Silver 16v that was on E-bay a while back

[docchevron1472]

silver 16v

Yes, I thought it was familiar!
The owner Nick didn't sell it on the bay as the highest bidder was a pugger and he didn't want it to go to a pugger.
So, as per listed on the CCC website his ad reads thus:

I am reluctantly getting rid of my H reg BX GTI 16 valve as I can no longer afford to run 3 cars on my pension. I have done a lot of work to the car in the last year or so to make it a quick and reliable motor. The silver body has some dings and scratches but is straight and corrosion free. The car was previously owned by a CCC member and is known by the BX correspondents in Citroenian. I have advertised it on ebay but the highest bidder only wanted the engine and I couldn't bring myself to sell a good car that was going to end up on the scrap heap! If there is anyone out there who would consider giving it a good home for a reasonable price, I'd be very grateful. I can supply pictures if you let me know your email address. The car is in Birmingham but currently Sorned. recent work done includes: Cambelt, tensioners, crankshaft oil seals, water pump, clutch plates and release bearing, engine mountings, thermostat, cooling fan switch,LHM filters and return pipes, starter motor, breather hoses now silicone ones. Engine sump and gasket, rose-jointed gear linkages, rear silencer, drop links. Fitted with tow bar and single electrics, sunroof wind deflector and headlamp protectors.

So a rapid, reliable motor looking for a good home with someone who will appreciate it.

Cheers

If anyones interested then PM me and I'll pass along your details.

The car has been discussed here

[Anonymous]

I'd really like to publicly thank Docchevron for adding my information to the forum before I got my own access. It doesn't seem, so far, to have helped sell the car - or is that something to do with the negative comments previously posted when the ad first appeared on ebay? Most of those comments seem to be from people who haven't seen the car for at least a year and don't know the amount of work that has been put into improving the car, and rectifying and correcting previous jobs.

As I've said above, the car now runs superbly and reliably.

If the negative comments from these "enthusiasts" mean that the car doesn't go to a Citroen lover because they get put-off by silly, out-of-date comments then don't be surprised if it ends up broken and the engine in a 205.

Big thanks again to Docchevron for his help.

Nick

[Jezziebx16v]

Presumably the negetive comments were posted on another well known BX forum?
The car did not look too bad to me but I've not seen it in the metal, plus it seems to have had a lot of work done in the recent past to get it sorted.
IIRC this is the car Billy(Cavmad) wanted a bonnet off a car I had a while back.
Its a shame that public car bashings occur on forums really, after all everyone that owns one of these special cars wants them to become "proper" classics and have the prices rise to reflect this, unfortunatly not everyone knows how to promote this.

Hope the car goes to the right kind of owner.

Jez

[Andy G]

Nick

how much and where is this 16v of yours?

[Vanny]

I cant find or remember any public bashings here about the car, and i have picture from when i last saw it over a year ago, and the difference is immediatley obvious! When Billy got the car it had been clearly neglected, and the ebay pictures scream differently.

It's strange how there seems a lack of demand for such a brilliant car, but they do sell, and have sold well so have faith!

[docchevron1472]

Presumably the negetive comments were posted on another well known BX forum?

Erm yes, linky clicky

It always seems rather odd to me that people will berate a car that was known at some point in the past, regardless of how long ago it was and whats been done to the car since.
Nick seems like a perfectley honest and decent fella to me, and any opinion should really be based on actually looking at the car as is, rather than how it was.

Since a silver valver appears to have sold for rather alot of money this last week hopefully the trend will continue and this will get a fair price, and importantley, find a home with someone that will appreciate what a great car the valver is.

[Timmo]

Why doesnt it suprise me that the link opened up a bxclub page! if it were a tzd they would all be dribbling enphatically!
some real oddballs over there! by a shed, spend loads on it and sell it for peanuts just for the love of the car!

as for the 8v being a better car, having owned long term a 309 gti i can comfirm that it certainly isnt a better car than the 16v! and the 309 had a smidge more grunt than the bx in gti trim! some people cant cope if there is a better option out there!

[docchevron1472]

Why doesnt it suprise me that the link opened up a bxclub page! if it were a tzd they would all be dribbling enphatically!
some real oddballs over there! by a shed, spend loads on it and sell it for peanuts just for the love of the car!

Thats the first time I've laughed today!
BXC has always been very diesel biased, and full of odd people, me being one of them.
I like my diesel rather alot, and spend silly amounts of cash on it, but the valver is just a totally different beast. I guess if you want a cheap runaround hack then a diesel BX is as good as any other cheap runaround hack, but if you want a car to have fun in, the valver is hard to beat IMHO.

as for the 8v being a better car, having owned long term a 309 gti i can comfirm that it certainly isnt a better car than the 16v! and the 309 had a smidge more grunt than the bx in gti trim! some people cant cope if there is a better option out there!

I've had a few 8V GTi BX's now, and whilst they are not slothlike, they will NEVER be a 16V, and all this crap about "the 8V has better torque at the bottom end" is rubbish too.
I've had a fair bit of fun in 8V's, but there's no way even the best one would keep pace with the 16v, and the 16v sounds better, and looks cooler, infact it's just better.
I think alot of the guys on BXC shy away from valvers because of the percieved complexity of them, and this non stop myth that they are unreliable and expensive to keep on the road.
Each to their own I guess, and for general cruising about my TD is great, but I cannot wait to get the valver finished and play with it again, I actually MISS the car. I haven't driven it since last August... although it is still taxed, MoT'd and insured..

[Toddman]

Well this is interesting.
It is a great shame that Nick is here to sell his car and not to join our owners club but that is just a shame nothing more and findinga good home for the car is paramount.
The car is actually sporting a cylinder head which I provided from an engine I got from Richard W who used to own Paul Ds valver.

Anyhow as already mentioned no suprise about the BX Club raking over the car some of the things I read on there about valvers just makes me laugh or cry depending on how muh beer I have drunk strange thing is if the valver is such an over hyped car why are so many of them now owning them or is it just a time to buy beofre the crunch really comes and the value genuinely rises because of th elack of good examples left?

We seem to be struggling here as a community with lots of 16v parts going to the BX club I am often contacted by 16v owners desparate for spares it just seems a shame we can't pull together more to aid the small number of genuine valver enthusiasts.

Cheers
Luke

[robin hughes]

The crunch is definatly coming and values are on there way up. Ive just bought a new plate C16 VBX ( Citroen 16v bx ) to compliment my car. As for spares i know of 2 bx 16v phase 2,s for spares. i have broken one but am reluctant to disclose whos they are and where they are for various reasons. It seems on the bx club you have to be part of a group and if you are not accepted as i am ( probably cause my cars barry,d ). Dont get me wrong doc,c, vanny and many others do reply which im very grateful for their knowlege but the majority are just ignorant so i give up.

Anyway im still here i just dont post much anymore.

[docchevron1472]

I'm not accepted either mate, but I dont worry about it. I'm too odd ball and sarcastic for many...
BXC is VERY clicky, I only ever really bothered with it to have a laugh, but thats now frowned upon aswell, and mention politics and you get shot down, unless you're one of the "chosen"...

At the end of the day, there's a large number of very knowledgable people about who know everything there is to know about BX's, and being one car forums it's come to the point where everything that could ever be said about the car has been said ad nauseam, so that leaves the forums in a stagnant place, unless it becomes less about the car and more about the social aspects.
I've met alot of people on BXC, and nearly all of them are top blokes, I've met all but one of the guys on Vannys site, and I consider them all good friends (I'm not at all sure the feelings mutual though!!), and I've met a couple of guys from here, also top blokes.
I guess where the BXC is more active is that it's a broader church, being as it deals with all BX's, and there's alot of stupid people that pop up and ask stupid questions (Charlotte001 and BXRunner spring to mind) but it attracts newbies who ask questions that have been asked a million times before...
Here is a bit different as all members seem to know ALOT about the car they drive and so technical requirements are less sought?

It always seems strange that the valver is so looked down on over on BXC though, given that it was the flagship BX, I always hankered after one after getting the diesel because they look cooler and it was the ultimate production BX, and who wouldn't want the best of the breed??

[cavmad]

Nick, have just re-read that thread and the person who cast the stone of doubt is no longer a member of BXC, allegedly, though might be a member of this forum? Easy to say I know but don't be put off by what one or two people may have said. That car was pretty good before I had it, got improved slightly in my term of ownership (with Vanny doing the hard work) and then improved further after it was sold I'm led to believe so it's not a heap of junk as far as I'm concerned, if that makes any difference.

[Toddman]

Some good honest words from Doc and Billy IMHO anyway.
I remember Vanny and Billy spending a lot of time and money saving this car and IIRC when Tim had it the only real issue seemed to be a lack of performance and I spent many hours on msn with Tim trying to solve the trouble - he told me h ewas only selling the car due to other comitments and he was sad to se t go.

Personally I would love to know if it was genuinely down and power and if so what the issue was but I honestly think it was not a heap at all.

Nick many people come on here to sell a decent valver and sadly our little group tends to be made up of people with 1 or more valvers already so it is seldom good cars get sold on here alone but it is always worth a shot.

Maybe it is fate and you should keep th ecar

Cheers
Luke

[Vanny]

the only short drive i had of the thing (minutes after getting the belt on) it did feel 'tight', a pretty vague decription, but perfect for the situation. I took the cam cover off and rechecked the timing, but the timing was fine, and the belt suitably tensioned. The car had limited history, and had clearly been ragged aorund with little care, i suspect it wasn't on its original head either and there was evidence of pretty major work having gone on (hardly any nuts or bolts where correct). The leather interior it had certainly wanst looked after and had gone very hard and dry, burst its stitches and looked prositively grey until wiped down. I suspect something in its past was at fault as far as seeming alck of power (hard to tell if it was down on power when driving 50 yds!). The car was remarkably scratch and dent free though, and no blindingly obvious rust that i can remember, but i only spent two days on it in total (one day head off, one day head on).

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the comments guys, I really appreciate you taking the time to add your feelings and thoughts to the thread. I have just finished re-listing the car on ebay, mainly because I was pleased to see a white one sell yesterday, even if it was slightly younger and with what appeared to be better paintwork - in other words "shiny". If anyone is still interested and would like to give me £600 I'll gladly pull the advert from ebay.

Regarding the "down on performance" I would make two comments - firstly, when I got the car, I didn't like the noise from the after-market stainless steel rear silencer so replaced it with the 'correct' 16 valve one. I got an immediate improvement in the revving ability and a much better acceleration as if the exhaust gas was able to get out easier.

Secondly, when revving the car under load above 6000 the red 'STOP' light would come on! The car also had a tendency to overheat. So we replaced the thermostat and fan switch - no significant improvement so only one thing more to do - water pump. We discovered that the 'old' water pump had been sealed in using some black, rubbery 'GOO' a piece of which had lodged in the water delivery to the pump causing very effective partial blockage! Correct replacement of the pump and cambelt resulted in a car that revved well, didn't flash it's 'STOP' sign every time you wanted to go fast and seem to perform a lot better.

The engine is very 'vibby' but I think that's normal for a 16V - certainly from my experience with MI16's (sorry! I used to work at Ryton).

I'll keep you informed of any developments on the sale side.

Cheers for now.