Faults:

Dash display occasionally loses a matrix dot.

ABS light comes on intermittently.

General Comments:

I took a slight chance on this car as the engine had a slight knock from cold. It was cheap enough not to let this be a problem, and the noise has not increased in severity. Apparently these engines can suffer from piston slap, but this is not necessarily a serious issue. As long as the engine is clean internally and does not use any oil, I shall keep running it until something expensive goes wrong!

The car drives very well and cruises smoothly at motorway speeds. It's not a ball of fire - around town, particularly, the engine feels like it's having to work hard to haul around such a big car. On the move though it's fine, if a little unrefined. Fuel consumption is significantly better on the open road too.

The gearbox hunts for ratios at lower speeds, which can be annoying. I'm sure a manual would feel a bit quicker.

Overall a bargain buy which has (so far) exceeded expectations.

Faults:

Drivers side window regulator.

Fan belt adjuster failed.

General Comments:

A big improvement over the phase 1. Smooth, comfortable and cheap to run.

All of the 2.5 TDs are manuals. Others may be autos, but steer clear, as they fail, and are £2k to fix.

On the other hand, if the clutch fails or wears out, it's the same price as it's engine out time.

For a big car, the handling is very good, especially if you renew the spheres. Unlike earlier Citroens, these won't rot as they were heavily galvanised.

I paid £1500 for this model, which was nearly £30,000 when new!

Faults:

Dot matrix display doesn't work.

Slurry automatic rectified by a change of transmission fluid.

General Comments:

The XM lacks the style of previous big Citroens, its styling is not 'ageless' in the way of the Traction Avant, DS, SM or CX. However, it still possesses a degree of quirkiness. I particularly like the 'band of light' and general stance of the car. However, the flat slab of a bonnet is rather bland and I wish it had continued the tradition of fared-in rear wheels.

The cabin is supremely comfortable and simply huge, with very high equipment levels. Whilst the colour and design is rather gloomy and lacks the flair of the CX, for a conventional interior it does work well ergonomically.

With a 2 litre (albeit turbocharged) engine it's not particularly fast, but it's quick enough and handles well for such a large car. My biggest criticism is the dropping of the diravi (Variable assist, high ratio and power to centre) steering from the CX in an effort to make the XM more accessible. It makes it less manoeuverable and slower handling than it would have otherwise have been. The other aspect of driving which warrants criticism involves the headlights which are very poor when dipped.

It's not the most refined car, but it is quiet enough, whilst the ride is second to none. This latter can be improved still further by changing the centre spheres for ones with higher pressure and by various other tweaks. I have not replaced the 4 spheres on the end of each wheel with 'comfort spheres' as, in my opinion, it makes the car under-damped.

Reliability wise, although it has a disastrous reputation, I have found it to be very reliable and cheap and easy to service. The build quality feels solid (it's a Mark 2 which in respect of the interior and electrics is much better than the Mark 1). For example, the doors are well sealed against the ingress of rain and mud from the country roads I drive on.

Overall, the XM is different, provides decent performance and handling, has proved to be reliable and well built (I understand it also has a very good crash rating-although I hope I never have to test that) and above all is extremely comfortable.