Citroën Saxo (1996 - 2003) 1.1i Desire 3d (00) (2003/03) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

Typical first car owner. Now I am working though it doesn't project the most professional image so I will probably replace it reasonably soon.

What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

That it's a very sensible first car option. Neither of my parents enjoy being driven in it though as my dad is 6'4".

Would you buy this car again and why?

It has filled it's role as a first car perfectly but it doesn't have the looks or the power for anything more than that so I won't be buying another one. If I was buying a first car again, I would buy this.

What are you likely to buy next?

My boyfriend has a Z4 so I can just get something cheap and practical like a Kia Cee'd.

Type of dealer you bought from?

Independent

Did you buy this car new?

No

What price did you pay?

£2,200

When did you buy the car?

February 2010

Did you get a good deal and why?

Initially the car was £2500 but I went and checked the evaluation on Glass's, presented this to the dealer and he reduced the price to that amount. The car was in very good condition and had a low mileage.

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

I needed to buy a car fairly quickly and this seemed like a fair price for a trade buy.

What was the dealer like?

He laughed at me when I told him my budget and the car I wanted but I was happy when he presented this as an alternative.

What's it like to drive?

The pedals are quite narrow and close together and they took a little while to get used to but otherwise it's very easy and capable of being fairly nifty. If I'm very determined I can be the first one out of the traffic lights when it matters. At high speed it's very noisy and it does struggle on any sort of incline but it manages.

What's it like to park?

Very easy, as it's compact and visibility is excellent.

Have you had any problems with the car?

These cars are very prone to rusty exhausts, mine has gone twice in the time I've owned it but it has never cost very much to fix. Also at 7 years old the battery failed but again just picked up another one from Halfords. Otherwise just routine stuff at services. The other thing is it is very easy to break into, the first time they bent back the metal from the keyhole. I didn't mend this but the second time they didn't even bother messing around with that, they just forced the top of the door away from the body of the car and popped the lock open from the inside. You cannot leave anything inside this car, there simply is nothing you can do to stop them.

What's most practical about your car?

I've driven it a lot including plenty of motorway driving and it's been very reliable. It's also very economical, at the moment my insurance is about £200 a year! Boot space is absolutely fine considering the size of the car, plus I can fit a 30kg dog on my back seat, she just hops up behind me.

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

This car is pretty bare bones but the sunroof is quite nice, however I rarely have it open because if you're driving at any speed it makes a racket.