Burger attracted to French cars -- Help

So I'm starting to realize I like older French cars. Two problems: I'm American, which means I'm either paying to import them or I'm taking a chance with a car that's been over here without spare parts readilly available, and I really don't know where a good place to start is. I don't think I'll have $100k to drop on an Alpine, but I love the SM. What are some decent French cars stateside to get into, and where's a good place to read up on them?

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You can find old citroens throughout the states but the problem is being able to service them. Your going to have to work on them yourself if you want to save money cause it's going to cost you an arm and a leg to get them serviced. And on top of that it's going to be tough to find a mechanic that will work on them, almost any regular service station is not going to touch them because of the old and complex technology found in old citroens and parts will NOT be readily available.

The SM was officially sold in the US for a short period. There's still a few NA-spec ones around. Expect to pay lots of money for a decent one.

The SM is sexy as fuck, no doubt, but have you seen what the engine bay looks like? It's pretty terrifying.
Add to that the fact it's powered by a Maserati-sourced V6, which is buried way in the back of the engine bay, and the very advanced (and complicated, especially for the time) hydraulics, and you have a car that can only be serviced by either a specialist or a massive autist with an extreme amount of dedication.

Other cars with hydropneumatic suspension include the DS (sold in the US, so maybe you wouldn't have to import one), the XM (the slightly less complicated succesor to the SM), the CX (comfy car attainable for the average joe, but they also made a twin-dorito powered version for shits and giggles) and the BX (the CX's successor, which has all the '80s charm you could ever need).

There are also more recent cars with hydropneumatics but most of them aren't old enough to import yet. Pic very related.

>What are some decent French cars stateside to get into

Didnt you get 2CVs at one point?

What about a 2CV? Are they retarded overpriced these days? I've been looking around but haven't seen one for sale yet.

>le car
haha

Some fags actually drove Lemons with a SM once.

One of the facebook groups I'm in listed a few LeCars for sale, but they were all beaten to shit and on the other side of the country. I saw this and thought it'd be nice, but it's in Cali and I'm in FL.

losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/cto/6182368527.html

>but they also made a twin-dorito powered version for shits and giggles
Fuck, that was the GS, not the CX.

Appreciate your contribution but there are some inaccuracies in your post:
The XM is the successor to the CX which itself is the successor to the DS.
There is no successor to the SM
The BX is contemporary to the CX and XM and was a smaller, more attainable car with hydropneumatics.

While I would advise to stay away from DS and SM (for now) if you are not a specialist, the BX and XM have been put to the test of time in France and have shown to be pretty solid cars. The XM was a flagship saloon from the 90s so it might have some electronic faults, but the drivetrain and suspension are as solid as any standard saloon from the period. The BX has been shitbox tier in France for some years now and is only now starting to be sought after, and has shown its endurance even when not maintained as should be.
The CX sits between those extremes: it is an old Citroën, designed in the 70s, but it also showed its ruggedness. But time takes its toll on it and, like any car from the 70s/80s, you should only buy it if you know what you're doing.

tl;dr BX/XM are the way to go for an easy entry in the world of old-ish cars with hydropneumatics
t. frenchfag DDing a Xantia

Yeah, I got a few mixed up.

How could we make French cars great again?

Please let it be good
Please let it be good
Please let it be good
Please let it be good
Please let it be good

Thanks for the advice, guys. I've got some ways to go before I'd feel confident wrenching on one, but if I come across a decent project, I might jump on it if the price is right. Who knows, maybe I'll find the 80 year old lady selling an Alpine for $500. Everyone has that story at least once, right?

Get a Peugeot 205 GTi faget.

Alpine A310s can be found for like 15 grand in Europe with a bit of luck, later (less popular) models for even less.
They also shouldn't be too terrible to work on and all of them handle great.

Or , the 205 GTi was one of the most fun cars of its era.

it looks sexy as fuck but Veeky Forums will shit on it cause it isn't focused on power

The whole auto only is more of a potential killer, especially for a "muh feels" car.
See also: Alfa 4C.

How on gods green earth do they release the namesake successor to one of their most iconic models with only an automatic?

Tempting, to say the least. I dunno what import would be from Europe, but I'll look into it.

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don't remind me, the 4C is my absolute favorite car but it would have been so much cooler with a manual

I've seen a few beauutiful SM and DSs for sale used in California for the 19-29k range. Or a 2CV...

If you have the time or pockets to manage weird repairs and ordering parts from France go for it, I love them.

You could get a less interesting Peugeot or Renault - R5/LeCar, Peugeot 504/405.

Or import an Alpine A310. Do it.

I'm guessing it just looks worse than it is. They just laid all the service items on top.
Wire tucked engines look easy to work on but are a PITA, so don't judge a book by the cover.

fucking redditors huh?

Once the hydraulics go, pretty much every system in the car goes. Power steering, braking, directional headlights, suspension, all gone.
Because everything's operated by hydraulics there are lines running through every single part of the car, which of course were put in quite early on during assembly, so they're a massive pain in the dick to fix.
Source: I know someone with an XM, which is more modern and less complicated than the SM.

They're absolutely gorgeous though, and the ride comfort is insane.

do you think it's possible to drop a chebby tree fiddy in dere?

If you rip out everything and basically drop the body on an existing frame, sure, the engine bay is big enough. Pic semi-related.
With the original drivetrain and suspension? No way in hell. The transmission is ahead of the engine, which limits engine length, and sending that amount of torque to the front wheels would be idiotic.

>LS swap

Americans know nothing of subtlety.

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that's surprisingly decent looking for a modern car

It came out in '05 and there's nothing on the road quite like it.
They're not even expensive either, they start at like 5k eurobucks nowadays.

Don't give up on Alpine just yet user, I watched a pertrolicious on a Mexican one that had lower power and probably lower build quality but it's an honest to God Alpine. No idea how rare, but they should be sold here with no problem now, you just have to find one.

citoens are sex on wheels

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>go on used cars site
>search for pre 1985 citroen
>pic related comes up

I actually prefer the C5 slightly more.

Maybe try Peugeot 504 and 405.

Find a 70s or early 80s AMC.

Looks like a modern twingo made sporty.

Cool.

>automatic only
dropped

Should have gone to the Citroën Rendezvous this past weekend like I did then. Over 100 French cars there, several guys there selling lots of parts, several cars for sale including a 2cv, DS Estate, and Traction Avant.

Cars and parts are around you just need to go to the specialist that has them, just like British cars.

>this thread