A nippy little car that doesnt like to stop! (Citroën Saxo 1.1i 3-door)

Member Name: liz3yy

Product:	Citroën Saxo 1.1i 3-door
Date:	24/01/09 (208 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap to run

Disadvantages: Dodgy brakes, pedals too close together

I bought my little Saxo last August after deciding it was about time I got myself a car to practice in (I'm currently learning and am soon to take another (!) test) I dont know the first thing about cars and just wanted something small and nippy to get me about in and that wouldnt cost the Earth in running costs and petrol.

Luckily a friend of mine who runs a garage had a Saxo bought to him by someone who wanted to sell it, I received a call to ask if I was interested in taking a look and my boyfriend insisted I did saying I wouldnt go wrong with it. I gave it a test drive around the block and loved it (thats not hard really seeing as I've only ever sat behind the wheel of 3 cars my entire life)

I bought my Saxo for £2k which I think is a pretty good deal seeing as it had only done around 40,000 miles and was 8 years old, one driver from new etc...

I took the car out for its first proper run this morning, an hour to Salisbury then back again and got on quite well with it. The gear box is smooth and easy to work though it can crunch a bit when going into reverse. Due to the small engine it can struggle uphill and I find I have to change down to get it upto 60mph on long sweeping hills around this part of the world. On the flat however it drives like a dream and is comfortable.

A couple of bad points, the brakes. I was amazed on first driving this car how spongy the brakes are, I have to press down really hard to get the car to slow and at times have almost become a cropper when I've had to stop suddenly and the car doesnt respond quick enough. Now I've driven the car a bit I'm used to it and know what to do but I believe this is something that should be looked into.

The other bad point is the pedals, the accelerator and brake pedals are very close together meaning at times my foot occassionaly catches the wrong one. Another problem that Citroen need to sort out in newer models.

Running costs -
I've recently starting driving the short journey to work and back each day which is a total of 12 miles, this together with weekend shopping trips gives me a petrol cost of £20 per week, a whole tank costs about £25. Road tax is £120 per year or £66 for 6 months.

As I gradually get used to my car and driving on a regular basis I'm becoming more comfortable and happy with my Saxo, the seats are comfortable though I would be even happier if the seat could be raised as I'm very short. The instruments are easy to locate and operate plus there are drivers airbags, handy if I ever hit a pheasant again as I did this morning!

Generally I'm happy with my Saxo though like all things in life it's not perfect. I would recommend it as a nice little first car for someone like myself just starting out in the world of motoring, just make sure you have a steady right leg for the brakes!

Summary: A good first car

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