1999 Citroen Saxo VTR from UK and Ireland - Comments

19th Sep 2001, 20:06

"Push hard for maximum fun"

What things have gone wrong with the car?

Faulty airbag sensor at 14,000 miles just after the warranty expired (Citroen billed me 98 quid for "airbag adjustments"!)

Handbrake cable came loose, rubbed against the rear wheel, snapped and needed replacing.

Starter solenoid replaced at 33,000 miles.

Water leaks into the passenger foot-well in heavy rain.

Front wheel-arch lining came loose.

General comments?

The Saxo VTR is a fun, responsive, cheap hatch (to buy & insure) with good dynamics, which seems to come alive when really pushed hard.

The VTR can prove highly entertaining on twisty roads, you can chuck it into bends and roundabouts at ridiculous speeds without any nasty surprises (never try this in the wet though). I have found my VTR has become progressively more tail-happy since I brought it two and a half years ago, probably due to worn suspension parts and general abuse.

When pushing hard (4000-6500 RPM) and particularly in isolation you get the feeling it's a pretty quick hot-hatch, fooling you it's faster than it really is. But, performance-wise it's only warm, many other motors on the road can blow it into the weeds.

On the downside, the brakes are crap, the build quality is at best mediocre and there's far too many about. Citroen dealers are overpriced, unhelpful and non-interested. Depreciation is steep (when brought new). And driving the car hard you can expect to fork out for new front tyres every 6-8 months (they ain't cheap at 100 quid a corner) and new front pads every 10-12k.

Buy this car to have a gas, not for fit and finish.


1st Nov 2001, 04:45

Good review, couldn't agree more about the VTR responding well to being pushed - great fun.

My '97 VTR driver's well also leaks badly after heavy rain. Haven't done anything about it as garages will charge £40 just to look at it. Anyone know of a fix for this problem??


7th Jan 2007, 06:39

I have a saxo vtr 99 plate, Although it seemed a nice car when bought 2 years ago I am recently having lots of things go wrong such as radiator over heating, an abismal sunroof that let's in so much water when it rains and also water that comes in via the passenger side door, car only has 46000 miles with grey and black leather interior and twin headlights, but it's time to sell on I think.

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