Old cars can be a challenge to maintain. Old French cars that were never officially brought to the U.S. can be extra challenging. Today, has a GTi that's one of the extra-est.

The struck a chord of discontent with 69% of you yesterday, although we think you may have been viewing the Psychedelic Psled through rose colored granny glasses. Anyway, today, back to real cars.

If you're just as likely to drop acid as the clutch, Nice Price or Crack Pipe has a George Barris…

Citroëns are . There's just no getting around that fact. But they're not strange in the way German porn is, but more like that who expresses her personality through unbridled honesty and the wearing of horn-rimmed glasses- and who really turns you on.

While other French auto makers churned out expressive, individualistic products, Citroën marched to a different beat- a beat that could be construed as being, perhaps, off-beat. They built sleek, idiosyncratic machines unlike any others. With suspension travel so long, it required a visa, Citroëns traverse the roads like sharks trolling the sea-floor- unperturbed by irregularities and unflustered even at speed.

Considered by many to be the last true Citroën before the company was absorbed into the Peugeot hive-mind, the CX was introduced in 1974. It debuted as replacement for the legendary DS, and continued many of the advanced technologies of that car. The hydro-pneumatic self-leveling suspension - so advanced that both Rolls Royce and Mercedes Benz licensed it for their halo cars - provided a hovercraft-like ride, and the speed-adjustable DIRAVI power steering would automatically self-center - even while standing still - providing hours of driveway entertainment for new owners.

Today we have an '87 CX, and a GTi no less, that is one of the few modded cars done by CXA, which makes it trés bon with the fédérals. Sadly, the switcheroo required it to learn to say the pedge of allegiance in English and trade in its cool euro-specs for plain American googly-glasses. That means the ‘70s sci-fi dash with its KM/hr-reading rolling drum instruments, and the smooth glass headlamps have been replaced with, respectively, round dials and sealed beams. Other elements not working in this car's favor are some minor body damage, an automatic gearbox that makes the car good for only about 20 highway, and seat upholstery which might set off seizures in epileptics.

But there's a lot of good here as well- the 2.5 litre, 138 bhp transverse four is known as being uncharacteristically French for its never give up durability. It has that wonderful hydro-pneumatic damn-near everything, including brakes that you should be forewarned about before first engaging, lest you end up thrown through the windscreen due to their operation based on pressure rather than travel. It also possesses the single-spoke steering wheel challenging you to find 10 and 2. All that is wrapped up in one hell of a sexy spaceship of a hatchback body. And it could be yours for only $6,500.

Now, we know there's been a lot of crack this week, but what do you think, is $6,500 too much to pretend you're President Sarkozy? Or is that about right for so weird and wonderful a ride? And who knows, perhaps a CX25 GTi would help you gain the attention of that cute girl in the horn-rimmed glasses.


You decide!

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