1999 Citroen Saxo 1.1 East Coast 1.1 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Not good enough handling for a little hatchback

Faults:

Brake pads and shoes needed replacing.

General Comments:

For a 1.1, the saxo is a nippy little car. I had mine up to 110mph with four in the car.

Only bad thing is to get the car to that speed you needed to drive it hard, foot to the floor all the time which resulted in a lot of fuel used. I was putting in twenty quid a night just to go driving for a few hours with my mates.

The fuel gauge wasn't any good either. Tank shows half empty, put a tenner in and it is full. Another time it shows half empty, put twenty quid in and it is only two thirds full! work that one out!

Not enough room in the back of the car, people always complaining of cramp, and when they try to climb out of the 3-door, the door trims kept on getting bashed and ruined.

Rubbish handling. Car was soon to be written off by going round a corner. Not a sharp corner mind you, only a small slight corner. The car slid out doing about 40mph (most cars will take this corner about 70mph no troubles). Ended up spinning round in the road, hitting a bank, up on two wheel through this dirt track, hit a tree and ended up half the car over a riverbank.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th December, 2002

19th Dec 2002, 18:44

You sure that wasn't to do with your driving? I've heard most think the saxo sticks to the road like s**t to a blanket!

Perhaps you should have got a VTS?

21st Dec 2002, 12:56

Of course it's going to be difficult to get 110mph out of Saxo. As for the handling, I think it may be your driving to blame, not the car.

12th Jun 2003, 03:50

You should of got a VTR/VTS, I've never been in a car with so much grip (even my old mini!). You do have to drive them hard, and as a result they do rattle and shake a bit after a few years - but great fun!

29th Aug 2005, 18:16

I think the handling aspect of the Saxo is mainly down to the driver. The car has very light steering, maybe slightly too light. However, I had a Saxo 1.1i which stuck to the road, very reliable.

Even when crashing head on into a wall after sliding on some black ice at about 50 mph, myself and my 4 mates would have been killed. We all walked out of the car with only minor injuries. Saxo's are very tough little cars, just got to treat them right in terms of handling.

24th Apr 2008, 15:34

Don't mean to be patronising, but sounds like you didn't take the corner properly.

9th Sep 2009, 08:58

I have a Saxo 1.1 East Coast and it generally sticks to the road well and is very nippy. If you're putting that much fuel in so often you either have a very inefficient engine or drive it very hard.

10th Sep 2009, 20:15

So how far did the car travel from the road before it stopped?

1999 Citroen Saxo VTR 1.6 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

It's a little pocket rocket

Faults:

Since manufacture the instrument pack knackered at 16k. Everything else is pukka!

General Comments:

The car is nippy it has a good power to weight ratio. which means when it comes to racing 2.0, its always close.

Brakes are good, disc's allround which allows heavy braking, but it will be better when I have grooved and drilled.

It's a bit cramped and the steering wheel is a bit awkward if you are over 6'2 like me. However the seats are a comfy ride.

However the performance is good, but I would love to try a VTS.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th December, 2002

1999 Citroen Saxo Westcoast 1.4i from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Recommended - an ideal 1st car!

Faults:

Front suspension strut was knocking on the test drive I had, but was fixed under the dealer warranty within 2 days.

General Comments:

Very impressed with the car, it's my first car and is used, so no free insurance. But it's only group 5!

Came with 'Westcoast' badges, yellow balls or door pins, yellow gear knob and pathetic wheel trims, but within a week, I changed the gear knob, alloys and badges for VTR ones.

Interior is comfy, but not too keen on the blue and yellow interior, so swapped the whole interior (front and rear seats, and door bits) for a VTR interior, so now it looks like a VTR.

No boot spoiler, but these can be easily fitted. Ideal first car!

Front disks are excellent, and it has back drums, which I've had no problems with.

Swapped the Blaupunkt single CD for a Pioneer 6900r cassette and CD changer - much better!!

I had to search for 6 months to find a decent one, because a lot of Saxos have bad problems!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th November, 2002