1994 Citroen ZX Pzazz 1.4i petrol

Faults:

The front disks have been replaced 3 times in 40,000 miles.

The rear quarterlight seals leaked from new, and took 4 visits to finally be replaced (more dealer fault than anything).

Knocking noise from the driveshaft/CV joints (?) from new when cornering. The dealer REFUSED to put it right, saying it wasn`t bad enough to replace under warranty.

Drivers seat mechanism/runners needed to be replaced.

Passenger seat won`t always slide forward properly to let people into the back of the car, it has to be `twanged` by using the seat adjustments.

The paintwork is BLOODY AWFUL (patches all over the vehicle haven`t been laquered when it was being made). The dealer also refused to sort this out.

General Comments:

Generally reliable but some minor faults. Very nice car to drive.

The knocking from the driveshaft is as annoying as hell, and to be told it won`t be fixed under warranty is an insult (I had the 3 year extended warranty).

My judgement of the manufacturer may have been different if it wasn`t for problems with an AX model I also bought new and had 6 months of hell trying to get it roadworthy. Citroen UK didn`t want to know, despite the car being back in the garage 18 times in the first MONTH, and was faulty from new in more than one area (pulled left / paintwork / hatchback window shattered after 1 week causing other damage).

We need lemon laws desperately in the UK.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 10th November, 1998

26th Jun 2002, 13:32

It all sounds depressingly familiar with regard to Citroen UK and their attitude to Customer service, when will they realise that the customer satisfaction is the only way to a good reputation. I will never buy another one.

30th Dec 2004, 07:16

We bought a new Citroen ZX Pzazz 1.9 Diesel in Dec. 1993, drove it for 173,000 miles and sold it when we moved to the United States in Jan 2000. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, went wrong with it in all that time; we had it serviced regularly. Best car I ever owned. Bought a Honda Civic LX 1.7 Petrol 2 days ago.. hope that does as well. Sad to see others had so many problems with ZX. I guess ours wasn't built Monday morning or Friday afternoon!

In reply to 30th Dec 2004, 07:16

28th Oct 2013, 15:35

I bought a white Citroen ZX 1.9 Pzazz diesel new in December 1993, from Autoworld in Chesterfield. I owned it for 5 years and covered 138,000 miles before it was written-off following an accident. Although it didn't have many extras, this car was incredibly comfortable with its 'normal' MacPherson Strut suspension, very economical and it took me all over the country in all weathers, including snow and ice.

In my opinion the ZX was a much better ride and drive than a Golf diesel of that era, and seemed roomier than its sister car the Peugeot 306. The only faults were the power steering pump going at around 120K miles, and the brake discs wearing thin, but I had these changed under warranty twice.

I've owned more prestigious cars since, but this was my one and only brand new car, and I wish I'd kept it. There are still many ZXs on the road even in 2013, which is around 16 years after this model went out of production when the Xsara replaced it...

1994 Citroen ZX Volcane 1.9 turbo diesel

Faults:

Mostly electrical gremlins. It went through 5 indicator relays in its first 2 months plus modifications were carried out to stop water getting into electrics via front windscreen and rear wiper shaft.

General Comments:

The car is fun to drive, averages 47 mpg, and is quite quick for a TD due to low weight. The handling/roadholding is excellent although quite firm. The gearbox is slick allowing quick changes which you need to do for a fast getaway as the power is all between 2250 and 4500 rpm. Don't be fooled into thinking it's easy on tyres, all that torque chews through front tyres at a surprising rate.

The interior is pleasant although the driving position can be a problem for those with long legs - make sure you can get comfortable driving it before you buy one. The sliding rear seat is good for getting that extra bit of boot space.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th March, 1998

1994 Citroen ZX Furio 1.8 Petrol

Faults:

New suspension balljoint for first MOT; new exhaust system at 3.5 years old; renewal of rear brake pipe rubbers and new Lambda probe (required to meet emissions regulations) at 4 years old.

General Comments:

Generally good handling and cornering, and driver's visibility is excellent. Adequate cruising performance marred by unusual gearing giving poor acceleration (belying "sporty" image). Quite cheap to run but interior trim gives the impression of being flimsy and of poor quality, and the engine noise (tinny, thrashy) isn't very pleasant to listen to on long journeys!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd February, 1998