1996 Citroen AX Reviews

Leaking solenoid.

Dashboard bulbs blew regularly.

Alternator light glows occasionally.

O/S drive shaft clunk.

Great economy.

Fair turn of speed.

Cold start problems, generally valve clearances, £40 locally.

All parts cheap and easy to fit.

Dashboard bulbs about 30 minutes to change.

Head gaskets and head refacing, about £40 locally.

Will run forever.

Peugeot 106 1.5 diesel is comfier.

1. Drive shaft (left & right)

2. Speedometer

3. Fuel gauge

4. Rear axle bearings

5. Horn.

1. Superbly rapid! The model I'm having is the Malaysian built "Proton Tiara 1.1" with 1.1l 4 cylinder 60hp engine (Solex single-carb). Malaysians generally snide at the mere mention of any French makes but this little tyke sure kick some turbo ass! Outran a Sentra (Sunny B14) fitted with a SR20 turbo for a good 10m from red light! Haha...

2. It corners like it's on rails, baby! Never lose a corner run to even a modified car since I started driving this French supermini.

3. Feels rock steady at speed. At 140km/h (my top speed anyway..), the car is steadier than most Japanese makes, which are incidentally more expensive and "high-tech".

4. Citroen heritage is strong in this one. More comfortable seating positions (front seats) than most other contemporary cars.

The driver's seat is stuck in a reclined position.

The engine sound is worryingly odd when running.

The brakes went at 55 000 miles while driving down a hill.

This car has great speed, and handles really well, but it will roll if you go round corners to fast.

The interior isn't that nice, but at least the seats are comfy.

Nothing went wrong except once lately the pump that connects the fridge with the motor broke down and I had to change it.

It was a good chance to buy it. it didn't betrayed me ever!!

I crashed it soon after getting it as the brakes stuck after I broke hard on ice. I was quite surprised at the damage created, as I was going fairly slow by the time I actually hit the other car. It was initially quoted as being very expensive to fix by an independent mechanic, but after sending it to my insurance company's approved mechanic it is now back on the road.

Some problems with the front seat stuck in a reclined position.

It is a wonderful first car. I also drive a brand new Vauxhall Astra and a Land Rover Discovery Mk II which are both top of the range. The ax is probably my second favourite, behind the Land Rover. In the Ax, you get a real feel of the road and of the surroundings, and due to the body roll, you know when you're going too fast.

It handle's really well on the motorway, and fuel consumption is amazing - I drove from Sutton Coldfield to Solihull on two litres.

Bad vibration and the car pulled to the left. This was diagnosed as a drive-shaft which was replaced.

Rear brakes binding occasionally.

More vibrations. The other drive-shaft needed to be replaced.

Connection to the right front indicator occasionally fails - still needs to be sorted out.

About £1000 worth of repairs, but most of the problems were there when I bought the car - always take a long test drive.

I've still got the Lotus, and I have almost as much fun in the Citroen! It's not fast in a straight line, but will easily keep pace with traffic, it's safe to run flat out on the motorway as it runs out of steam at 85, and it gets 49mpg while it's doing it. Most importantly it's fun to drive with more feel than most cars due to its low weight, lack of power steering, and skinny tires. It also has an interesting line in lift-off oversteer...

On the downside when you're cornering enthusiastically, which the steering encourages you to do, you feel like you're going to fall out of the seat. The brakes are also rubbish, but that could be down to the tires, and driving it in a more spirited manner than intended. Then again, the tires are cheap. People also pull out in front of you as they don't think the car should be going that fast! This can be quite scary as it feels like it's made out of painted paper.