There’s something quite cool and quirky about classic French cars. They hail from a country where automobile manufacturers march to the beat of a different drum, and they never seem to fail to produce interesting vehicles. This 1986 Citroen CX Series II Prestige is a graphic example of this philosophy. While not renowned for possessing massive power outputs, they can deliver surprising performance levels. All of this is wrapped in a package that offers its occupants supreme comfort and wonderful isolation from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. Making this car even more attractive is the owner’s decision to include a parts car that the buyer could retain or might choose to sell to recoup some of the modest initial purchase price. Located in Barrington, Illinois, you will find the Citroen listed for sale here on Barn Finds Classifieds. The package deal could be yours for a mere $9,800.
This Citroen is finished in a color called “Vert Cali,” a shade of Gold that the company offered from 1984 until 1986. It presents pretty well for what the owner believes to be original paint and still holds a good shine. It is not perfect, and there is evidence that a previous owner may have treated the hood to a repaint. However, that appears to be the extent of any work performed during this car’s lifetime. The panels are straight, with only the occasional minor ding or bruise for the buyer to address. None of these are significant, and none would require immediate attention. There’s no doubt that repairing these and applying a fresh coat of paint would lift this Citroen’s presentation, but the buyer could perform that work as time and circumstances allow. One further positive is that this classic remains essentially rust-free. The owner identifies a single small spot near one side window that should be a straightforward repair. That means that most of the future work will be purely cosmetic. The trim and glass are in good order, and the Euro-spec headlamps give the car the svelte appearance that it deserves. The alloy wheels that the CX wears are not Citroen products. The owner found that Alfa Romeo wheels had a similar offset and bolted straight on. The increase from the original 14″ to the current 15″ allows for a more comprehensive selection of tires.
The Citroen CX is a triumph of packaging because when you look at its overall proportions, it possesses what appears to be a short hood for a vehicle of this size. Hiding under the hood is a 2,499cc transversely mounted fuel-injected four-cylinder engine that sends its136hp to the front wheels via a 3-speed ZF automatic transmission. That might not sound like a recipe for exciting motoring, but the car should be capable of covering the ¼ mile in a respectable 18.1 seconds. However, the aerodynamic efficiency makes it an effective open-road cruiser. Citroen declares that its top speed should be an impressive 121mph and that it should easily average more than 22 mpg. That means that if the buyer plans a cross-country journey, they will be able to cover more than 400 miles before they even need to think about finding a gas station. This CX Prestige is in sound mechanical health, and the owner has recently performed a reasonable amount of work to ensure that it remains that way. As well as replacing the crank sensor, he treated the car to a complete tune-up, addressed a couple of small fluid leaks, and fitted a new set of tires. The vehicle has accumulated 5,000 miles since a transmission shop rebuilt the ZF, and now the car is ready to hit the road with a lucky new owner behind the wheel.
For me, one of the highlights of this Citroen is the condition of the interior. It is finished in pale tan, and the upholstered surfaces appear to be in excellent order. There are no rips or tears, while the upholstery and the carpets are free from staining or other problems. It is an interior loaded with clever design features. The single-spoke wheel provides an uninterrupted view of the gauge cluster, and the narrow dash gives the interior a cavernous feel. Rear seat space is similarly impressive, and the sculpted seats mean that four people can enjoy extended journeys in complete comfort. Luxury touches include a reasonably new CD player and power windows.
One bonus with this sale is the owner’s decision to include a second car in the deal. This is another 1986 Citroen CX Series II Prestige, but its condition is not as good as the feature car. When he purchased it, the owner drove it onto a trailer, but he removed the head to perform some repair work. This task has stalled, so the buyer will need to decide what path to follow in the future. Its body has some rust, but the interior is in good order. The buyer might choose to retain it as a ready source of parts or sell it to recoup some of their original purchase price.
Affordable classics can be difficult for enthusiasts to locate in today’s market, and some of these cars are experiencing extraordinary price increases. The 1986 Citroen CX Series II Prestige is a car that we rarely see on the market today, but when tidy examples appear, the price seems to hover around the $12,500 mark. This one needs some minor TLC to reach that level, but what is required should be neither difficult nor expensive. It’s also worth remembering that selling the second car could fund part of this work. If you do like quirky classics, this Citroen deserves a closer look.
With my continuing desire to own a DS21 someday I always give these a hard look when they come up in the classifieds. Still very technologically advanced when compared to other cars of the era but the styling less so. Which brings me to the reason I wouldn’t pursue this model. It’s just not quirky enough to match the charm of the DS. I’m sure it’s more refined in every way and a superior product but it lacks the charm and it’s looks are too tempered. So I find myself polarized between technology and style.
To be fair to the CX, it was launched in 1974 and in that context it was every bit as out-there stylistically as the DS had been. It’s just that the CX was more widely copied to the point that by the mid ’80s even the most unquirky of all European cars the Opel Rekord had adopted a face much like it.
You really need a DS with character. How about a DS30 / 5? A DS 5 speed with a 3.0L Ford Essex V6 transplant? Heck, even a Ford Windsor V8 will fit but first you have to modify them to turn the “other way”. Look up Rolf Nel on face book, he has the only DS30 / 5 in the world, a truly awesome DS.
Personally the CX is simpler to maintain than the DS and much more affordable. My father has a DS 19 and what a grand car it was. I owned a 2003 C5 V6 Auto for 17 years but had to let it go as parts were becoming expensive to source and the suspension had reached its use by date.
There’s still a Citroen in the family albeit made in Japan.
https://scontent-jnb1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.18169-9/1012100_608241635866158_1563822831_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=cdbe9c&_nc_eui2=AeGspn-OjWOnuw1XdKBeyltXp_VCvCTrrtWn9UK8JOuu1fjg0NGgGo9JrpY-iZHBRcwrkbi1DZTinzjnZt99H_At&_nc_ohc=AjeYJLD-pFsAX9M7flT&_nc_ht=scontent-jnb1-1.xx&oh=00e6ee0170adb120eec9bebaf0ee4cfc&oe=61454E3C
. . . i get really cheesed off when folk refer to these cars as ‘quirky’ . .. . and ”styling not advanced’. Really! They’re Citroens – and ‘Prestige’ models to boot! You could drive all day, in sublime comfort, at speeds most Americans wouldn’t recognise. This pair are a ‘cut above’ quite a lot of the hideous Americana that appears on this site . . . and an absolute bargain! A crying shame they’re ‘across the pond’ and out of my reach.
[Altho’ swapping to Alfa wheels is a mistake – Citroen got it right first time.]
I’m sure you’re right, but without a dealer network or even parts available it’s tough to maintain these beauties. I’ve wanted an SM (read ‘Maserati’) but don’t dare buy one.
Makes tyre replacement easier. Many owners opt for Alfa rims from a 164 because they fit perfectly. The latest Ford Transit are also identical and Alfa rims are becoming scarce,
On a front drive car with all that weight up there & tight space under the hood, isn’t also storing a heavy full size spare there inSANE?! All that heat under there is not helping the rubber on the tire either. No room in the trunk?
Zees ees an outrage!
The French invented the automobile, so maybe our cars are the ones that are “quirky”? Besides, who wouldn’t want a Citroen?
I agree. I’ve always been interested in cars like the Citroen, Renault, and the Peugeot.
The French invented the automobile? Wow! thanks for letting the world know that Karl Benz et al were Frenchmen. I suppose the next pearl of wisdom will be the revelation that Diesel was in reality a Pole. Anyway, my brother was an inveterate Francophile and owned a variety of Citroens in his life. Back in the day, he lent me his DS 21 to drive all over Europe – it was a tremendous pleasure. There has never been a more comfortable touring car anywhere. As far as the styling goes, I always loved the quirkyness, of the Citroen, even the little 2CV. It is true incidentally, that during the very latter part of the 19th.Century and prior to WW1, the French were at the forefront of automotive development. They even built some interesting sports roadsters well into the 1920´s.
Pearl of Wisdom: Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot, a Frenchman, built what was effectively the first automobile about 50 years before Karl Benz was born.
Very nice looking car. I’ve always loved Citroens of the 60s through the 80s. I’ve always found the DS/ID, the SM, the CX, among other cars, the best looking cars. For some reason, they were never good sellers here in the USA. I think they didn’t have the service network like that of the Volkswagen Beetle, or Mercedes-Benz or BMW did. That’s a damn shame.
They didn´t sell because they looked strange. It was that simple and has nothing to do with any lack of a dealer network. The quirkyness of some European cars (DKW 2-stroke 3 cylinders for example) was anathema to the average American who was used to large V8´s and essentially conforming designs – hence the poor sales performance of even great cars like the Studebaker. All of that makes the huge success of the Beetle this much more of an enigma.
Are you sure about that? It may look weird, but I would imagine there are other reasons.
Looks great, looks like a good deal, but where do you go for repairs in your home town?
That’s a good question, and a legitimate concern. Wherever a car is built, however well-built it may be, it doesn’t do you any good if you cannot take it anywhere to keep it running and operating safely.
You’d wrench on it yourself in own garage, unless you live in one of the very few cities with a local Citroen specialist, but even those tend to focus on the older 2CV, DS/ID, and maybe SM models and may not touch newer models like this CX.
Those are my favourite Citroën cars.
Being the Prestige model brings a couple of extra features over the normal CX – the longer-than-usual wheelbase gives as much legroom in the rear as there is in the front and those ’bumps’ in the pockets behind the front seats are actually foot rests for those rear passengers!
I’ve owned some 10+ CX of different years and versions and can attest that this is a good one to get. The Series 2 cars seemed much better built and better rust protected too. The injected 2.5 engine is very torquey and fits very well with the ZF auto – in fact one of relatively few European cars where I found the auto to be preferable to the manual.
The Prestige is a rare version built on the stretched wheelbase chassis (same as used for the wagons) It has huge leg room for the back seat passengers, and also the roof line is lifted a bit for more head space. This car still has the funky foot rests stored in the pockets at the back of the front seats. I can well remember the time I drove a Prestige Turbo 2 and got to a long stretch of road work where all other drivers were creeping along at 30 kmh on a surface of coarse rocks and I continued cruising at 100 kmh hardly even feeling the rocks underneath.
As a final note, I think the Prestige typically came with the metric TRX wheels so would make that switch to the Alfa 164 rims well understandable. Not only were the TRX tires horribly expensive, you would also be lucky if you got 10,000 miles out of them!
The diesel was also superb and the 2.5 Turbo GT was in a different league altogether. The TRX tyres are almost impossible to source and one has to wait for a production run to get them (at a price)
I had the opportunity to drive a 2.5 Turbo in 1998 while on holiday in Europe. Hitherto my only turbo charged drive had been a Saab 900 … The Citroen blew me away. What a tourer.
In 2003 I acquired a C5 V6 Auto Exclusive and sold it in March 2020. Great car and wonderful memories, but that 2.5 Turbo GT will always remain my greatest Citroen drive.
But even Alfa rims are getting scarce but fortunately the latest (European) Ford Transit wears compatible rims.
I would have loved a Diesel powered Citroën, preferably a Turbo Diesel.
Why no French car dealers in the USA? In the UK I saw all sorts of French vehicles, RVs, trucks etc.
The interior reminds me of a much more luxurious version of my Renault Alliance I bought new in 1984. Especially the steering wheel. I always dreamed of owning a Citroen, but they were way out of my affordability range. I chuckled when I saw the horn on this one because I installed a similar one with three trumpets on my current project car, a 1993 GEO Metro convertible so it would sound like a Citroen.
More on the world’s first self propelled vehicle, Cugnot’s Fardier.
https://www.grandtournation.com/cars/classics/the-first-flatbed-work-truck-ever-built-is-older-than-america-cugnot-fardier/
I am surprised to see that no one has commented on one of the CX’s self straightening steering, the Divari system. Odd to get used to it but once you’ve driven a Divari CX all other cars feel, well, so primitive by comparison.
I’m waiting for a CX GTI with a 5 speed or the afore mentioned 2.5 Turbo.