You like weird. You don’t care what other people think. You’re a fan of the French Revolution. All of these might be reasons to take a look at this 1987 Citroen CX 2500 Prestige. It’s featured on ebay with a set price a buck under twenty thousand, and it will be sold, apparently, by Friday mid-day. If this looks like an opportunity to you, find a path to Douglas, Georgia, with the cash in hand and drive it home. Or hire someone to do it. This is, after all, a limousine, as claimed by the “Prestige” long body model designation, and everyone knows that people who own limos don’t drive themselves.
“Never go unnoticed with this eye-catching beauty,” the ad says. Remember the Seinfeld episode where the friend’s baby was so F-ugly that all people could say was, “Yup, that’s a baby”? That’s what’s going on here. What’s the saying? Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes all the way to the bone? Please find an angle where your synapses aren’t scrambling to shield you from the truth of what’s in front of you. Rear view? Ugly as the Pontiac Aztek. Side view? Door handles look a foot too low. Front view? OK, not so bad, though the headlights look like they belong on a larger model car. Not that this one isn’t big enough. The limo model here is ten inches longer than the standard body configuration.
Want a chuckle? Look at the seller’s ebay identity. “O’Malley Musical Instruments.” Maybe you can trade in the trumpet you played in high school for partial credit. Want more oddities? The spare tire is wedged into the engine compartment. Who thinks of this stuff? The seller does make a virtue of the “Stalk-free” design, where everything is reachable at one’s fingertips. Honestly, who cares?
And if you’re worried about four-decades-old French engineering, note that most everything works, but not the fuel gauge, and that “most wiring replaced” are words you probably don’t want to hear. The paint, in addition, is not fantastic. The interior? More odd-looking styling with the multi-tufted seat facings, and the base of the driver’s seat looks suspiciously well-worn for a car with 64,000 miles on the odometer. They say there’s a butt for every seat, but at this price, it’s going to be hard to find a match for what might once, a long time ago and far, far away, have been a dream car, for someone. Heck, where is that person when you need him? Francophiles, please convince the rest of Barn Finds Nation that there’s reason to invest in this car.
Gee Brian, why didn’t you just say you didn’t like the car and leave it at that?
This blog usually manages to find something nice to say about every car, even when it’s not warranted. But there’s a lot of hate on the internet, so some positivity is nice to see. Evidently a Citroen pi**ed in someone’s Wheaties, though 🤷
I spent several weeks driving a CX2500 circa 1988. The company that lent it to me had visions of selling them in the States.
As the owner of a DS-21, I found the CX interesting, but it lacked the strangeness of the DS. Yes, it had many of the same oleopneumatic elements of my car — steering and braking assists, suspension — but these seemed to have been adjusted somewhat for a more normal, non-French-car feel. It had a normal manual transmission too, not the hydraulically assisted semi-automatic.
I thought they might have a chance of selling some, as it was stylish, nicely built with quality materials, and rode as smoothly as a Lincoln Town Car. The only real shortcoming I could find was, like the DS, it felt slightly undeepowered, but the company gave up not long after, even though Citroen added a turbocharged model not long thereafter.
Had I not driven the DS and and an SM, I would have thought it was terrific.
I met up with the owner of this one who was from Denmark.
He shipped it over & made a tour of the USA.
Love the BGT
Thanks – it’s a “driver” & a “20 footer”.It looks good from
at lest 20 feet away.
That Citroen is an Xantia.
Compared to today’s SUVs this car is a thing of beauty. Maybe leave reviews of Citroëns to someone who can appreciate them instead of disparage them.
Apparently the doofus who wrote the BAT description has never ridden in a CX. The ride is fantastic and the reliability is no worse than, say, the German and British money pits of the same era.
Wow! And you guys kicked out my innocuous comment about stuffing a small block in everything. And you allow a full article of tripe!?
Lovely looking car. I’ve heard of the Citroen CX. I consider it damned unforgivable that the Citroen didn’t sell in the USA well. I’ve had people insist that the Citroen, French cars in general, are poorly built cars. I disagree with that. With the right maintenance/service network, any car can last indefinitely.
Citroen gave up the US market when Congress passed minimum-height regs for headlights and bumpers, which they couldn’t feasibly meet with the adjustable and self-leveling oleopneumatic suspension.
Typical gov. regs. Even if the concern is understandable, this is crazy! “Oleopneumatic” suspension? What the hell is that?
Beauty to the beholder? Maybe. I’ve long admired Citroen cars. Apparently, forty or fifty years later someone at Cadillac does, too. I can only imagine how cool it might be to roll up in this.
Same here. I’ve always liked Citroen. Why it never sold well here in the USA is beyond me. If you’re going to offer a car, it’s always a good idea to offer a means to keep it running.
CXs look fantastic in real life, especially in modern city traffic. Visually I’d prefer short-wheelbase version with older thin chrome bumpers and light metallic paint.
I agree. The only other French car I would consider driving if offered would be the Peugeot 604. I saw one in person not far from where I grew up.
The 604 – and also the 505 – are notable for the skinny pillars and large glass area. 604 could be had with a 3 litre V6, I think. A girlfriend of mine’s dad had a 505 turbo, which was a nice thing.
Nobody is interested in your design analysis, Brian K. A Citroen CX is a fascinating car, full of interesting engineering and design details, but you missed all that. This car is too good for you.
I like the French cars. Not many on the road here, and I hate being in traffic with other cars that look like mine. It looks pretty good. The rage bait post is a bit out of character for this site, though. Brian K, just how bad was that Citroen experience you had?
“Breathtaking”
The fact that not everyone loves citroen makes them more affordable to those who do appreciate them, like me. I own 4, including an 85 CX like this. They do have their quirks but what a ride! and I do like the styling. BTW, much of the reason that Citroen stopped selling in the US was a DOT requirement on bumper height. When these cars are parked they sink. Looks cool, bbut a moron in a ute can total your SM pretty quick. Nice example. Hopefully Brian K will stick to big block Chevys, or whatever he LIKES to write about.
I’d buy a Citroen if it was offered here in the USA. My favourite Citroen models are the DS, the CX, 2CV, etc.
There’s no accounting for taste-you either like interesting engineering, or you don’t!
Does it come with a set of white flags for when it gives up?
No, it has “Mission Accomplished” emblems for the doors though.
Rolls-Royce used Citroen suspension; presumably they thought that it was the best around.
Once you get your head around the pipework, it’s not intimidating.
I’m very fond of Citroens; I wouldn’t have spent 25-odd years racing one if I wasn’t. Excellent towcars too, because they always sit at the same height.
Never had a CX though; the estate cars are just too long for where I live!
BK with a blast for the French lol 🇫🇷
🍷 🧀 🫕 🥖 mèrci Brian 👋
I have read Barn Find write-ups for many years but have never come across an article so disparaging of a vehicle thus far. If one doesn’t see anything positive to say, move on to the next offering which might be more to one’s liking or knowledge base. If you, Brian, have never seen, driven, ridden in, or owned a Citroen, you are in no position to have penned this diatribe. I owned a DS 21(go to Wikipedia if you have no clue as to what that might be) and found it not only quite reliable but also the smoothest riding vehicle ever. BTW, Charles de Gaulle escaped an assassination attempt partly due to the DS 19 in which he was riding. And yes, they can be driven with only one rear wheel present.
Burt Reynolds drove a Citroen in The Longest Yard before he drove a Trans Am in Smokey and The Bandit.
My daily, here in Oregon, is a 43 year old French car with a 1.4 liter turbo motor. A 43 year old French turbo car… what could go wrong? Well, nothing actually. Other then the time I failed to bleed the coolant system correctly, it has never let me down… and that was my fault, not the cars. My “Mercan” buddy Tony, who bleeds Red, White and Cubic Inches, was always hating on French cars. Then, one day, a totally random stranger at a weekend Cars & Coffee threw me the keys to his Citroen DS and told me to take Tony for a spin. Tony came back completely changed. “I gotta git’ me one of dees”. He was smitten. The ride quality, the silence, the way it just ate miles. “The ULTIMATE San Diego to Vegas cruiser” he said.
The French copy nobody.
And nobody copies the French.
I went to school with an O’Malley. He played in band & had a quirky personality akin to someone who’d drive this. Wonder if it’s the same dude?
This car is pretty
Ugly lol
I wouldn’t call it ugly. Somewhat Brutal in the good sense. I like it. The level of snark in the review was over the top and uncalled for.
I rode in and studied them in Paris.
The older ones grew on me but this one is not like the other.
It’s crazy, but I’ve had people over the years tell me that the French weren’t very good at producing very good cars, hence why they’re not offered here in the USA anymore. I disagree. I think the cars themselves were fine. The problem is that there weren’t enough places in North America to service and maintain cars. I could be wrong of course, since I’ve never owned or driven a Peugeot, a Renault, a Citroen, etc.
Lack of substantial and robust dealer networks with parts and service departments has been downfall of most foreign car makers attempt to build a lasting sales legacy in the United States. Volkswagon did it best starting in the 1950s with stand alone dealerships. Mercedes was twined with Studebaker at first and took a long time to become something more than a niche player.
It’s crazy how that is. Why the hell they didn’t do what VW did or what Studebaker, or other car makers did is beyond me.