Saxo Vtrs

[dabofoppo]

Are they as bad as they seem? I mean besides the obvious image problem are they really bad cars?

[Defcon5]

Not bad at all, good fun to chuck about. Not particularly reliable, but cheap to fix. Get one that hasnt got lexus lights

[cris654321]

from my experience with a saxo they are cheap nippy light handle fairly well myn seems unbreakable the amount of abuse it gets but watever i do there is ALWAYS something making an unusual rattle/noise but im sure if you got a tidy one for road use or a cheap one for track they are great it all depends on what you want from your car....

[dabofoppo]

Im looking at getting a cheap one to replace the Punto while i save up for a bit what should i watch for? i know that back axles are a common problem but what else is there?

[GrilledBeans]

Essentially the same car but I feel the 106 gti is so much better then a vts could ever be.

[Defcon5]

GrilledBeans said:

Essentially the same car but I feel the 106 gti is so much better then a vts could ever be.

He is on about the VTR. Is the equivalent 106 the XS on the phase 2 models?

[icepop]

Great little cars, and deservedly so. Tight pedal box that's better suited to narrow footware, freeflow backbox can liberate an extra 10bhp, 8 valve engine too so alot torquier than the VRS, at lower revs. Not all young owners are loons, the car is usually their pride and joy and has been treated as such, your task, should you wish to take it, is to winkle the right one out. Significantly lower insurance group too.

Edited by icepop on Wednesday 12th January 00:37

[traffman]

I sat in one when they were introduced to the public , i can remember my foot literally covering all three pedals!

I would have one .

[dabofoppo]

Thanks guys so are the engines quite strong? i mean if the one i picks been ragged most of its life should treating it with good oil etc be worth while?

[GrilledBeans]

Defcon5 said:

GrilledBeans said:

Essentially the same car but I feel the 106 gti is so much better then a vts could ever be.

He is on about the VTR. Is the equivalent 106 the XS on the phase 2 models?

Ah right, well the XS and Rallye are both 8v's and vtr equivilent, the XSI being like an extra 10 or 15bhp but still 8v 1.6's.
Although the phase 1 1.3 rallye's are the one to have

IMO 106's are a much better experience then a saxo.

[Mr Dave]

Great fun cars, I actually prefer the Saxo VTR and early 106 rallyes and so on to the 205gti handling wise but they are let down by not having teh grunt of the 205.

Cheap. Easy to work on. I think they can look pretty good. Cheap. Stand up to abuse really well.

As said gearboxes are a bit weak (can pick up a second hand one for peanuts anyhow) and rear axles go.

Engines are very strong in the VTRs early ones seemingly moreso (black rocker cover). Respond well to tuning and sound really quite nice with a decent exhaust and intake.

Pedals are tiny and in a slightly odd place but you sort of get used to them after half an hour.

Get one, dont spend more than a grand on one, plenty of good ones out there.

My best mate has one that gets ragged every time he drives it, 160 odd thousand miles on it and it has a cam, induction kit and exhaust and it pulls pretty well and sounds amazing, Ive never seen a car put up with as much abuse. Gets tracked and all sorts and never sets a foot wrong.

[BDR529]

I have a VTR for my runabout, it's a really fun car, and handles well when you feel like chucking it about. Nothing has gone wrong on it so far (touch wood), but even if something did go wrong it would probably cost peanuts to fix.


I recommend one so long as you can put up with the boyracer image

[Carfiend]

Fun little cars but I would go for a Phase 2 106 Rallye

[300bhp/ton]

icepop said:

Great little cars, and deservedly so. Tight pedal box that's better suited to narrow footware, freeflow backbox can liberate an extra 10bhp, 8 valve engine too so alot torquier than the VRS, at lower revs. Not all young owners are loons, the car is usually their pride and joy and has been treated as such, your task, should you wish to take it, is to winkle the right one out. Significantly lower insurance group too.

Edited by icepop on Wednesday 12th January 00:37

10hp from a back box

Also I suspect the torque thing is bks too. It might feel more torquey, but as a rule 16v variants fully match 8v units in the lower rpms, but due to multivalve technology allowing more valve curtain area it will increase it's usable rpm power band, so allowing more torque at higher revs, so given HP = torque x rpm / 5252 it is the maintained torque that offers up the HP gains.


Not a Saxo, but a good example of 8v vs 16v:



Upto 2000rpm the 16v matches the 8v, then 8v starts to nose out (torque) while the 16v is still climbing.


In short, the butt metre is usually wrong.

[Carfiend]

doogz said:

Not really in the same price bracket these days. I sold one 2 years ago, for 2 grand, and it was a bit sheddy, needed some welding, some suspension sorted, and a couple of other bits and bobs.

Probably my old one. It had a hard life.

[matchmaker]

icepop said:

Great little cars, and deservedly so. Tight pedal box that's better suited to narrow footware, freeflow backbox can liberate an extra 10bhp, 8 valve engine too so a lot torquier than the VRS, at lower revs. Not all young owners are loons, the car is usually their pride and joy and has been treated as such, your task, should you wish to take it, is to winkle the right one out. Significantly lower insurance group too.

VRS?

[BDR529]

matchmaker said:

icepop said:

Great little cars, and deservedly so. Tight pedal box that's better suited to narrow footware, freeflow backbox can liberate an extra 10bhp, 8 valve engine too so a lot torquier than the VRS, at lower revs. Not all young owners are loons, the car is usually their pride and joy and has been treated as such, your task, should you wish to take it, is to winkle the right one out. Significantly lower insurance group too.

VRS?

HOLY CHRIST! HE MADE A TYPO!! Brb I need to make some important phone calls.

[matchmaker]

BDR529 said:

matchmaker said:

icepop said:

Great little cars, and deservedly so. Tight pedal box that's better suited to narrow footware, freeflow backbox can liberate an extra 10bhp, 8 valve engine too so a lot torquier than the VRS, at lower revs. Not all young owners are loons, the car is usually their pride and joy and has been treated as such, your task, should you wish to take it, is to winkle the right one out. Significantly lower insurance group too.

VRS?

HOLY CHRIST! HE MADE A TYPO!! Brb I need to make some important phone calls.

Pistonheads. Pedantry matters

[Lionsden]

I had mine, a mk1 vtr, for 6 years, I loved every minute of it. Always had probs with CV joints, but got to the point after all potholes last year the whole front end was shot, drive shaft, ds bearings, cv joints again, all front suspension, wheel bearings, I ended up breaking it myself and scrapping what I had left and got just under the cash I paid for it 6 years ago. OK a few of the parts had been upgraded, and for an R reg it was in good condition to look at.

My old VTR... RIP I'd definatley have one again!!!

[buymeabar]

Years back I bought an S reg VTR from new. It was the most economical little car I've ever owned. Far preferred it over the VTS which needed to be ragged a lot more (although it was much faster). Never had any issues at all over the 2 years of ownership. I think the free insurance for two years helped sweeten my opinion of that motor ;-)