RE: Citroen Saxo VTS: Spotted

RE: Citroen Saxo VTS: Spotted

Author
Discussion

dhutch

14,198 posts

196 months

Thursday 12th October 2017
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Futse said:
Of course RWD I6's are fun.
My 330ci E46 isn't a 'fun car' in my book. I've now owned more rwd cars then front, however while we digress, I side with poster above you.
Its a very nice car and goes seriously well, it is quiet and comfortable on the motorway, but it's no where near as fun as the 316ti E36 it follows, or either of the 306's before that, or I suspect a Saxo.

Daniel

LewisR

678 posts

214 months

Friday 13th October 2017
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Nanook said:
LewisR said:
Understeer is fun ?
RWD straight-6 cars are a massive amount of fun. I can't see how a shopping car would be any more so.
The BMWs are considerably quicker too.
You're assuming that FWD = understeer?

I'm assuming you've never driven one of these cars.

On a road, I'm pretty sure I could hang the back end of a saxo out more than I could my 350. Yeah, it would be lift off, handbrake, LFB etc. But understeer is just about the last thing you need to worry about driving one of these.
FWD DOES = understeer... and I hate lift-off oversteer.

You could also get a fantastic MX5 for less than this Saxo, which I'm sure would be far more fun.


aaron_2000

5,407 posts

82 months

Friday 13th October 2017
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It's strange, the Saxo used to be bought by trackies and hats that took them for the Halfords special then binned them into the local takeaway. Now they're being bought by investors and weekend enthusiasts. Can't imagine the same will happen to the SRI Corsa though.

culpz

4,881 posts

111 months

Friday 13th October 2017
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aaron_2000 said:
106 GTI - It isn't 2012 anymore
https://www.gumtree.com/cars/uk/peugeot/106+gti

There's more available for sale than Saxo VTS's on the same site. It seems they can still be had for cheap, unless you're looking for immaculate, low-owners and low-miles examples.

https://www.gumtree.com/cars/uk/citroen/saxo+vts

aaron_2000 said:
Clio 182 - Even if you could, at that money you wouldn't want to.
Why not? Sub 3k, they're generally pretty decent examples. The one's i'm looking at are around 2k and don't look haggard. In fact, 197's can be had sub 3k too and 172's for £1500 and below.

s m

23,164 posts

202 months

Friday 13th October 2017
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aaron_2000 said:
It's strange, the Saxo used to be bought by trackies and hats that took them for the Halfords special then binned them into the local takeaway. Now they're being bought by investors and weekend enthusiasts. Can't imagine the same will happen to the SRI Corsa though.
I guess the image really doesn't alter the dynamics of the standard car beneath - it is still the same car whether well thought of journos buy them and laud them like a GT3RS or tinkers buy them and paint them yellow with chrome rims on.
The image certainly matters to a lot of people though

s m

23,164 posts

202 months

Friday 13th October 2017
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BricktopST205 said:
Wasn't the 106 Gti in the top 3 cars of the century on a thing Clarkson did with a load of racing drivers. The late Richard Burns was one IIRC.
Apocalypse Clarkson video 1997

Jeremy Clarkson, Tim Harvey, Richard Burns, Jason Plato, Harvey Postlethwaite were the judges








mnaylor

268 posts

128 months

Friday 13th October 2017
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I had a facelift VTS in Poseidon blue in my early 20's. I think I bought it used for about £3500. I loved that car, it was just so chuckable and much quicker than it's numbers suggested. I had a 1.9 205 GTI before it and although I preferred the 205 overall due to it's interior and better looks, the VTS was certainly significantly quicker and more reliable than the 205, although this was mainly down to it being the newer the car.

I would love to have another as a runabout but I don't want to pay 4 grand for one.

s m

23,164 posts

202 months

Friday 13th October 2017
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CAR certainly found the sister car 106 quite fun when it was launched in 97




Itsallicanafford

2,759 posts

158 months

Friday 13th October 2017
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I sold my 106 S2 Rallye Yesterday, this article is really not helping me with the sense of loss frown

Kitchski

6,514 posts

230 months

Friday 13th October 2017
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mnaylor said:
I would love to have another as a runabout but I don't want to pay 4 grand for one.
Don't then, none of the others are £4k. Any time a car is polished to within an inch of its life and paraded around in front of a white background, the price goes mental. Doesn't mean people pay that.

The VTS will only go up in value, sure, so now is the time to buy one. But, it'll be the early mk1s that go first. The mk2 was less desirable in general, and then there's the VTR, which although it won't ever be worth what the VTS is, it'll absorb some of the demand the VTS needs for the prices to go crazy. Supply vs. demand stuff again.

VTS will never be worth stupid money. Stick a Ford, VW or Vauxhall badge on an old hot hatch, and prices go nuts (even if the car in question is bang average at best).

We've got a Saxo, which is probably the least desirable 'hot' version you could imagine! A ph2 (boo), in silver (dull), VTR (pants) with a VTS engine fitted (great, but terrible for originality and value). It needs a fair bit of work to get it up to snuff now too.

s m

23,164 posts

202 months

Friday 13th October 2017
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Kitchski said:
Don't then, none of the others are £4k. Any time a car is polished to within an inch of its life and paraded around in front of a white background, the price goes mental. Doesn't mean people pay that.

The VTS will only go up in value, sure, so now is the time to buy one. But, it'll be the early mk1s that go first. The mk2 was less desirable in general, and then there's the VTR, which although it won't ever be worth what the VTS is, it'll absorb some of the demand the VTS needs for the prices to go crazy. Supply vs. demand stuff again.

VTS will never be worth stupid money. Stick a Ford, VW or Vauxhall badge on an old hot hatch, and prices go nuts (even if the car in question is bang average at best).

We've got a Saxo, which is probably the least desirable 'hot' version you could imagine! A ph2 (boo), in silver (dull), VTR (pants) with a VTS engine fitted (great, but terrible for originality and value). It needs a fair bit of work to get it up to snuff now too.
I guess your perspective is going to depend a lot on personal experience too.
Despite also liking rwd cars a lot, I found my Saxo VTS a lot of 'fun' ( although fun measurement is difficult and subjective - is it how many times you smile or laugh maniacally behind the wheel smile ...or just if you enjoy driving it )

I will say I owned mine from new and had very few problems
1. Had a lambda sensor problem under warranty which took a lot of prodding at the local dealer to fix ( eventually they did after contacting a technical guy at Citroen UK and getting local dealer the details )
2 A sideskirt clip snapped ( fixed under warranty )
3. very small leak from power steering reservoir pipe ( fixed under warranty )

.....and err, that was it......
Covered about 45k in 4 years including 2 trips round South of France/Italy

Maybe I didn't thrash it hard enough to get loads of issues but I'd be tempted by a non-messed-with standard one at 4k if it was good underneath.

The Peugeot badge defintely has more cachet i reckon on the sister car

Kitchski

6,514 posts

230 months

Friday 13th October 2017
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s m said:
I guess your perspective is going to depend a lot on personal experience too.
Despite also liking rwd cars a lot, I found my Saxo VTS a lot of 'fun' ( although fun measurement is difficult and subjective - is it how many times you smile or laugh maniacally behind the wheel smile ...or just if you enjoy driving it )

I will say I owned mine from new and had very few problems
1. Had a lambda sensor problem under warranty which took a lot of prodding at the local dealer to fix ( eventually they did after contacting a technical guy at Citroen UK and getting local dealer the details )
2 A sideskirt clip snapped ( fixed under warranty )
3. very small leak from power steering reservoir pipe ( fixed under warranty )

.....and err, that was it......
Covered about 45k in 4 years including 2 trips round South of France/Italy

Maybe I didn't thrash it hard enough to get loads of issues but I'd be tempted by a non-messed-with standard one at 4k if it was good underneath.

The Peugeot badge defintely has more cachet i reckon on the sister car
Oh, it's MASSIVE fun! Ours kicks out (for reasons I'm not entirely sure) over 130bhp. It's marginally lighter, being a VTR, and honestly the stuff you cling on to the back of in a sprint is hilarious. It has no business being as lairy as it is, given the low power figure. I really enjoy it, and a well setup car is a joy down the right road. Not as communicative as the AX GT or GTi, or the 106 Rallye S1, but easily faster than all of them and more capable too.

Also been fairly reliable, though Saxos are complete rot-boxes, which I imagine is part of the reason for the sharp decline in numbers. Wouldn't have been an issue when you had yours of course.

Biggest issue we're having is that it's starting to wear out...everywhere. Rear axle and steering rack are currently on their last legs, the former rendering it off the road. Also needs a clutch, and has developed a habit of losing all engine and interior electrics, which as you can imagine makes driving it less fun. Haven't got time to even think about looking at it! Also tears through bushes and CV joints like no one's business. So, not actually that reliable anymore, but when it was a 'current' vehicle, it was fine. We used to call it old reliable, as it just kept going. It needs a proper strip down, renew everything, realign it all and start again.

I do harbour urges to do just that, though biggrin

thiscocks

3,127 posts

194 months

Friday 13th October 2017
quotequote all
LewisR said:
Understeer is fun ?
RWD straight-6 cars are a massive amount of fun. I can't see how a shopping car would be any more so.
The BMWs are considerably quicker too.
What the fk are you on about?

s m

23,164 posts

202 months

Friday 13th October 2017
quotequote all
thiscocks said:
LewisR said:
Understeer is fun ?
RWD straight-6 cars are a massive amount of fun. I can't see how a shopping car would be any more so.
The BMWs are considerably quicker too.
What the fk are you on about?
I don't think he likes fwd cars ......

LewisR

678 posts

214 months

Friday 13th October 2017
quotequote all
s m said:
thiscocks said:
LewisR said:
Understeer is fun ?
RWD straight-6 cars are a massive amount of fun. I can't see how a shopping car would be any more so.
The BMWs are considerably quicker too.
What the fk are you on about?
I don't think he likes fwd cars ......
Haha, yes. Correct. You didn't need to be called Sherlock to work that out !

But honestly. FWD, really ??

Tankrizzo

7,247 posts

192 months

Friday 13th October 2017
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Kitchski said:
Oh, it's MASSIVE fun! Ours kicks out (for reasons I'm not entirely sure) over 130bhp. It's marginally lighter, being a VTR, and honestly the stuff you cling on to the back of in a sprint is hilarious. It has no business being as lairy as it is, given the low power figure. I really enjoy it, and a well setup car is a joy down the right road. Not as communicative as the AX GT or GTi, or the 106 Rallye S1, but easily faster than all of them and more capable too.

Also been fairly reliable, though Saxos are complete rot-boxes, which I imagine is part of the reason for the sharp decline in numbers. Wouldn't have been an issue when you had yours of course.

Biggest issue we're having is that it's starting to wear out...everywhere. Rear axle and steering rack are currently on their last legs, the former rendering it off the road. Also needs a clutch, and has developed a habit of losing all engine and interior electrics, which as you can imagine makes driving it less fun. Haven't got time to even think about looking at it! Also tears through bushes and CV joints like no one's business. So, not actually that reliable anymore, but when it was a 'current' vehicle, it was fine. We used to call it old reliable, as it just kept going. It needs a proper strip down, renew everything, realign it all and start again.

I do harbour urges to do just that, though biggrin
Kitchers on a slight tangent, have you got someone working with you in a low Mk 3 red Golf with a side-exit exhaust?

Kitchski

6,514 posts

230 months

Friday 13th October 2017
quotequote all
Tankrizzo said:
Kitchers on a slight tangent, have you got someone working with you in a low Mk 3 red Golf with a side-exit exhaust?
No, but I've seen one on the estate. There's a matching sc3ne Polo too.

DRCAGE

499 posts

164 months

Friday 13th October 2017
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More of a drivers car than about 90% of RWD cars?

The 90% mainly being large boring diesel stuff?

Phil Dicky

7,162 posts

262 months

Friday 13th October 2017
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Dave Hedgehog said:
sidesauce said:
£43,000 for a Peugeot 205GTI!? £43. Thousand. Pounds!?!?! Even with all the work on offer to be done to the next buyer?

No. Just..... How?

No.
bargain

how about 66k for a nova biggrin

A very special Nova though smile

s m

23,164 posts

202 months

Friday 13th October 2017
quotequote all
Back when sporty 4K Saxos were commonplace.....