Having only just got the eldest off and flying solo my lad is about to turn 17. He's refused to be part of the VAG collective that is our household.

he's set his heart on a Saxo and whilst I won't stand in the way, im less than knowledgeable about them. Does anyone have recent experience and tips on what to look out for? I'm down with the standard stuff its more model specific facts I could use a chuck with

Cheers

Mark

They are favoured by the chav brigade (great for modding) so the insurance can be higher than expected.

 

Pretty reliable but very poor in terms of crash protection.

 

Basically a Peugeot 106 with different lights and dash.

Believe it or not insurance is undercutting a polo by a small amount. I've yet to view crash testing material but id estimate its similar to an early 90s Polo

I had a saxo vtr. Great fun but as above not very crash friendly. I never had an accident but I've seen the results. Mine was unreliable..always overheating despite going to a main dealer.

Loved it though!!

Great car for a youngster, room for plenty of, er, tasteful little mods :think:

 

In terms of safety:

 

VW Polo 2000 4 stars: http://www.euroncap.com/tests/citroen_saxo_2000/70.aspx

 

Citroen Saxo 2000 2 stars: http://www.euroncap.com/tests/citroen_saxo_2000/70.aspx

 

Watch the videos and there's a very noticeable different in how the cars cope in a crash.

 

Phil

Handle great and are a laugh but based on the AX it is pretty dated now, mainly as said, in safety terms. Aside from that they are from my limited knowledge cheap to buy, reasonably reliable and cheap to fix. Decent first car in that respect. I sometimes find myself looking at vts' & 106 gtis as a cheap toy. 

Stay well away from a Saxo, he's new to driving and when his mates are with him he's gunna want to show off (he will say he won't but who doesn't when they have a new toy?). Touch wood it will never happen but if he does have a bump then you will want something with a very good safety rating.

I went to look at one, my Dad spoke to a few people and point blank refused me buying one. Ended up with a mk5 Fiesta Zetec S, which was superb!!

My sister had a 1999 saxo and it was turd.

It will be difficult to find one that hasnt been ragged within an inch of its life (Think MK1 Fabia vRS).... However, they are cheap to run and maintain.

 

Offer him a MG ZR facelift. 2005, cheap fun and plenty of good ones about. Cost peanuts to fix too.

Edited 24 March, 201412 yr by sniperpenguin

Having only just got the eldest off and flying solo my lad is about to turn 17. He's refused to be part of the VAG collective that is our household.

he's set his heart on a Saxo and whilst I won't stand in the way, im less than knowledgeable about them. Does anyone have recent experience and tips on what to look out for? I'm down with the standard stuff its more model specific facts I could use a chuck with

Cheers

Mark

 

They're a very old design, parts of which are dating back to the Citroen AX.

Crash wise, my advice would be... don't!

 

Seen a few in crashed with more modern cars (an R reg polo for example) and the polo was a bit bent, but the front of the saxo was all over the place, wheels come off, oil/fuel/coolant ****ing out.

 

Plus points are very easy to service and there is a fair amount of room under the bonnet on smaller engined versions.

The older ones have less electronics to go wrong.

 

Insurance is high, due to the typical owner and if you get a quote on a 106, you'll find that's usually lower.

 

I learned to drive in an AX, had a BX and have a soft spot for citroens, however if it was my child I'd find something a bit more crash safe.

There is something to be said for people driving more carefully in crash vulnerable cars, but a MK1 fabia, Polo or probably even a cheap 107/aygo would be a safer bet.

 

Link wise, I assume you mean :

 

http://www.euroncap.com/tests/vw_polo_2000/71.aspx for the polo

 

That doesn't fare great for the driver, but as you can see from the saxo (http://www.euroncap.com/tests/citroen_saxo_2000/70.aspx) have a bad one, and you're pretty much dead :(

Edited 24 March, 201412 yr by cheezemonkhai

I would not let my son drive a ****roen saxo.

The are lethal, if he crashes it (which is more than likely) then the chances of survival are 0.01%

These things really are sardine tins!

My son had a Saxon when he was 18 and what a crock of ****e ! , they are a death trap ! Son was involved in a head on ( not his fault ) and he nearly lost his legs ! So please talk him out of it ! Seriously get him a vag car or even a ford but not a Saxo

My cousin and best friend died in a peugoet 106 after hitting a tree at aged 17.

106 / saxo are one in the same and there is no doubt in my mind that if he was driving a more substantial car he would still be here

If he wont let you buy him a Polo.... buy him some advanced driving lessons (skid control, etc).

 

He is far more likely to survive a crash by being able to avoid it. Best investment you will ever make, and will also show him that when a car exceeds its limits of grip.... it ISNT like Hollywood.

Thanks for the input folks, I looked at one yesterday, very clean and tidy, started strongly and drove sweetly. And it was showing the same levels of corrosion on the chassis rails/ cross members as i'm currently repairing on the Golf  :think:  Its eleven years old FFS! I'm surprised by the crash videos, this is what I meant about the Polo (the one he's shown interest in);

 

 

 Its not quite so representative as the crash occurs at higher speeds than an NCAP test but the effects are similar. I was expecting the Saxo to fair better but they appear largely comparable. The corrosion in the example I saw wouldn't be as good as that crash video even. 

There is a condition of my funding his insurance and that is a black box will be installed by the company supplying the policy- it has worked wonders on the eldest's in terms of monitoring and cost. He's also shown interest in extended driving tuition too so in terms of his driving there will still be a little control. He's managed on his moped with no issues (I know that's not the be all/ end all!) so hoping that he takes his accumulated road sense forward.

 I'm also slightly encouraged that his friend's 106 (the source of this Gallic infatuation) has just been subject to a rather large gearbox failure which has taken the shine off things for him. He's got his eye on a 206 now which would be a lot better in terms of crashing but i'd still he rather go for a Lupo/ Arosa/ Polo. 

I have owned more Saxo's than I care to remember and I still stand by you can not go faster and have more fun for less.

 

Saxo VTS is a very competent track day toy whilst still returning decent economy driving day to day.

 

106 GTi is the same car just with leather interior.

Drove my mum's old saxo for a while when I started a job that was a long commute. 5 years ago now :s   At the time I had just had my mini partly restored so I was avoiding taking it out through the winter. I was also hoping for something more 'reliable' as I would be putting major miles on the clock

 

I was doing 100 miles on the motorway every day in a low spec, 1999 reg Saxo. It wasn't mine, I didn't trust the handling or brakes and I've never been the boyracer type so it was driven carefully. It was extremely low mileage at the time - 10 years old and only 35000 on the clock. In the space of 3 months gently driving it:

 

The N/S driveshaft went.

A track rod end went.

The exhaust started to blow near the back and had the rear box replaced.

The welds went on the front section and the rest of the exhaust fell off.

The O/S driveshaft went.

The O/S bearing went.

The passenger window mechanism broke.

The stereo developed an undefinable issue and refused to work.

It went through an MOT with £450 worth of work to put right.

The N/S brake calliper seized.

 

At that point, we put the mini back on the road as it was more reliable.

 

 

I'd go for a Fiesta if he needs a cheap 1st car. Check the rear arches for rust

 

 

That looks terrifying.

 

I had a 6n2 GTI - good little car. Overpriced insurance though.

 

Puntos are good a good bet for cheap, safe cars. Get a sporting and they're quite good spec too with RCL, leccy windows, OBC and A/C IIRC. Look better than most other cars from that era too.

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201403112421822/sort/default/usedcars/make/fiat/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/radius/1500/postcode/hp217hn/page/1/model/grande_punto/quicksearch/true?logcode=p

 

Even the Grande Punto is cheap too - and looks awesome IMO.

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201403112421822/sort/default/usedcars/make/fiat/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/radius/1500/postcode/hp217hn/page/1/model/grande_punto/quicksearch/true?logcode=p

 

Yeah, it's more than an 86c, but your sons safety is worth more than any amount of cash.

 

I was in the same position a few years ago too. I took a few uncool/boring cars (base model Punto and a Fabia) when I started for the safety aspect.

My brother had a Saxo for a good few yrs, was very reliable and never let him down once (even took me to Castle Combe and back faultlessly), the car was eventually sold on to a member on here (Mr Ree).

He's got his eye on a 206 now which would be a lot better in terms of crashing but i'd still he rather go for a Lupo/ Arosa/ Polo. 

Don't get a 206, or if you do buy a spare coil pack. I had my 206 for 2 months and the coil pack went on the A1 on the way back from college pulled off the A1 and to my luck found an AA van in a layby, he said it's such a common fault he carries one in his van all the time. Cost £105 mind.. Then it cost me £285 to pass its MOT, also how tall if he? If he's fairly tall then he won't like the 206's driving position, I'm about 6 foot and my knees were literally touching the steering wheel at it's furthest back position, and every customer review on-line seams to mention the position, which as you will know, is not good in a crash.

I had a 1.2 Corsa B as a first and second car, unfortunalty the first one died after a head on smash with a transit van, to which i walked away with a broken collar bone from the seatbelt, pre airbag car,

 

Alot of people slag them off but the 3 i had in my younger days were good little cars and cheaper to insure than the french batch of cars

Drove my mum's old saxo for a while when I started a job that was a long commute. 5 years ago now :S   At the time I had just had my mini partly restored so I was avoiding taking it out through the winter. I was also hoping for something more 'reliable' as I would be putting major miles on the clock

 

I was doing 100 miles on the motorway every day in a low spec, 1999 reg Saxo. It wasn't mine, I didn't trust the handling or brakes and I've never been the boyracer type so it was driven carefully. It was extremely low mileage at the time - 10 years old and only 35000 on the clock. In the space of 3 months gently driving it:

 

The N/S driveshaft went.

A track rod end went.

The exhaust started to blow near the back and had the rear box replaced.

The welds went on the front section and the rest of the exhaust fell off.

The O/S driveshaft went.

The O/S bearing went.

The passenger window mechanism broke.

The stereo developed an undefinable issue and refused to work.

It went through an MOT with £450 worth of work to put right.

The N/S brake calliper seized.

 

At that point, we put the mini back on the road as it was more reliable.

 

 

I'd go for a Fiesta if he needs a cheap 1st car. Check the rear arches for rust

 

I'm always wary of vastly below average miles motors, they can be far more problematic than above average. Fiesta is out, he can't stand the look of them

 

Don't get a 206, or if you do buy a spare coil pack. I had my 206 for 2 months and the coil pack went on the A1 on the way back from college pulled off the A1 and to my luck found an AA van in a layby, he said it's such a common fault he carries one in his van all the time. Cost £105 mind.. Then it cost me £285 to pass its MOT, also how tall if he? If he's fairly tall then he won't like the 206's driving position, I'm about 6 foot and my knees were literally touching the steering wheel at it's furthest back position, and every customer review on-line seams to mention the position, which as you will know, is not good in a crash.

 

He's taken more after his mother and the position wouldn't affect him too much. I was never comfortable driving my mother's 206 as I could always feel the steering spline knocking the tips of my feet when moving the steering wheel more than 1/4 turn. He's been to look at one locally tonight and not impressed, he described the interior plastic as looking scaley like a rhino's back end.

 

 Corsa is out as the 12v kills the insurance and the Punto being a 1.2/1.4 seems to have the same problem.  

 

Looks like we're on the trail of a 6n again which does make life feel more comfortable again. Thanks for all the responses, most helpful- glad I saw that crash test video    :clap:

106 gti is great fun to drive, but the pedals are too close together for my number 11 feet, typical french unreliability too.. the TU series engines are good though, plenty of tuning potential, and there are plenty of them in scrapyards when you need spares, if he wants to lower the car like most 17 ish year olds its an almighty ball ache on those because of the rear torsion links, best left to a specialist for that;.