Update 8/15/20 – The seller of this survivor Citation has dropped their asking price by $5k! Do you think that’s enough to get it sold though?
From 3/3/20 – Here’s a legit time capsule: an already rare 1980 Chevrolet Citation X11 with the factory manual transmission that somehow has survived with under 3,000 original miles on the clock. The X11 was the performance-oriented model of the rather disappointing Citation lineup, but the enhancements didn’t to much further than some suspension tweaks and badges. Still, an X11 in such unmarred condition with the manual gearbox is a rare find no matter how you slice it. This time-capsule X11 is listed here on Facebook Marketplace for $12,000 $7,000. Thanks to Barn Finds reader FrankY for the find.
As you might expect, that asking price has generated lots of eye rolls and flat-out laughter at the seller’s expense. The X11 greatly improved in 1981, with some real horsepower that enabled the hotted-up hatchback to reach 60 m.p.h. in 8.5 seconds. The first-year X-11s like this one didn’t get the high-output engine, instead making do with either a wheezy inline-four or a 2.8L V6, such as this example has. The LE2 was no bahn-burner, but paired with the manual transmission, it’s likely a revelation compared to the four banger.
The interior is as high-grade as you’d expect in terms of condition commiserate with such a low-mileage example The seats and console appear unused, and the same goes for the door panels. Of course, this is still a budget-buster of a car, so don’t expect anything particularly high quality. The stick shift really stands out here, as so few Citations were ever equipped with one. The carpeting appears to still have some factory plastic on them, further highlighting how untouched this example is. Photos show the original vertical stereo and HVAC controls remain in place.
The odometer tells the tale of how little use this Citation has seen. Even just seeing how vibrant the colors still are on the gauge face, the needle, the numbers – no years of sun damage here. While I absolutely can appreciate how significant it is to find a genuine X-11 in condition like this, I still have a feeling the seller will struggle to get his asking price. Citations weren’t particularly good until the hotter X11 came along, and even then the quality issues remained. A time capsule for the right person, who is probably a GM fanatic.
Obviously, the 1981-84 X-11 is preferred but this may well be the nicest Citation still in existence. FWIW, never could understand why they named the car after a traffic ticket but oh well. Good luck with the sale!
A citation is a quotation in a military report of a brave or honorable achievement or act, especially that of a member of the armed forces in wartime. It is a positive award that has a long and rich history. It is a point of honor.
A traffic citation is a misuse of the word as it is not honorable to break the law, get caught and have a report of your offense written up on a crappy piece of paper. It is not a positive, brave or honorable thing to be given an invitation to park your ass on a wooden bench for two hours waiting to get defensive driving class at three times the normal price of other forms of education. It is also not honorable to name a cheap, stinking, steaming, front wheel drive, thin steel crap box after an act that was done to protect our freedom! Well done GM.
Bahahahaha…
Lets not forget the Edsel Citation. Of course, I drove one off a dealer lot for a test drive in 1980, I rather liked it, and I was 100% Mopar in those days. I wanted to hate it, drove it to issue insults about it, but I couldn’t. It had a much more modern feel then any other regular American car from those days.
No Super,l there are a lot of them in Mexico in pretty nice condition. They were sold here with the 2.8L V6 and stick shifts.
X-11 was a doomsday device on Get Smart. So whenever I read X-11, I hear it in my head in Ziegfried’s comic German accent.
A really mint example of GM at its absolute nadir. My friend was the service manager at a Chev/Buick/Pontiac dealer in the 80s, and I’m sure he still has nightmares about these s&$tboxes. When you consider that GM designed these things to compete with Japanese brands, belly laughs ensue. The Saturn started out as a legit competitor to Japanese cars, but GM managed to screw it up like they have with everything they’ve touched after about 1980.
I prefer the later 83-85 X-bodies, when they worked all the bugs out just in time to kill them. I worked at a GM dealership at the time, and people forget that they sold a zillion of these, and (after these had all the recalls done) for every car that had ongoing problems there were another 10 that just quietly lived out their service with no drama. The 2.8/stick combo was actually very quick (for the time) and was successful in SCCA showroom stock classes.
This is a tidy and well equipped example, and given some seat time I’d bet even the skeptic would come to love it. Personally, I’m waiting for the right Skylark Sport Coupe/T-Type to come along…..
850,000 Citations in 1980 alone……I think thats more than current F150 sales.
And then 413,000 in 1981, and then 165,000 in 1982, and then 98,000 in 1983, and then they never broke six figures again. Word got out. The Citations were so good that GM would never launch a new car to huge initial sales again.
The price on my computer is 10 thousand. I kinda think it is a good deal and would be fun for a cruise night
I agree!! I have a post on here about how I lived mine! FUN AS H@&*} to drive, and reliable as all get out!!
back brakes had no proportioning valve…they loved to lock up in the rain…dogbones broke constantly early ones like this the entire steering rack would break free….no thanks at any price…
They did have a proportioning valve. The majority of what was called “rear wheel lockup” by those who don’t understand how a brake system works, was caused by the front brakes being worn out or having another problem. The majority of the braking is done by the front wheels and when they are not operating at full efficiency, the rears are unable to stop the car alone because the majority of the vehicle weight is not on the rear wheels.
The brakes on these x bodies did not work like everyone thinks . They were set up in a cross pattern front left, right rear and the front right and left rear caused all kinds of problems for control. I had the 80 Buick x car and traded it after six months. terrible car.
My mom had a 1981 Pontiac Phoenix. Generally it was a good car (albeit slow with the iron duke 2.5) and we scoffed at the reports about rear brake lockup… until one day we were coming to a routine stop, and the brakes inexplicably locked up. Car was traded in a few days later. Just terrifying.
My Mom had a silver `80 X-11 hatchback. Hands down, THE worst car our family had ever had! Head/intake gaskets at 14K miles; water pumps; power steering racks; etc. By `83 she was so fed up with it, she got rid of it. This one’s $12K? I wouldn’t give you $500. for it. NOT one of GM’s best efforts.
What a laffer. I remember bringing Dad to take a look at local Hory Chevrolet to see this when he needed to replace a pronged ’71 Cutlass. Didn’t understand why someone would steal a name from the Edsel bin, but so be it.
Walked all over it because there wasn’t a demo, nor was one expected. Next stop was Yoda where he chose a Corolla SR5 liftback instead. Much better choice as that car was frugal, fun and flickable.
Then dumb ol’ me went to Ford and got my 1st new Escort SS (model named for the sound of derision). But it beat the Monzega and it was MINE.
Farhvergnugen,
“Didn’t understand why someone would steal a name from the Edsel bin, but so be it.”…..
And the funny thing is, with the new Lincoln Corsair, just about every Edsel model name has now been re-used:
Citation, Pacer, Ranger, Villager, and now Corsair.
Only one missing perhaps is the “Bermuda”? Or were there others I’m not remembering now.
“Roundup”
Dad HAD to have one as it was the ‘latest new technology – transverse mounted engine – sold it to me after I graduated so he could buy the next new thing – 1984 Plymouth Voyager. Bought that with wood-grain so my mother would think it was a station wagon. I drove the Citation for 2 years and sold it to a coworker.
I had one of these I bought for $25. Back in 83. The clutch cable pin in the peddle was broken. Got a new one from Chevy and for $50 I drove that car for 3 or 4 years before giving it to someone I knew that needed a car. Was a good little car.
I owned an 81 V-6 4 speed hatch with the F-41 suspension. Over 5 years and 60,000 miles, I didn’t have any problems except for a recall for the steering rack. It was tossable, quick, and spacious. Sounds like I was one of the few people who had a good experience.
You weren’t the only one. I had an ’81 X-11, and it was a good little car. I wrote about it below.
I really like X-11’s but the later years, not the first. This is neat, but he is not gonna get that money. Remember that red Conquest from a day ago? No brainer compared to this, not even close…
Maybe $3500 which is still a waste of money lol
I wonder if they’ll even get that much. There’s a difference between rare and desirable.
True that. And just because it’s rare doesn’t mean it’s valuable. $3500 is probably the best price they are going to get.
It was just absolute Junk when it was built in 1980… and with less than 3000 miles on it… its still JUNK TODAY
This was the first Chevy of the 80s, the successor of the Nova. Then it was downhill from there. They did bring the Nova back however, in Toyota Corolla form.
“the first Chevy of the 80s…” was also the first line in the original commercial jingle for the car. “This could be the car you had in mind…”. Burned into my brain. And no, it wasn’t.
I just think of the wasted garage space that this took up for 40 years instead of something worth saving.
This one is taking a lot of bleep. And for good reason. It was really not a very good car. Worse, it was heavily hyped by the mainstream automotive “journalists” at the time.
I think it won Motor Trend’s Car of the Year award. They raved about how technologically advanced it was, and how it was right in step with competition like the Accord.
The U.S. auto industry, once the pride of this great nation, was getting badly beat up at the time by the Japanese, and most news during this Carter era was bad. So, desperate for a win and happy to hear of one, Americans flocked to Chevy showrooms with high expectations.
They were obviously completely let down by a subpar product with many inexcusable design flaws. It is impossible to blame the emasculation of GM on one thing but this car had a huge hand in that. No doubt about it.
I guess the moral of this debacle, aside from don’t cut too many corners, is do not raise expectations too high. About a year later, Chrysler came out with the K-car. Only their pitch, essentially, was “please buy this car or we are going to go broke!”
And it worked, and avoided bad will. The K-car wasn’t particularly good, but it didn’t have the expectations this one did.
I remember thinking that these seemed like fairly decent cars when they were introduced, especially compared to the “equivalent” Ford or Chrysler products. But then I remembered my experience with my Vega and so I bought a new 1980 Ford Fiesta. Admittedly not a comparable car, but miles more reliable.
If this were any year but an ’80 model I might almost be interested. But this car was the perfect example of why folks tell you to avoid 1st year car models.
Sure, because the media was telling you they were great! Of course, it’s hard to blame them for not seeing all the issues, but how could they have not noticed the rear brake lock up problem?! Wheeee!!
The journos were handed ringers that had been “optimized” beyond what the average buyer would get, even more than was the norm.
This is what they claimed years later, but I still have the Car and Drivers where they were singing the praises of the X-cars over a year after they reached the market. They lied about the prototypes and then they lied some more in service of their biggest advertiser.
going by me all day at 71 per hour at okc plant,there was a white one with almost no miles the was on display at the made in oklahoma building…now gone
I had an ’81 X-11 with a four-speed. Sorry to disappoint the haters, but it was a good little car. I bought it used in Yakima, Washington in 1988. it had 68,000 miles on it and the silver paint was peeling. I rolled up another 111,000 miles on it in six years, mostly while commuting 70 miles from Ellensburg and back five days a week when I was going to CWU. It was pretty worn out when I sold it in 1994, but 179,000 miles was a pretty good run for a cheap car. The only major repair I had to perform was a worn out shift fork. Ran great on gasohol.
I disliked these of all shapes and sizes when brand new they were the true crap box of the auto world, we can thank cars like THIS for giving the imports such a leg up on American cars!
$12K ? It hasn’t improved with age. Not sure I’m buyin’ that mileage, either.
Wow! Not a lot of love for the X-Bodies, and I’m guessing I’m not surprised, we’ve all been taught to hate them. I cant help but notice though that for the people who actually claim to have owned and spent time in one, most appreciated the car for what it was . I worked on and drove these cars, and if they had any failings it was #1 – they were rushed to market. The later 83-85 cars accounted themselves well and racked up miles without drama. #2 – the worst bench seat in the whole entire world. The buckets were shared with J bodies and quite comfortable, but the X-body bench with the plastic center receptacle was not designed to fit man or beast comfortably, and began to degrade and sag as soon as they were backed off the transport truck…
I’d rather have the clap .
That’s great! Because most of us would rather you have the clap too!
Hecks a clap?
“The Clap” is a nickname for an STD, better known as Gonorrhea.
Apparently this “cmarv” guy would rather have that STD than to have this unique, one-of-a-kind, Ctiation.
To each their own I guess.
My step-father had a plain ’84 Citation (which was actually called “Citation II” at that point). Nothing spectacular about it, but it lasted a LONG time. He sold it to his son-in-law after it broke the 200k mile mark.
Very few problems with it over the course of his long ownership.
By ’84 the bugs had been worked out (actually I think the majority of the bugs were cleared after the first model year or two).
Part of the problem with the early X cars was the fact that they were in so much demand, that production was rushed and haphazard.
The amount of haters on here is crazy. Appreciate THIS particular car for what it is. It survived in nearly new condition against enormous odds. It’s likely the best on e of it’s kind in the world, and that should be appreciated.
I agree if I had the space would be in my garage next to my Saleen, LT4 Corvette and XLR.
James if you feel so compelled maybe you should buy it and have your one of a kind. You and a few others seem so appreciative. Those of us that choose to “hate” on this have our very own reasons why. Maybe we/family member/friend had one and had a bad experience. I certainly have.
No one has to appreciate the poster car that added one more nail in GM’s coffin. Engineer a car BEFORE you sell it to the public. Then hype it up. Not before.
There are many stories and articles why this is considered the worst car GM ever made. You think they would have learned. At least the Corvair, Vega, Your choice of GM diesels or the Cadillac V8-6-4 Looked better.
But yes this is special should be in a museum. Most likely with the low miles I bet it still has a few outstanding recalls if not all.
The car that MADE Americans buy Japanese…….and never look back. The American Auto Industry has never been the same. It hurt everyone.
AMCFAN,
Your comment: ” if you feel so compelled maybe you should buy it and have your one of a kind” is the equivalent of a 7 year old child on the playground saying “If you like it so much, why don’t you marry it?”. And it’s equally childish and pathetic. LMAO…..
Why is the V8-6-4 included in a bad engine list? The engine was a very good engine. Almost all of the V8-6-4 systems were bypassed when they were almost new. Every one that came to the used car dealer I worked for bypassed it and he was not the only one.
I don’t think I have ever driven one, and I have driven a lot of them, that had the system working. They stay on 8 cylinders all the time.
Are you kidding? You could buy an immaculate Lexus for that price! I guess I woulda thought it was a pretty cool car. In 1983.
While I’ll agree that this one’s price is perhaps a little high (but I think only a little), your comparison is rather short-sighted.
Sure, you can buy “an immaculate Lexus for that price!”, But one, an old car enthusiast never compares what he/she could get for the same money in a modern car. And two, five years from now that immaculate Lexus will have lost half it’s value, whereas this Citation probably would climb in value.
Not to mention, your Lexus will get lost in a sea of other modern, generic, cookie-cutter cars. But this car would stand out and get more attention than just about any Lexus would.
But hey, if it’s your thing to drive a fancy Toyota, knock yourself out.
James, NO you are too funny! No one is talking children on the playground here.Not sure where that came from……and I do not wish to know.
Simply that this anomaly of a car seems to speaks to you. You speak highly of it. Don’t fight the power and miss your opportunity.
AMCFAN,
Clearly we don’t speak the same language. That’s ok, the automotive world welcomes all kinds.
Interesting though that a guy with a name of “AMCFAN” would be so prone to jump on the “those cars were all junk” bandwagon.
Haven’t you, as an AMC fan heard the same generalizations and stereotypes about American Motor’s products????
I’m an AMC fan as well, I’ve owned about 20 of them (maybe more, I’d have to do a count). And I’ve heard the same tired, old lines about AMC cars all the time. Countless people with negative comments about the quality of AMC products (most of whom never owned one), just shows ignorance. No different than the ignorant comments about this car and others.
Were all the Citations built good cars? Heck no.
Were they “all junk” (as many have said here)? Heck no.
And this particular example is a fantastic time capsule.
Doesn’t mean I should have to buy it though, just because I can appreciate it. Not sure where that logic originates.
Now why on Earth would I want an immaculate Lexus when I could by a Chevy Citation?
Lots of seat time in the X-cars and their replacement the A- bodies. Considering their domestic competition, the X’s were pretty competitive. One thing they were was exceptionally roomy. My fraternity brother had a Citation as his company car, 4 of us went on a long weekend golf trip, the little Chevy had plenty of room. That was replaced with a X body Skylark that was much better screwed together and had the V6 which was much more refined than the Iron Duke 4 cylinder. I had 2 A-bodies, a 6000STE and Celebrity Eurosport. The Celebrity was an ‘88 and a very decent sedan. The ‘86 STE was very troublesome but an excellent freeway flyer. No interest in having another one but I’ve got fond memories of the time I spent in these GM standard bearers.
James, Thought you may stop when you were ahead. First you can’t judge someone by their handle. That is silly. What’s in a name? I still have an AMX but my interests today happen to be collectible performance Japanese vehicles. Don’t judge.
AMC did have quality issues yes but no single car American Motors built had recalls and quality so bad it damaged the American trust. The Citation clearly wins at that. It at a time America had just gotten over the Vega fiasco.
Were Edsels bad? No. They have their supporters but are still considered a failure.
This car is a time capsule it should be appreciated but sadly it represents the death of the American Auto industry. Many would soon like to forget. This car will never have the deserved appreciation in terms of value. It is stuck in time. Drive it put miles on it loose value. Keep it stored and pay insurance and fees to look at it. I can’t see a plus side of ownership.
Hope it finds a good home. Regardless I think the new owners if any need be out going and like to talk. It will be a required taste and skill.
I gotta call BS here. The Citation did not kill the US auto industry. Hell, in 86 the Celebrity was the best selling US vehicle, and the Ford Taurus was the top vehicle 92-96. There’s a lot of reasons for the rise of imports in the 90’s, but don’t try to hang it on the X-body. It just doesn’t fly.
Too many examples of “my second cousin’s boyfriend next door neighbor had one and hated it” syndrom.
My wife and I have had a couple of these back in the 80’s. The Buick version, that is. The hi-output version on the 1985 model was really fun to drive. That was the 2.8 with port fuel injection. A real screamer.
Rhett, Sorry. The Citation absolutely did damage to GM’s reputation. Thus hurting the industry as a whole. It has never completely recovered.
Some forgave after the Vega but after this betrayal no more. I am talking about 1980. One name plate. The Citation. Not the chassis. No one went to the dealer and said I want a new X Body.
GM hyped it up telling how great and new. Rushed it to production without making it a good car. Later versions may have been good but GM didn’t call them a Citation. Once they started fixing what they should have BEFORE it left the factory it was Citation II. They changed the name.
The rise in imports in the 1990’s? Japan started making BETTER cars and Americans were tired of junk. That did fly and still does. Be thankful. Ford GM and Fiat make better cars as a result.
Your recollection sounds suspiciously like it’s based on something you read once. I was there, I did those brake recalls (and others, BTW), I talked to the owners. Yeah, they weren’t happy about the inconvenience, but they didnt react like you describe.They kept those cars, drove them the obligatory 50k miles and did come back, and either bought another or traded up to a Celebrity, Century or Cutlass Ciera (which were much more of an actual debacle, but that’s not in the book) People chalked the issues up to teething problems for an introductory model and didnt act all ass hurt.and this wanst in Idaho, this wa sin new england where VW and Subaru already had quite a following, not for quality but unique traction dynamics. But they werent perfect, and niether was the Geo line (Suzuki, Isuzu and Toyota) especially the Isuzu stuff. Honda did build a good car, and priced it right. They deserved the sales the Accord came to garner, and I wont take that away from them. But it wasnt a result of anti american backlash. The Ford Taurus took that crown away and kept it for a good 5 years, because American engineering was still fair game, it came down to the car by its merits Ultimately, the quality of the Japanese cars became a better choice,in some cases (Although I regret nothing with my 2000 Intrigue, great car especially in light of the engine sludge issue in the Camry I didnt buy) After that, I looked at Mazda’s first not because they were any more reliable than anything else, but because they understood handling dynamics better that any other mid level manufacturer.
Imports came to make up a larger margin of the industry. Domestic manufacturers hastened the tech familiarity with captives, and abandon passenger cars for the profit margins and looser federal regs of SUV’s, where the domestics are doing apparently just fine..
Just one mans first hand observations.
Well, TWO Pacer’s did almost $30K on a hemmings auction. So, I can see this for $12,000.00 I was shell shocked when the Pacers did as much as they did. BUT, there is always a few people out there..
Steve, Shouldn’t be surprised. The Pacer has been going places for awhile. Nice ones command money today. They have a cult following and several dedicated websites. They show up in movies and commercials. I recently sold my Pacer to a kid that was 17. It is currently in the Autobody Lab in a vocational school getting freshened up. The kids there seem to love and has gained quite a bit of attention. Still very popular.
The Pacer wasn’t a sales failure. It sold over 100,000 units the first year. What did hurt was AMC’s tried and true shared platform. It and the Matador Coupe put them in a bind as very few assemblies interchanged with anything else they were building. GM could offset the cost of a new car through badge engineering. Same chassis for all their brands. AMC didn’t have that option and it was sink or swim.
Nobody touched on the fact that the 1980 X-bodies were the only ones without computer controls.
Japanese make such a better car?
How about the 1.2 million 2018 and 2019 vehicles that Toyota just recalled for fuel pump problems that cause the engine to stall? (We won’t even mention unintended acceleration.)
I was thinking the same thing – and Subaru has nothing but recalls on their cars and they cant do 100k without needing head gaskets- yet people still buy them .
As for 1980, there really wasn’t anything built around that time that was really good – Lots of new ideas on cars for fuel efficiency that didn’t work right or wasn’t designed to hold up like today’s cars; the import motors would run forever , but the interiors were cheap and the metal rusted quickly.
And as for crappy cars , look what people are paying for Isettas and VW Buses ? Unsafe, slow , unreliable ,poor handling , ugly – yet they bring in ridiculous money now . And lets not forget about the Yugo !
Our 04 Forester Sold above KBB with 160k a few years ago. Only a power window motor went out since we bought it new.
Our 15 has been great. Nice not having a timing belt, now.
ACZ Lets see the numbers. GM has a current recall of 3.4 million trucks and SUV’s to fix brake problems. 900,000 more for fire risk. Just released 122.000 for a software glitch. GM has a lot more. As does Ford and Fiat which I didn’t list figures. How about recalls that have taken lives?
GM had 30 million vehicles involved in a recall after 124 deaths worldwide for the infamous key switch issue they fought to hide for years.
Your point is the Japanese builds an inferior car? There isn’t enough space here to bring up current issues or past from all automakers.
All I will say is Takata airbag.
If you want to argue any more, take your ball and go home.
Takata! 41.6m vehicles (which thankfully don’t include my Mazda’s)
It’s an even playing field these days. German tech lust makes them their own worst enemy, Japan is feeling the quality ramifications of trying to crank out 9 million vehicles a year, and the third tier manufacturers such as Kia and Hyundai are getting the formula dialed in. Nobody’s perfect, they weren’t in the 80’s and they aren’t now..
Very true. Good and bad. I think today it is harder for manufacturers to hide from problems. Not like the old days. The watch dogs in the insurance industry and the power of the internet today and the manufacturers themselves owning up. Different ball game now.
Mitsubishi had outstanding recalls on my sons 2003 Lancer one a cooling fan relay and frame rust and something else minor. They kept it and coated the subframe. Gave him a rental car. Free. On a car with over 250,000 miles. I was amazed and bought my wife a new Outlander.
The Takata thing really hit everyone in the car business. They were once respected in the safety restraint industry and the largest. My old Geo Metro had Takata seat belts. Most every car had them as well. At least seatbelts worked.
These x-body cars were truly horrible initially, but like typical Gm of the era, by 84-85 citations were bulletproof! And very reliable cars, and even fun to drive with the H.O. 2.8 4 speed…. I daily drive an 84 x-11 sedan, and also own 2 1985 Citation 2.8’s….. they are great cars….. not sure I’d want an early one though
“Commiserate” ????? … “The interior is as high-grade as you’d expect in terms of condition commiserate with such a low-mileage example …”
I don’t think that word means what you think it means.
Commensurate.
There.
My Mom had a 84/85? Pontiac Phoenix and my brother had a Citation. I drove them both. All I remember is their spectacularly poor build build quality and insane amounts torque steer especially on my bros stick shift model. Even meticulously serviced and gently driven and by a little old lady the Phoenix fell apart around her and was wheezing blue smoke by 30k miles. What a dog. I have avoided FWD GM products ever since.
Great Example 12 k hell no.. $7,000 better but I’d probably only pay $5k and thats pushing it.
After taking a second look at the pictures.. its a really nice looking car.. now parts be interesting.. I understand they raided the parts bin and this car was made up of different cars.
Not a chance.
Not only has the price been reduced by $5000 but seller now claims that this car achieved 89 MPG…or so said “Cliff Gotlieb” (race car driver?)
Years ago I had a ’83 Coupe deville with a trip computer in it which showed instant MPG. I was able to get 90 MPG…only while coasting down a hill. A very steep hill.
This car is so worth that asking price. To me it is just a matter of space otherwise it would be mine. These are the cars that I want to see at shows nowadays. All the typical stuff has long become boring. I wonder if there is a nicer one in a museum somewhere or if this is the best?
There is, somewhere in America, a X-11 geek that is broke and has been almost crapping himself to death over this sale. He is sitting right now arms across his chest, hands in his armpits, rocking back and forth in his chair, moaning while he follows the action. Moowwwuuuuop. Monnwhooo.
He’s coming up with a scheme on how to rob a pay day loan store to come up with the $6000……
Holy Crap !! (As Frank from Everybody Loves Raymond would say)
ALL this commentary is insane on this car.
I thought for a moment we were talking about an X11 – Chevy…..1969 Camaro!
A Chevy Citation is going to generate more commentary than a 1969 Camaro. ’69 Camaros are now a dime a dozen. You never see X-cars any more and anybody over the age of maybe 40 is going to have some memory of one probably.
Anyway, of course that doesn’t translate to value. To answer the new question, I don’t think cutting it $5,000 is enough to sell it. If it was a 1981 model maybe (hell I’d even consider it). But the ’80 X/11 was just a tape and trim package.
I think five grand would be the high end for this, and you’d have to find somebody who really wanted it. Still good luck with the sale. As maligned as it was I do hope it finds a good home.
As an owner of two 1980 citations, one is a X11 the other is a four dr. hatchback. The X11 has over 200,000 mi on it and the four dr. has over 300,000 on it. and you are wrong about the only difference is the trim, the X11 in 1980 had bigger stabilizer bar quick ratio steering rack and gauges including a tach, and rear brake drums were finned. I’ve owned these cars since 1992 and never had a breakdown in either One ! I find them very dependable. The chev. Vega now that is another story.
junk junk junk!!!!!!!
I do believe there was not another car that was FWD with availability of four or V6, body styles, and options made by anyone, anywhere in the world, like this car. I’m not denying initial quality issues, but I still think the packaging has stood the test of time. I can’t say that about an ’80 Accord.
How I would live a 3k miles Accord over these squeaky messes. My first car was a 79 Accord. It was fun, peppy, refined, well built(for that era), handled well. Well designed gauges,Worlds better than the 86 Escort GL I almost ended up with.
Friends mom git ripped off at a Used car dealer 91,They sold her an 82 mint condition Citation with burgundy interior and 30k. I remember my buddy saying; “Mom, why didn’t you just buy an Accord!?!?” $2900 of waste. It was a garbage car. Squeked, steering had no feel, Had that terrible plastic rim steering wheel. Wallowed jumping to lanes on the freeway. Ugh.
If this car really is under 3k miles and can be proved, then the seller needs to advertise it on a better venue than Facebook. And he needs to vacuum it out too!!
I owned an 82 X-11. I really enjoyed it. Two door with a hatch, so I could haul things and still put in a baby seat. It was a 4 speed with the HO engine. There were never any major things with it, just those little things that would nickel and dime you. It had a sunroof that let the sun in and as it aged, the rain also.
So, back in the day when the national speed limit was 55, I passed a CHP officer who was in the slow lane doing 50. I had the cruise on at 55. Passed him and the lights immediately went on. Old guy, with the Marine haircut who reminded me of the drill Sargent always depicted in movies. Wanted to know why I passed him. Pretty stupid move, he told me. I told him I was doing 55 before he could ask if I knew how fast I was going. He told me no way and argued that the wheels weren’t stock, affecting my speedo. I pointed out the “Citation” etched into the wheels from the factory. Wasn’t buying it. I then told him that perhaps he needed to have the speedo recalculated on his cruiser. Looking back, probably not a wise thing to say, but he did manage a laugh…a small one….maybe a chuckle…but with that, he let me go. Final parting words: get that speedo calibrated and keep it under 55.
One final thought: this was the first American car that I owned that used metric bolts. Weird sizes like 13 and 15. I owned a 72 Toyota Carina that you could fully disassemble with 10, 12, 14 and 17 metric sockets. It was one of those 4. Not so with the X-11.
One final final thought: where can you find parts for these now a days?
Great story.
Bought mine new in July 79 no spoiler no scooped hood on early production cars it had 3 head gaskets under warranty the day before the warranty ran out it had another gasket blow so we took it apart found a spot where the oe machine shop stopped and re started in the middle of the head hat 65k cut to cure it it would keep up with my buddy’s 6.6 Ta after that. I complained loudly to Gm they paid the claim and gave me the hood the spoiler and the wheels that were on the brochure it’s in my barn on blocks for the last 25 years was a blast to drive
These cars were junk. A neighbor of ours had one and it was in the shop more than their driveway. They ended up getting involved with the district manager after the dealer refused to take the car back. After 15 months, Chevrolet finally agreed to take the car back. They promptly went out and bought a Toyota and never looked back.
Junk or not some people, maybe not many loved the car.
I bought a new 1981 X-11 and loved it. Nice ride. Decent handling. Good gas mileage. White with blue interior. Good stopping, no problem. It was a keeper, but I lost my job and could not afford the payments. Sold it to a friend who liked it as much as I did. I remember it being pretty peppy enough for my needs.
Jim Adduci
Here in SC, Irmo Police Dept. got some of the X-11’s to use as patrol vehicles. I moved into the area, in 1981, and I remember nearly wreaking from laughing so hard! They were running VW Rabbits! A friend of mine, who just recently passed, stopped by the town hall where I worked as a fire/police dispatcher. We were talking about them. He was with the Lexington County Sheriff Dept, at the time. He told me, laugh if you want, but that Rabbit ate us up corning and hard turns. But we can outrun them on the straight stretch. He was driving a Plymouth, if I recall correctly
Must be the longest comment list ever generated by ANY car ever on this site! I bought mine in ’79 and had a great time with it until 1983. Yes, all the inside plastic components were altered in color by the sun in two years. I bucked snow in North Dakota blizzard conditions and tried to keep a track after the big rigs who went first in a storm. It held all my earthly belongings successfully through many job changes along the way. I had the automatic that had enough pickup for passing on the highways. Maybe I just can’t think of too many bad experiences due to old age.
Thanks for sharing. Doesn’t matter what car on this site. We all have good and bad memories with our cars. Ive had over 36 cars. Some I regret and some I adore. I had a 63 chevy Nova 4d it knew when I had money. Sometimes a pain in the butt. But a smooth ride
My sister in law had an 82 in about 1996. Weirdest thing, she comes to me one day and says, hey theres a little red stick sticking out if the odometer. So I check it out, and in the owners manual it says its to alert you to 100,000 miles and to take it to the dealer to get a new catalytic converter, free if charge, during the life if the car. My dealer here looks at me like Im crazy, until I show him what the manual said. Still didnt fix it, said they couldnt get parts
I can see by the comments here that the Citation was not considered a great car.
I had one. 1982, 4-door, Silver, blood red interior, five speed, BENCH FRONT SEAT!! Yes!! It was a stick with a front bench seat!! I LOVED that car!! I owned it from about 1984-93. That Citation took me and my dog, Gladis, all over the United States!! I was following the Grateful Dead for a few years and that Citation NEVER FAILED ME!! I Just did maintenance, and it always started and drove GREAT! I know I put well over 150,000 miles on her!! She wasn’t pretty, but she was sturdy, reliable, and very comfortable to travel in. I slept in the Hatch area many nights and was warm and dry!! Lots of amazing memories in that car. Was sad to finally sell her. But I needed to move on! I’d love to to have her back now!!