Faults:

Main beam headlight bulbs have a bad connection, so work when they want to.

Central locking works only for the drivers door, because the rest jam due to the catches - they can be opened from the inside. Not a big problem, but it can be annoying.

Linking to the above, drivers side rear door now will not unlock because the catch came out, this seems easy enough to fix.

Wiring for the back wiper has frayed, and the rear wash leaks where the tube has split. Easily solved.

Rear brakes failed at about 94-95,000 miles. The handbrake cable also had to be changed.

General Comments:

I bought this car about 6 months ago and so far nothing major has gone wrong with it. This is down to the fact that the previous owner took good care of it - she serviced it regularly, and the cambelt was changed early on, so that's not something I need to worry about at this mileage. I wish I could say I've taken such good care of this car, because it deserves it, but I haven't being an inexperienced driver.

The n/a diesel engine has some punch considering it doesn't have a turbo - something that's essential with newer diesels. The ZX has a different gear box from the Peugeot 306, making it faster and pull better. Since I owned a 306 before this car, I've noticed that it's a huge improvement. Peugeot: why didn't you use the ZX gear box?

I've heard reports that power steering can be heavy on this car. This is not true! Steering feels good, at all speeds.

The seats are very comfortable although they offer next to no support around bends. Combined with the French suspension (unfortunately it's not hydraulic) this makes for a very smooth, "floaty" ride.

Replacement parts and panels are cheap as this is a French car and there are loads of them being broken or scrapped.

The brakes aren't particularly good, my car doesn't have ABS. Despite this the ZX is a good little car that's comfortable, economical (if you drive it right) and good value for money. Compared with the Peugeot 306 this is the better car.

My only complaint is that the heater is rubbish. On cold mornings, expect to be cold until the engine is warmed up, because the heat comes from the radiator so I've heard.

The Citroen ZX is a solid buy, and if you get a diesel it won't let you down.

Faults:

Fuel system required complete overhaul.

Suspension bushes needed replacing.

Engine drank oil at an alarming rate.

Cold-start problems in winter (eventual reason for changing).

Early hesitant acceleration (not totally dissimilar to turbo-lag, despite the car not having a turbo charger, carburetor system needed replacing).

Numerous rattles, and electrical gremlins, particularly notable were windows and central locking.

General Comments:

My first car. For £400 I couldn't really have done better. It wasn't totally reliable, which I admit. But despite this, I was surprisingly sorry to see it go.

For a 1.4 8v engine the car was fast, notably because it was light. As it shared the same 205/306 suspension it was similar to drive, though, had much greater body roll for a softer ride.

The trouble is, if you ever tried to categorise it as a comfortable car, you'd be disappointed. The boot was small, though legroom, quite good. The driving position forced a leg-around wheel type position, and the seats were overly soft French-types, that while comfortable at first, lack any support for longer journeys. Also wind, road and engine noise were all quite loud. As indeed were all the rattling bits of trim.

But even for that I loved this car. It lacked power-steering, but at speed, you wouldn't know, (parking, however, was awful). The visibility was great when it was dry, but in the wet the single-wiper never cleared enough of the screen for my liking.

It rode and handled beautifully. Escorts, Astras and the like (of the same mid-90's era) had nothing on this car. It may have rolled a lot, but it wouldn't lose it's nerve, hanging on around country roads with tennacity.

In fact, when it came to replacing it, I looked at several models, including the Xsara, Megane and Rover 200 that seemed inferior to my tastes in driving ability. It was only the 306 and Focus (the latter being the eventual choice) that seemed an improvement.

So it was cheap, though running it was a pain (repairs costing more than equivalent Ford/Vauxhall marques), it was roomy enough to carry three mates comfortably (though four college bags filled the boot, and not in any style - she's not much of a looker), and from the driver's seat, she was beautiful.

If you're looking for a car that will happily take you to college and back, and give you a love/hate relationship, then this is the one. But be warned, this is no motorway muncher, noise and support are just too lacking.