1989 Citroen AX GT review from UK and Ireland

Gear linkage broke after 10000 miles. Only £10 to replace though.

Head gasket blew after 15000 miles; this needed a new radiator and head gasket.

Battery and alternator have both gone, but this is more due to a large stereo install.

Apart from that, general service things like brakes and exhaust parts.

The most important thing - it's NEVER broken down on me in the entire 4 and a half years I've had it.

The interior carpets are only just starting to show signs of wear now.

One problem, those of you who aren't willing to get your hands dirty under the engine - wet weather can eventually lead to injectors being clogged in the carbuerretor - this is easily fixable, but can be problematic if you don't know what you're doing.

For an old car, it's very reliable, and ridiculously quick from a standing start. It's no wonder it's still used in hill climbing races, as the car is very low geared; this can mean a lot of wheel-spin, especially in the wet if you try and put your foot down!

When I first got the car it would do nearly 70mph in 2nd gear, and registered 110mph top speed. Nowadays it tops out around 100mph, but probably just needs a good clean.

The suspension is a little too soft; I'm thinking of getting mine lowered to make cornering less of a hassle - the suspension doesn't really do such a quick car justice.

Mechanically - the engine is very easy to work on, and shares a lot of parts from the Peugeot 205XS, which means that if you can't get the AX part, a Peugeot alternative will often fit (I speak from experience here!). Dead cheap to run, parts available everywhere at low prices, and very easy to work on engine wise, as there's no engine management system to mess you about!