1999 Citroen Saxo Westcoast 1.4 petrol

Summary:

Terrible, you will regret it

Faults:

Gear-box replacement at 9,000 miles!! Made to pay for replacement at a cost of £1,700.

Reving up to over 3,000 revs when the car is warm, now fixed after 1 year of complaining!!!

Dealership, after-sales service is CRAP CRAP CRAP. Told countless times nothing is wrong.

Dashboard rattles, crisp packet works if shoved in the correct spot!!!

Nice looking but that is the only thing worth saying that is positive.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 20th March, 2001

9th May 2001, 05:25

Citroen dealers are the spawn of the DEVIL! Apart from the gift of absolutely NO brains they are blessed arrogance and outright incompetance!

P.S TRY AND REMEMBER THE OIL FILLER CAP NEXT TIME BOYS!

1999 Citroen Saxo West Coast 1.4i

Summary:

A great little car

Faults:

Only a couple of minor problems.

1st, the airbag light kept coming on, soon sorted by the retailer, except it persisted but I found a conecter under the drivers seat was loose and that has seemed to sort the problem.

2nd, leaky rear windscreen, the seal rides up but it only takes a second to sort it.

General Comments:

No major problems, an excellent all round car. I look forward to comparing it with the VTR.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th March, 2001

1999 Citroen Saxo VTS 1.6i 16v

Summary:

A mental car with the looks to back it up. Dealer spoils what could be an enjoyable car

Faults:

Car idles erratically. Judders like it's trying to stall.

Car was hunting when first got it.

Lombard sensor slow to respond.

Wheel arch at back came off whilst driving.

Door not on properly causing rain to leak in.

Rattling in the dash.

Possible sticking valve.

General Comments:

When I took it back to the dealer, I was told the car is designed to hunt to control the high emmisions the car throws out.

The car is fast both on streets and the motorway.

Shame about the dealer who just don't want to know about the faults and seem too thick to fix a toaster, let alone a 16v car.

Dealer does not install faith in owning a Saxo from them.

If you have a problem with a VTS, it is best to deal with it yourself or take it to a specialist injector mechanic, Citroen dealers will not attempt to do anything.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 8th March, 2001

19th Apr 2001, 16:07

You hit the nail on the head, the Citroen dealers are useless and incapable, the didn't fill me with confidence at all.

I also had some of the faults you described.

12th Aug 2001, 11:27

Have had the same idling trouble and erratic performance. This causes the car to kangaroo and sometimes stall especially in cold and wet weather. Think it could be the engine management system. Citroen Dealer spotted nothing on a routine service. Dreading the winter.

14th Oct 2001, 15:54

I've also had the same hunting problem, also the car stalls when coming to a stop at junctions etc, also it seems to over rev while picking up the revs just after it goes to stall. I also heard about the emissions thing and the hunting is due to this apparently.

I'm considering buying a Superchip for the car to see if this cures the problem.

Also I've had a dull rattle/clonking from the suspension (16000 miles - present 55000 miles). Dealer couldn't fault the suspension, although they fitted new top mount bushes. The problem noise is still there.

9th Jan 2003, 11:01

Car has been juddering for about two months, I took it to a garage (not Citroen) but they couldn't find what was wrong despite spending two days on it! They phoned a Citroen garage for help and was told it was probably the Engine Management system, but you can't buy the part you need you have to buy the whole system! It's going to cost about £200 and you have to take it to Citroen for it to be done!

1999 Citroen Saxo VTS 1.6 16v petrol

Summary:

Real pocket rocket

Faults:

For the first 5000 miles the engine squeaked loudly when cold, suddenly stopping after about 10 minutes. Fixed after 2 trips to the dealer.

Accelerator pedal 'vibrates' at around 3200rpm. This doesn't seem as bad now though after nearly 30,000 miles.

Airbag warning light starts flashing for no reason. I think this must be VERY common because everyone I know with a Citroen/Peugeot car has this problem!

Brakes went very spongy at around 25,000 miles. I got the dealer to have a look but they didn't put the wheels back on properly. I had driven another 1000 miles before noticing 3 of the 4 bolts on the front left wheel had fallen out! I was very lucky!

Anyway, I fitted hi-spec discs and pads and now the brakes are great (once warm).

General Comments:

The cars performance still impresses after nearly 30,000 miles.

Take my advice, treat the engine with respect and it'll be OK. Wait for the oil temperature to rise before putting your foot down, and don't take it above 6000rpm, there's no point, just drop a gear.

The only disappointment is the attitude of the dealers. They don't seem to give a damn once the car has been sold.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th February, 2001

4th Oct 2003, 20:01

Max power of the engine is achieved at 6600 with the plain unmodded 16v, so yes, there is a point in pushing the gear to 7250 (limitator)

Max torque is achieved only at 5200, so if you want to drive fast, you should drive between 5000 and 7000 not below.

Below 4500, lack of power and torque is evident, while everything is coming in with a kick in th butt between 4500 and 5000...