As one of the French Big Three – along with Peugeot and Renault – Citroën offered arguably the most unusual line of cars with some of the most unusual and now-legendary features, such as a hydraulic suspension and stepping on a ball rather than a brake pedal. A different kind of break, this 1987 Citroën CX 25 TRI Break is listed here on eBay in Willis, Texas and the current bid price is $1,125.
This is a better photo to show this car in all its glory. This Citroën is only a hair over 16 feet in length, which is surprising when you look at a side view and wonder how anyone could drive this car in city traffic. It’s two inches longer than a new Camry, as a comparison. I know which one would have a crowd around it, but I also know which one may be a better cross-country car – boring experience notwithstanding.
This CX is from the last generation of Citroëns to be made by Citroën before becoming a part of Peugeot. They were made from 1974 for the 1975 model year, up until the 1991 model year. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen one in the wild (on the streets), but I know that Barn Finds has a huge, global audience and some of you have owned a car just like this one. Who knows, maybe even this exact car.
The seller says that they bought this car in 2004 and drove it back home to Texas from California, and as such, there is no rust to speak of. He says that the hood appears to have been repainted at some point and the leading photo shows some fading and missing paint on the front bumper. The interior appears to be in good condition and yes, that’s a five-speed shifter that you see there for the manual transmission. WagonsWithManualTransmissions.com – If that isn’t a website by now, it should be. The rear cargo area is big enough for most American hauling duties and I don’t mean building contractors, but families.
French cars have interesting engine compartments, don’t they? This is Citroën’s 2.5-liter inline-four, which would have had 136 horsepower and 156 lb-ft of torque when new, and it sends power to the front wheels. The seller says that it was last started two years ago when they took these photos, so plan on at least the basics here. Have any of you owned a Citroën CX wagon? Edit: this car has a salvage title, as listed in the seller’s description and shown in their photo gallery.
Ebay says it has a salvage title. I´m in EU. so don´t know if that is a deal breaker if true, but if significant, perhaps the write up should include the fact?
Being iun the EU, I am familiar with these CX Citroens and they represent fantastic value if you buy a good car. A late manual station wagon like this would be pick of the litter to drive in the USA, but the earlier chrome bumper cars are more elegant.
That’s a good point, Martin, I should have mentioned that. We always hope that readers will click on the listing, look at the photos, and read the description – and they would have read that and seen the photo of the title – but I’ll mention that from now on.
Any non-rusty Citroen is worth a look, salvage title or not, especially a wagon. This one is shown with the self-leveling hydraulic suspension in the high “off-road” setting and is missing its zoomy rear fender skirts. The five-speed sounds a lot more attractive than the three-speed automatic option. Here’s your chance to own a distinctive collector car at a bargain price.
The issue with a salvage title in France is that the car cannot be insured or driven. Changing the title back to a drivable status will be a bureaucratic nightmare if it is even possible. The French concept is that a salvage title indicates a car that cannot be resurrected.
resurrection not needed. I’ll take as is. Citroen in waggy format? Yeah !
Not a DS but a strong 2nd ran.