Faults:

The model that I test-drove had tilt 'n' slide seats. The model I bought did not.

Drivers' door does not close properly - badly seated. This means that it is incredibly easy to break into.

Compact Disc stereo skips a lot - even on the flat.

Engine is a little rattly at low revs.

General Comments:

Much fun to drive around town and country, especially for one person. Not so good on the motorway.

Very kid-friendly - the colourful insides and seat-belts are a hit.

Growly engine gives great enjoyment.

The headroom is poor for tall people. If you're over 6 foot 2 tall, it's a squeeze.

I paid £10500 for Mango West Coast with gold alloy wheels. The dealers' finance deal is a whopping 20.9% APR. So, don't go for dealers' finance.. : (

Faults:

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.

Faults:

I have had no problems with the car whatsoever.

General Comments:

I love the car to pieces. It handles like a dream, goes exceptionally well for what it is (I can keep up with standard RS Turbos) and looks beautiful to boot. For a young person who wants a fun car that won't cost a fortune to run, it is perfect.

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong since the dealers fixed the faults that were present when I bought the car.

Front caliper seized, worn tires on front, faulty boot light, dodgy front wiper.

Sometimes the car won't start first time when warm.

Second time always OK.

General Comments:

Good performance, but can struggle when in the wrong gear due to long ratios.

Handling is superb, you can really understeer with confidence, a roundabout has never been so much fun ;-) Can't wait till it's been lowered 40mm all round!

Steering is light and very precise.

Brakes are poor unless you really slam on the anchors.

Good build quality and great looks.