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Bangernomics: is this the world's most underrated car?


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The title is from MSN news, followed by a picture of a .........Citroen Xantia!!!! 

 

Underrated??? it's fairly well known i hate Citroen, so for me, to see this.... there are no words. 

 

They explain that it's underrated even though it has "excellent suspension" that IMO, has no feeling at all and the lack of feeling that can only be paralleled with that of a simulation racer game with a steering wheel. In fact that's probably an insult to the simulation. Plus they talk about its "galvanised body" to prevent rust, which is a shame as we have to look at it in all its unholy glory for years to come. Then they go on to talk about its "excellent build quality". Especially the interior which does not rattle , due to its "magic carpet like ride" which makes for its super unresponsive handling. It continues with the great build quality in one breath and then talks about the unreliability of the suspension spheres in the next which "puts off any potential buyers". WHAT POTENTIAL BUYERS????? Because its design is "simple and stylish, with an interior to match"???  Are they F**king high?

 

Utter tosh, never have i read such poop in all my life. Well, not since "Which" magazine concluded that high octane petrol made no difference to performance on cars. What did they test it on? NA cars. Cretins!

 

Anyone have an opinion on a real hidden gem? A real underrated car?

 

IMO, the Nissan Almera Phase 1 or 2 GTI. Had a couple of these. Handling is awesome, SR20 NA is great and very reliable little unit wacking out 150 hp. MPG is not bad and you can get a healthy amount in the boot You can pick up a nice clean example for £1500 but as a general package it really is a great cheap all rounder for a "hot hatch" which i'll concede is probably not the case these days but craps all over the Citroen Xantia or Saxo VRS. Pah!

Edited by Rock_Steady
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Errr ........ the Xantia was actually a pretty good car. The Activa had proper active suspension and still holds some handling test record and the V6 was a rapid by anyones standards and you can pick them up for nothing these days. 

Other underrated cars - Lancia Delta HF (much faster and better handling than any of its peers), Mk3 MR2 ( 1000KG and mid engined for £1K), Citroen AX GT (see Delta comments), Mercedes 500E (Porsche built with Porsche engine) and of course, my own personal favourite, the V10 Phaeton - 37mpg in a Bentley for £6K. 

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4 hours ago, docwra said:

Mk3 MR2 ( 1000KG and mid engined for £1K)

^^^ This. I don't care about the looks or the practicality, but it's simply one of the best driving cars you can buy for pocket money.

 

The mk4 Fiesta 1.25L was also a right little hoot.

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On 5/4/2018 at 13:54, docwra said:

Errr ........ the Xantia was actually a pretty good car. The Activa had proper active suspension and still holds some handling test record and the V6 was a rapid by anyones standards and you can pick them up for nothing these days. 

Other underrated cars - Lancia Delta HF (much faster and better handling than any of its peers), Mk3 MR2 ( 1000KG and mid engined for £1K), Citroen AX GT (see Delta comments), Mercedes 500E (Porsche built with Porsche engine) and of course, my own personal favourite, the V10 Phaeton - 37mpg in a Bentley for £6K. 

well...... that's where we'll have to agree to disagree (about the Xantia). Drove my mum's around for a couple of months and i've never really got over it. 

Edited by Rock_Steady
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I take it that it wasnt an Activa 3.2 then? :lol:

While I wouldnt call it the worlds most underrated car by a long shot, you have to admit they rode extremely well, and when everything else at the time looked the same it was at least different ...... and maybe even a bit stylish. MI-16 and XU Diesel engines in them too, youre obviously a harsh taskmaster :lol: 



 

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Maybe (task master), but yes the Mi-16 was apparently a good engine, when it was working. I can remember a chap not to far from me who had one in his Peugeot - another disgusting word - which sounded really nice and went quite well, when it was working.  

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2 hours ago, Rock_Steady said:

Maybe (task master), but yes the Mi-16 was apparently a good engine, when it was working. I can remember a chap not to far from me who had one in his Peugeot - another disgusting word - which sounded really nice and went quite well, when it was working.  

Two cars in the very long list of cars I have owned are a Xantia VTS and a Peugeot 405 Mi16. Both very good cars in their day and at the time very underrated - picked them both up quite cheaply. The Mi16 was all about the engine which was excellent. The engine never gave me any problem, just the rest of the dodgy Peugeot electrics, ABS, etc that hacked me off to the point where I sold the car.

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I have found Peugeots to be cheap motoring over the years. For example, just some of them from memory...

 

Peugeot 205 GTi 1.9 - Cost £650, did about 14,000 miles over 18 months. Replaced front bumper (£50). Bit of paintwork (£50) Sold for £2200.

Peugeot 106 1.5d - Cost me £800, did 80,000 miles over 4 years. Replaced lower front wishbones (£20 each), diesel cut off valve (£4), rear wheel bearings (£50). alternator (£100). Sold for £850.

Peugeot 307 HDi - Cost £2200, did 60,000 miles over 3 years. Replaced top mounts (£20), Replaced one suspension spring (£30). Returned 65mpg every day, sold for £1600.

 

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21 hours ago, Ponsonby said:

Two cars in the very long list of cars I have owned are a Xantia VTS and a Peugeot 405 Mi16. Both very good cars in their day and at the time very underrated - picked them both up quite cheaply. The Mi16 was all about the engine which was excellent. The engine never gave me any problem, just the rest of the dodgy Peugeot electrics, ABS, etc that hacked me off to the point where I sold the car.

 

That's what i mean, dash-board is like a Christmas tree, everything is not working but perhaps it is, you just don't know with a Peugeot regardless of dash lights being on. Plus the throw on the gears is like a combine harvester! Plus in the VTS and 106, i've found the pedals to be so off-centre that you're seating position is just so that you're almost looking out of the door window when driving. 

 

20 hours ago, rabbitstew said:

I have found Peugeots to be cheap motoring over the years. For example, just some of them from memory...

 

Peugeot 205 GTi 1.9 - Cost £650, did about 14,000 miles over 18 months. Replaced front bumper (£50). Bit of paintwork (£50) Sold for £2200.

Peugeot 106 1.5d - Cost me £800, did 80,000 miles over 4 years. Replaced lower front wishbones (£20 each), diesel cut off valve (£4), rear wheel bearings (£50). alternator (£100). Sold for £850.

Peugeot 307 HDi - Cost £2200, did 60,000 miles over 3 years. Replaced top mounts (£20), Replaced one suspension spring (£30). Returned 65mpg every day, sold for £1600.

 

You did well there stew, i just don't think i could bear tolerating owning one in succession for that long. 

Edited by Rock_Steady
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On 10/05/2018 at 10:39, Ponsonby said:

Two cars in the very long list of cars I have owned are a Xantia VTS and a Peugeot 405 Mi16. Both very good cars in their day and at the time very underrated - picked them both up quite cheaply. The Mi16 was all about the engine which was excellent. The engine never gave me any problem, just the rest of the dodgy Peugeot electrics, ABS, etc that hacked me off to the point where I sold the car.

Very true, the Xantia is pretty much a 5 speed 306 GTI-6 in a dress, IMO one of the best FWD cars ever, and the Mi16 kicked the arse of everything in its class for handling and performance. 

Ive had a GTI-6 for about 6 years now and adore it to the point I dont think ID ever sell it, the missus has a 207 diesel which shes done over 100K in without any issue and the 306 diesels are the stuff of legend.  

Dont want to keep agreeing with you R_S but Pugs are actually pretty good, and weve not even really mentioned the 205 XS or GTI yet :lol:

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Must admit, I'm a Peugeot fan too! Had 3 405 Mi16s (still got one), 2 205 XS's, a 309 GTi and a 1.6i 309, and a 306 DTurbo! The 205 XS was very under-rated, like the AX GT mentioned earlier in the thread :)

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On 5/4/2018 at 18:10, Ekona said:

^^^ This. I don't care about the looks or the practicality, but it's simply one of the best driving cars you can buy for pocket money.

 

The mk4 Fiesta 1.25L was also a right little hoot.

Definitely agree on the mk4 Fiesta, my Mum had a 1.4 one from new, that was a great fun little car to drive. Can't remember the last time I saw one on the road!

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On 5/11/2018 at 14:38, docwra said:

 

Very true, the Xantia is pretty much a 5 speed 306 GTI-6 in a dress, IMO one of the best FWD cars ever, and the Mi16 kicked the arse of everything in its class for handling and performance. 

Ive had a GTI-6 for about 6 years now and adore it to the point I dont think ID ever sell it, the missus has a 207 diesel which shes done over 100K in without any issue and the 306 diesels are the stuff of legend.  

Dont want to keep agreeing with you R_S but Pugs are actually pretty good, and weve not even really mentioned the 205 XS or GTI yet :lol:

:scare:  Please...... somebody stop him! Moderators! Ban that man from typing!! God, i'm getting a sweaty brow now :dry: Wasn't expecting to read this after the weekend, people actually nominating the very cars i hate as their underrated gems? This is an outrage! :rant::lol:

Edited by Rock_Steady
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Right, lets steer away - which isn't possible in a Xantiafrom french offerings. 

 

How about the old Suzuki Ignis? Awesome little JDM box with piano wheels. Corners like a house fly. 

Edited by Rock_Steady
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  • 2 weeks later...
On ‎11‎/‎05‎/‎2018 at 14:38, docwra said:

 

Very true, the Xantia is pretty much a 5 speed 306 GTI-6 in a dress, IMO one of the best FWD cars ever, and the Mi16 kicked the arse of everything in its class for handling and performance. 

Ive had a GTI-6 for about 6 years now and adore it to the point I dont think ID ever sell it, the missus has a 207 diesel which shes done over 100K in without any issue and the 306 diesels are the stuff of legend.  

Dont want to keep agreeing with you R_S but Pugs are actually pretty good, and weve not even really mentioned the 205 XS or GTI yet :lol:

I hate Peugeots. So far I've not found one I can actually drive. The Peddles are always too close together and why do they put those little shelves under the dash. I have size 14 feet and in most French cars I'm simply too big. Hard to like something you can't drive. My wife used to have a 306, she loved it and speaks fondly of it but I don't see the appeal especially as it caught fire several times...

 

Cheap thrills I'd say Seat Leon 1.8t. I had one temporarily after my Impreza died just before I got the 350. It was a mere £600 and a lot of fun.

 

Cheapest motoring - I once picked up a 1.9td golf mk3 that had been sat in a field for a few years for £150. A new battery and a service got me a years motoring before the head gasket went at 196k. The scrappy gave me £50 for it. Bargain.

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We've covered Pugs, sounds like your feet are the problem rather than the car ;)

 

Cheapest for me has to be a Mk1 Scirocco I bought as it was a "non runner", think I paid like £50 for it. Put in new battery, stuck it through MoT and sold it 3 months later for £450 :)

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I think my best 'bangernomics' car was an M reg K11 Micra, paid £100 for it with no MOT, cost £40 in parts to put it through the MOT. Then ran it for a couple of years trouble free until getting a new car so I parked it up at my Dad's workshop. New car got written off, out came the trusty Micra for another few months until another car came along, then I drove it to the scrap yard and weighed it in for £105 :)

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On 5/11/2018 at 14:38, docwra said:

 

Very true, the Xantia is pretty much a 5 speed 306 GTI-6 in a dress, IMO one of the best FWD cars ever, and the Mi16 kicked the arse of everything in its class for handling and performance. 

Ive had a GTI-6 for about 6 years now and adore it to the point I dont think ID ever sell it, the missus has a 207 diesel which shes done over 100K in without any issue and the 306 diesels are the stuff of legend.  

Dont want to keep agreeing with you R_S but Pugs are actually pretty good, and weve not even really mentioned the 205 XS or GTI yet :lol:

No, i'll grant you.. the Rally pug 205 turbo was an absolute monster and looked awesome. I can remember a man down the road from me when i was a kid had the rally kit on his 205 and i remember dribbling with want as he drove past. 

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