RE: Citroen Saxo VTS: Spotted

[manracer]

Has 2 x 106 GTI, 2 x Clio 182 cup's and 1 x saxo VTS when I was younger.

All good cars, but between the 106 and the saxo I would say:

1. The 106 feels more grown up but more dated interior
2. The saxo felt more lively in the Twisties.

Crash safety rating aside, I might purchase another saxo. Lowered though.

The way that 16v engine would scream to 7500rpm was guaranteed to put a smile on my face and go off the clocks at an indicated 145mph on the runway was always interesting.

I liked the 106, though I don't have any stand out memories.

I might pick another vts up. Just for a weekend blast and local trips

[andySC]

A VTS was the 1st brand new car I'd owned. Poseidon blue (?) Mk1 with the cashpoint key pad immobiliser in the centre console. Back then it felt genuinely rapid, I can remember giving it the beans at about 80'ish & feeling it go, quite a step up in performance from a 480 Turbo (...ffs).

[Mike1990]

Just in Tenerife at the moment and i’ve seen 2x lovely VTS’s quite regularly a Pre-Face and Facelift and a 106 GTi. It’s refreshing to see!

[s m]

Mike1990 said:

Just in Tenerife at the moment and i’ve seen 2x lovely VTS’s quite regularly a Pre-Face and Facelift and a 106 GTi. It’s refreshing to see!

- no salty roads

When I went to Madeira I saw more Polo G40s in one day than I'd ever seen in U.K.
Popular car

[f1nn]

I picked up one of the last VTS models new in July 2003 and kept it for three years. Had an absolute blast.

Collected it on a Saturday morning, and ran it at a quarter mile event at Elvington the next day where it ran a 15.4. With less than 200 miles on the clock.

I was always impressed how a 120hp 1.6 litre close relative of the AX would indicate an optimistic 140mph on the speedo with relative ease.

The best bit was the light weight and handling ride balance, which most people ruined by lowering them excessively. They were fantastic as standard, and to this day I would say only bettered by the Clio Trophy, although dare I say I think the VTS was more exploitable around the limit of adhesion.

Like most, mine received engine mods, and the usual exhaust, manifold, filter, cams and bespoke remap seen an annoyingly peaky 160hp at close to 7800rpm. On song it was as quick if not marginally quicker than a civic type R and 172/182 of the era.

I eventually installed a GMC supercharger, which was as lively as you'd expect with 208hp at the wheels in a car which still weighed sub 1000KG.

I've really fond memories of my time with that car, and I'm not surprised good ones are increasing in value

[manracer]

Mike1990 said:

Just in Tenerife at the moment and i’ve seen 2x lovely VTS’s quite regularly a Pre-Face and Facelift and a 106 GTi. It’s refreshing to see!

I noticed in Tenerife and also around Spain that the vts badged saxo's had no rear discs and we're actually what we knew as furio's.
Similar with 106's, no rear discs and badged sport over there, similar to our quicksilvers.

[s m]

f1nn said:

I picked up one of the last VTS models new in July 2003 and kept it for three years. Had an absolute blast.

Collected it on a Saturday morning, and ran it at a quarter mile event at Elvington the next day where it ran a 15.4. With less than 200 miles on the clock.

I was always impressed how a 120hp 1.6 litre close relative of the AX would indicate an optimistic 140mph on the speedo with relative ease.

The best bit was the light weight and handling ride balance, which most people ruined by lowering them excessively. They were fantastic as standard, and

Spot on re the standard suspension set up

[Fury RS]

As one of the Op's above, the VTS was my first brand new car too, a 1997 'R' reg Poseidon Blue Mk1. At the time I also looked at the Peugeot 106 GTI which was about £500 more back then but I preferred the look of the Citroen at the time. If my memories serve me right I think I paid about £12.5K for it. I persuaded the "Stealer" to change the tape player to a Clarion CD player, fit the rear hatch spoiler and fit some mats foc. It was a quick little car and stuck to the road like sh*t to a blanket. I drove it pretty hard for the 6 months I owned it and it never missed a beat and took whatever I threw at it but at 6ft tall and 16 stone the lack of space just got to me in the end so I traded it in for something larger. I had some fun in that little car for the short time I owned it though.
That KGF VTS looks a tidy unabused example...

[mnaylor]

One thing I still don't get to this day is people thinking the mk1's look better, to me the facelift was much better looking from the front, which is why when I bought one way back when, I was only looking at facelifts. To each their own though I guess.

[Clarence Sale]

Oh, happy days! Recently marred (sic), no children. My wife unbelievably granted me permission to have a couple of ex-Uni friends down for the weekend, as long as she got a lift into town on our way in. Both friends were deeply unimpressed with what was to them a very down-market piece of French economy hot hatch motoring. Late (due to make-up application needing an extended project schedule) and needing to make progress, we set off at a fair but not unreasonable pace on a super road (Colsterworth - Bourne). The two back seaters (Corrado VR6 Storm and G60) were strangely silent until a slight scream and "holy st - nice save!", were heard. Mrs. Sale didn't even look up from her open cast blusher mining operation, but asserted "oh yeah, drive it pointing straight on to the direction of travel and it's fine".... Only the birth of our first child meant the VTS and an immaculate AX GT had to go. I'm most gutted about the AX, which went in part ex for a MK1 Octavia VRS. And the savings represented by purchasing cheap childrens' shoes got a Jabbasport remap and some sensible mods. OK, our first daughter now walks with a pronounced limp, but not bad enough for her to require an auto. I expect....

[s m]

The 52k miler that was in the OP has sold now but it'll be interesting to see if this 172k miler gets anywhere near that 4.5k. It's still got time to run and is over halfway there

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

Can see these, 106 Gti and Puma 1.7 heading north in the next few months for anything decent bodywork wise

Not a Singer or an M2 ...but more affordable for the masses on here

[Kitchski]

s m said:

The 52k miler that was in the OP has sold now but it'll be interesting to see if this 172k miler gets anywhere near that 4.5k. It's still got time to run and is over halfway there

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

Can see these, 106 Gti and Puma 1.7 heading north in the next few months for anything decent bodywork wise

Not a Singer or an M2 ...but more affordable for the masses on here

That car is looks to have systematically been 'gone through' though, and it's a rare colour even by mk1 Saxo standards.

I can see the early mk1 VTS (and to an extent the VTR) climbing, but for all the others I'd be amazed if anything came of them. That said, they rust like an old Ford, so the numbers will continue to fall rapidly!

Ours is a mk2 VTR, with a VTS engine fitted to it. Worth about 3p!

[Krikkit]

Kitchski said:

Ours is a mk2 VTR, with a VTS engine fitted to it. Worth about 3p!

It'll won't be worth big bucks for a long time, but keep it in good nick and the values will firm up even for modified cars.

[s m]

Kitchski said:

s m said:

The 52k miler that was in the OP has sold now but it'll be interesting to see if this 172k miler gets anywhere near that 4.5k. It's still got time to run and is over halfway there

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

Can see these, 106 Gti and Puma 1.7 heading north in the next few months for anything decent bodywork wise

Not a Singer or an M2 ...but more affordable for the masses on here

That car is looks to have systematically been 'gone through' though, and it's a rare colour even by mk1 Saxo standards.

I can see the early mk1 VTS (and to an extent the VTR) climbing, but for all the others I'd be amazed if anything came of them. That said, they rust like an old Ford, so the numbers will continue to fall rapidly!

Ours is a mk2 VTR, with a VTS engine fitted to it. Worth about 3p!

I'm going to see how much it goes for

It does look a well cared for one

[Kitchski]

Krikkit said:

It'll won't be worth big bucks for a long time, but keep it in good nick and the values will firm up even for modified cars.

Mmm, I dunno. Compared with stuff like the grey one on eBay, it'll always be worth less. Could always buy another one and raid it for bits to make it original again, but it was the worst VTR they did. Had the cheapo seats, bits of trim missing, single-plug 90bhp engine, non-sports gearset. It's much better with the VTS engine and leather 106 GTi seats though!

[hurstg01]

I had a brand new P reg VTR with the keypad immobiliser with the free insurance thrown in from Citroen back in the day......

Immediately drove it at not-a-thought-for-running-in revs down to Bluewater for a trip, as well as a few laps of the M25 just for giggles in the early hours.

I did the obligatory lowering and added OZ Super T's as well as a bangin Panasonic Stereo and Alpine V12 amp under blue Perspex in the boot

God I was a knob back then

Think I PX'ed it for a 206 Quicksilver when it had about 80k miles on the clock.

Would I have another? no. If I hadn't have bought my mid life crisis 205 1.9 GTi recently I would have got a 106 GTi as that was my 'opposition' when the VTR was pootling along

[Tankrizzo]

I had a 98 R VTS with alloys, full leather interior conversion, silly exhaust...the works. I also took it for one of the infamous Ernie Larton "jam jar full of metal filings" LAD 160 engine conversions.

It was a good time in my life though, I was a member of SSC in the early days and made a lot of friends.