1991 Citroen AX GT 1.4 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Great performer but fragile

Faults:

The engine dropped out because of a faulty engine mount.

Driveshafts knock, brakes failed through a faulty master cylinder.

Had to buy a new sump oil pump and have the car put on a jig to put it right at after hitting a kerb at 20mph plus two new tyres and one new alloy.

The car pulls to one side when braking and does not drive straight due to worn bushes.

General Comments:

Great fun to race around beating all of the Novas, XR2s and the Fiesta Zetecs.

Not much boot room for ICE which is a shame, I fitted to 12" subs and an amp and have no room left.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th January, 2001

1991 Citroen AX 1.1 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

The bionic car. We have rebuilt it. And it cost about $6m to do as well.

Faults:

Everything. It was rebuilt from scratch as things kept breaking down/falling off it. Spent more time in the garage than on the road. Every month something else had to be repaired.

General Comments:

Absolute crap. These cars should be banned.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 3rd January, 2001

2nd Mar 2001, 02:01

Buy an AX GT and just mod it slightly. You will see that it would be less costly.

6th Mar 2001, 15:05

Never in a month of Sundays. I'd rather crawl over a bed of hot coals than have another Citroen.

14th Mar 2001, 11:40

Just looks like someone fobbed you off with a shoddy motor.

My AX has been good as gold, I've had it for 8 months and I was 18 when I acquired it. Despite me thrashing around everywhere the only parts I've had to replace are the front brake pads.

27th Apr 2001, 18:56

Reliability? Well my 1991 AX GT.

104bhp, Kent cam, Re-Jetted Carb, Green filters and breathers, Full Scorpion Stainless Steel Exhaust, Koni's. Standard wheels and interior. In 114,618 miles and aside from normal wear and tear items its had a starter motor. Oh and a new door skin after I didn't see that concrete post (DOH!). I know the history of mine right back to when it rolled off the line. The 1360CC TU engine is indestructible if its looked after well (oil change at least every 5K, 3K if its hammered). If they've been abused their very very bad but if they've been looked after their very very good.

23rd Jan 2009, 20:12

I agree, the TU engine is very reliable when looked after! Sounds like someone sold you a shoddy motor to be honest, so I wouldn't go blaming the model, more the person who sold you it...

Superb cars; I've owned nothing but AX's and Fiesta XR2i's since started driving 2 years ago. An AX is more reliable, faster, easier to run daily, both mechanically and financially, and has a great feel to it when pootling along or blasting foot to the floor... highly recommend these cars to anyone who wants a cheap reliable daily user or a track toy, you won't be disappointed!

1991 Citroen AX GT 1.4 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Scary, fast, and fun!

Faults:

When I had my GT, I needed new tyres which could have cost me loads, but I found out that you can fit 165/60 r14s on it. Um... also my radiator leaked until a bottle of Radweld found it's way in there.

The only major thing wrong was that some Gibbon (the guy who owned the car before me) had soldered up the carb jets to richen up the mixture. This made it drive crap and have poor economy. A trip to the local rolling road tuners soon fixed that.

General Comments:

I absolutely loved my GT. I got rid of it because the bodywork was really untidy (which is why it was cheap). When I bought it, I thought I could could tidy it up. Seems I'm not as good with the spray paint as I had first imagined!

I got rid of the GT and replaced it with a Vauxhall Cavalier GSi 2000 16v 2wd. The Cav is very quick, but I'm selling it to get another AX GT. The things I love about the AX were the fact that it was very fast, cheap to buy spares for, and very easy to work on.

If you're clever with the dynamat sound deadening, you can get rid of fair few rattles, plus it makes your bass response better if you've got the boot filled with subs like me!

Overall, awesome.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th December, 2000

4th Jul 2002, 02:06

OK, so I sold the cavalier and got another AX GT. This one is miles better than the previous one and has given me little trouble.

The clutch is being replaced as I type this, but I think it's the original one which isn't bad for 82000 miles!

The ignition module failed which meant the car cut out when hot. Fixed for about £90.

The downpipe cracked, but a replacement was about £35 from German Swedish & French car parts.

The car has been very good to me, and is a major work in progress now. This is the current spec:

16" Team Dynamics Alloys with 195/45 BF Goodrich Tyres

OMP Rear Roll Cage

Chassis Dynamics -50mm Lowering Springs

Bilstein Shocks

Janspeed Manifold

Janspeed Exhaust System

Pipercross Induction Kit

VW Polo Radiator & Golf Header Tank

Stripped Out interior (no rear seats or trim)

Delocked & Debadged Mk2 Tailgate

Mk2 Rear Bumper.

Plans for the car include the addition of a turbo, which is nearing fitting stage now.

Overall, highly recommended given an ability for DIY mechanic jobs. If you can't do work on the cars yourself - get something else 'cos it'll cost you loads!