1997 Citroen Saxo Reviews - Page 5 of 12

At 4years 5 months the battery failed. When I put the car in for 40000 mile service and MOT I was informed that the car required a new set of front brake pads and two wiper blades, other than a side light bulb that's all in 5years and 9 months. Maybe this is why I am reluctant to sell this car. The longest I ever kept a car previous to this one was two years.

Driving this car is like a breath of fresh air. I love it. As I'm only 5ft 7ins I find it comfortable enough. I can never understand someone who is over 6ft buying this model and then complaining it's not big enough.

Horn replaced twice.

Front brake discs replaced at about 20000 miles due to warped disc, and all discs and pads replaced at 40000 miles due to uneven wear.

Exhaust (centre section and back box) replaced at 40000 miles.

The saxo VTR is an excellent car to own as a run around, it is both fairly quick, cheap to run and very cheap to insure (group 7)

The interior of the early cars is fairly luxurious, with velour seats, and electric windows etc, it is a shame however, that Citroen decided not to offer leather or air-con as this lets it down slightly against the peugeot 106 GTI.

Overall the Saxo VTR is a good looking, fun car, which more than makes up for it lack of speed against the VTS with it's cheap insurance and running costs.

Not much, just a small oil leak, and new rear brakes.

I like the simplicity of this car. It is had little in the way of equipment, therefore making the car quite light.

This lightness aided the cars nippy responses around town, with nice steering, that is only heavy at parking speeds due to lack of power steering.

The driving position was bad for me at 6 foot 1. The wheel was too low (or seat was too high) and I don't know why Citroen decided to put the pedals in the position they are in. They are too close together, and very small. Takes some getting used to!

The gear change is OK, but could be a bit more positive in its action.

The car rode well, and had very good handling for such a simple car. It gripped well, and was always fun to drive.

The rear seats are poor. Very little room for even average sized people. The boot is quite big though.

Build quality and materials are dreadful! The plastic is worse than some kids toys I have seen! It rattles sometimes, and is noisy.

Plus points are:

Nippy and fun to drive, cheap to insure, excellent fuel consumption (50mpg), servicing and parts are cheap.

Bad points:

Bad quality trim and body panels (very flimsy), slow on the open road, basic, poor gear change.

Overall I enjoyed this car, but wanted an upgrade to a more comfortable car with more equipment, so I bought a Ford Ka Luxury (review there as well!)