Views on the Saxo VTS

Sirrel Squirrel · 5 Apr 2006 at 15:33

Been hearing some good thing about the Saxo VTS, I've got about £2500 to spend on a car not including insurance. So anyone here got one of these cars or had an experience in them, or is there anything better out there for the money?

Firestar_3x · 5 Apr 2006 at 15:34

Take it you want a Hot Hatch?

Pho · 5 Apr 2006 at 15:39

How about the 106 gti - a bonus being it's not a saxo which tend to always be associated with boy racers

(well, it basically is). I'd probably personaly go for a 306 GTI6 though.

Sp00n · 5 Apr 2006 at 15:44

Are you looking for power or comfort?

if its the former, i'd have a look at a 106 rallye 1.3/1.6... thats if you can find one!

GT3 · 5 Apr 2006 at 15:48

Great cars, very light with 120bhp and a close ratio box so pretty quick and also handle well so can carry the speed through corners. If you look hard enough you should be able to find a nice tidy low mileage 00/01 example for your money.

You could consider the 106 GTI as it is the same car but comes with a nice leather interior from 98 onwards and has less of the crap image that the saxo has. However £2500 will get you an 98/99 GTI rather than a 00/01 VTS and will probably have double the miles.

Sirrel Squirrel · 5 Apr 2006 at 15:48

Looking for power really in a hot hatch or a bigger car as long as it's quick

D4VE · 5 Apr 2006 at 15:58

Far too small and cramped to actually enjoy being in it let alone driving it.

Goes well enough, and handles well as far as I can tell, although the pedals are so tiny I didnt want to drive it too quick incase I couldnt find the brake pedal again!

Sirrel Squirrel · 5 Apr 2006 at 16:02

D4VE said:
Far too small and cramped to actually enjoy being in it let alone driving it.

Goes well enough, and handles well as far as I can tell, although the pedals are so tiny I didnt want to drive it too quick incase I couldnt find the brake pedal again!

Didn't realise it was a car that had the pedals close together, my old 1.1 Peugeot 106 was like that and it was bad if you wore skate shoes or desert boots as you'd always hit 2 pedals at the same time lol, not sure I'd want another car like that but then I can always take a test drive in the Saxo.

D4VE · 5 Apr 2006 at 16:06

well my size 11s dont help.

But Ive driven a lot of cars and Ive got no time for cramped pedals, its a shame it really ruins a car at stage 1 for me.

But for a smaller person it might be fine, although Im not the biggest bloke around.

Another vote for the 306 GTi-6 here, totally different league and really is a lot of fun with the 6 speed box.
Thats if you must go for a french car...

paradigm · 5 Apr 2006 at 16:11

D4VE said:
Far too small and cramped to actually enjoy being in it let alone driving it.

Goes well enough, and handles well as far as I can tell, although the pedals are so tiny I didnt want to drive it too quick incase I couldnt find the brake pedal again!

I have no problems in my VTR (same footwell), and I have size 12 feet and wear really wide vans most of the time.

Took me less than a week to be fully used to the pedal position, and I can tell you that i have no fear of driving "fast".

GT3 · 5 Apr 2006 at 16:13

paradigm said:
I have no problems in my VTR (same footwell), and I have size 12 feet and wear really wide vans most of the time.

Took me less than a week to be fully used to the pedal position, and I can tell you that i have no fear of driving "fast".

Same, I'm size 11 and 6'2" and its not a problem at all, my seat is quite far forward and find it quite confortable to drive.

Although when I drove my friends 1.1 106 the pedals were closer still and I found it a little awkward to drive. They must have a different pedal box to the upper models.

mad_allan · 5 Apr 2006 at 16:13

I had the same problems as D4ve in the 106. Pedals were really annoying but a great fun car overall.

Sirrel Squirrel · 5 Apr 2006 at 16:24

Think I'll try and get a test drive in one next week or for the weekend and see what I think about the pedals and just the car in general.

D4VE · 5 Apr 2006 at 16:53

I guess it depends what you are used to.

I learned to drive in an AX, which had a similar pedalbox situation.

But since then Ive had bigger cars.

Ev0 · 5 Apr 2006 at 17:28

Good car, good engine, bad image.

I'd have one as I wouldn't be fussed on the image part

Pretty cheap too.

Sirrel Squirrel · 5 Apr 2006 at 17:42

Ev0 said:
I'd have one as I wouldn't be fussed on the image part

Was just speaking to a girl at work about these cars and she laughed at me, so I won't be able to pick up the ladies

Ev0 · 5 Apr 2006 at 18:00

Sirrel Squirrel said:
Was just speaking to a girl at work about these cars and she laughed at me, so I won't be able to pick up the ladies

Well they seem to have surpassed the nova as the stereotypical chav car

Alternative that's an older car is a Clio 16v, or even a 306 GTi 6/Xsara VTS

Krowzer · 5 Apr 2006 at 18:15

After owning a vtr for two years, the thing that made me decide not to move to a VTS is the other day in town i saw one fully kitted up with 4 lads in it all with burberry hats on

Granted the chavs were in a VTR and not a VTS but to joe public they see a 'Saxo'.

Just sad they've now got this image as they are good bang for buck cars.

Axeboy · 5 Apr 2006 at 18:30

Great cars...

Quick and cheap.

Image may be an issue as stated, however, a mint standard VTR/VTS still looks good IMO

Get a S2 106 Rallye for the best of both worlds.Plus they are cheap, quick, rare, keep value, a bit different.

[TW]Fox · 5 Apr 2006 at 18:50

Ignore the image, by all accounts they are great fun.

If you want suggestions for alternatives why not look at its bigger brother, the Xsara VTS? The relationship between the Xsara and the 306 is similar to that of the 106/Saxo - so with Xsara you get 170bhp, a great chassis, but a 5 speed box. Oh, and climate control etc.

Get a nice one for £2.5k.