And that’s mostly down to the hydraulic suspension. Now I know people and mostly our American friends hear the word hydraulic and start shivering in fear but there’s no need as it’s no more complicated than standard suspension, and at least in Xantia form quite simple to understand too. I will go into detail about the hydraulic suspension later in the year as I’m planning on rebuilding the hydraulics and that will be very well documented so stick around!
And now people will start asking. Why keep it? Why haven’t you scrapped it? Why is it dirty in every picture? Why didn’t WCW do something with Bret Hart? First of all, the car works fine. In the 25 years of ownership it has only left us stranded twice, once with a bad alternator and the second time a much more serious one when a coolant pipe burst while traveling on the motorway filled with luggage, which resulted in an engine rebuild a year and a half ago. Don’t get me wrong it does have its issues which are getting slowly fixed one at a time, like a speedometer that only works when it feels like it, an indicator stalk that has a mind of its own and an odd squeaky sound from the front suspension that no mechanic has been able to trace just yet and is capable of driving yours truly completely mad. And before I get mercilessly attacked for the car being dirty let me remind you people that a car’s job is to do stuff. This car hasn’t been babied. Maintenance was undertook by people that didn’t know what they were doing half the time but that didn’t stop it from being reliable when you needed it. To hear people bash French cars and more specifically PSA Group cars makes me jealous really, cause I’d like to live in a fantasy world as well… sometimes at least.
Living with something for 25 years, even if you don’t want it you get attached. That car has been there in almost everything important that’s ever happened in my life. When the world around me was spinning out of control that car was there as an anchor, a safe haven. And every time it’s needed it’s there, always ready to serve the family that loves it not just as a car but as a family member. After it’s many years of loyal service it’s finally getting the attention it deserves so it can keep doing what it does best for many many years to come. Stay tuned for the rest…