CITROEN BX 19 GTi 16V 5dr (1987)
Worra classic!
Citroen really knew how to put a car together back in the day! Forget all this Berlingo nonsense, the Citroen BX is where it's at. First things first, I still can't find a car with suspension as forgiving as the BX, you just glide along, it's great. There's a reason they always used to use Citroens for driving the camera down horse racing tracks, the suspension just takes any bumps, no matter the size.
It's light as well, meaning it's fast. The spongey suspension probably soaks up some of the acceleration, but it's still pretty zippy after all this time.
Mine has done about 180k miles now, which I put down to three things. I get it serviced exactly when it needs to be, and properly serviced by a local specialist garage who know their stuff about old Citroens (believe it or not, the actual dealerships don't really seem to know much about Citroens older than about ten years, in my experience anyway).
The second thing is keeping it in a garage, which obviously helps with rust. It's got some rust of course, but just keep a good eye on it. Get under your car once a month, see where spots are developing, and rust proof it. Not rocket science.
The third thing is not revving too hard, or cornering too hard, or braking too hard, just treating it nicely, gently, like a delicate flower. She appreciates it, and rewards me with good solid motoring. I've had a few repairs over the year alright, like the struts messing about locking up a bit, and the wheel bearings giving out. Also the suspension arms don't last long, only about 90k miles lol. I say that as I've just had them replaced for the second time, and like I said it's done 180k miles.
Really a classic that needs to be treasured. I suppose you could say it's a wee bit noisy compared to some modern cars. That's about the only thing I get a bit embarrassed about when I get in someone else's car. That and the fact they seem to be using a lot less fuel than me! Otherwise, absolutely brilliant car, and what I'm paying in fuel, they're paying double in having a newer more expensive car in the first place.