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- Citroen AX GT 1.4
- Dave Ellis's review
Have a picture of Citroen AX GT 1.4?, please send it to us.
Picture courtesy of Jose Angel Perez.
| Performance | 8.9/10  |
|---|---|
| Practicality | 8.2/10 |
| Reliability | 7.3/10 |
| Value for Money | 8.8/10 |
| Reviewer Rating | 8.9/10 |
| Overall Rating | 8.7/10  |
By Dave Ellis
on 8th Sep 2004
| Year Manufactured | 1989 |
|---|---|
| Length of ownership | 1 Week |
| Performance | 10/10 |
| Practicality | 8/10 |
| Reliability | 10/10 |
| Value for money | 10/10 |
| Overall value | 10/10 |
 Dave Ellis's recommendation | |
noise, speed, looks, comfort, handling, the surprised look on other hot hatch owners faces when you give them a good view of your exhaust
brakes, not being able to drive it any more
Bought my Citroen AX GT 1.4 a week ago and have had great fun in it since. Just line yourself up next to just about any other hot hatch at the traffic lights, let them know you want a race and watch them smirk at the 16 year old Citroen next to them. The next time you see them they'll be in your rear view mirrors. There are very few exceptions to this rule, and if you really cant beat them off the line, then nail them down a country lane, where the AX really is unbeatable. Either way, its not too shabby for an old car. I've beaten a Mazda MX-5 (and yes he was trying), Fiesta XR2's and XR2i's (and not just the once) Escort XR3i's (yet to find an RS Turbo), a lupo 1.4 (not really a challenge, but he was being a prat and I really enjoyed embarrasing his car which probably cost 10 times what I paid for mine) and i kept up with a Jag X type 3.2 (also definitely trying from the look in his mirror, but it was down a very twisty road i know very well). They're just about the only cars i've taken on, but like i say, I've only had the car a week, and I live in Essex, which means finding anything other than a Ford XR.... is a real challenge.
Bought the car from a girl I work with, it came with a very good JVC head unit and some door cards which were surprisingly powerful, racing floor mats, ripspeed door sills, a peco big bore 4 exhaust (very, very loud for a backbox) blacked out lights, wolfrace 5 spoke alloys (plus some spare team dynamics which have been fairly badly scuffed, but are still worth keeping), I'm pretty sure the suspension has been lowered, but I cant be sure because I havent really checked (every time i walk near the car, I just have to drive it), and it has a fairly substantial strut brace under the bonnet (nice...)
However, all good things must come to an end. Last night while driving through my village following my mate in his zetec fiesta he spots a rabbit and stops dead. This is the difference between a new and an old car, my reactions are not poor, but no matter how hard i hit the brake pedal, i could not stop as hard as he had, and as a result i used his rear bumper to stop with. balls! Smashed headlight and indicator casing (although they do both still work), dented bonnet and grill thingy, and the right front wing has been pushed back so that the drivers door now makes a nasty grinding noise when its opened. However, the nasty bit is, and this is where i need help, the bar under which the headlights are mounted (you can see it when you open the bonnet) has been bent on one side. I wanted to know if its possible to bend it back, or if I'll need a new one, or what would be the best (read cheapest, only 17 in case you hadnt guessed, and on a student budget) and also would it be legal to drive in its current state? any feedback would be great.
Overall i would recommend this car to anyone, but dont be taking risks on the brakes. Be very careful around the police as well, I've been pulled twice for no good reason (not speeding, not caning it, no loud music, wearing seatbelts etc...) just because they think I'm a boy racer, which I suppose I am, but i really wasn't before i bought this car... Just can't wait to get back into the wee beastie.
0-60 - 8.5 seconds
Top Speed - I've seen 105, but I'm sure theres at least another 10 to come, will post again when I know.
Dave Ellis's review has yet to be rated - Be the first!
matt1tvr
on 13th Oct 2004
patc on 17th Nov 2004
spliff1star
on 17th Dec 2004
Dave Ellis
on 21st Jan 2005
Dave Ellis
on 21st Jan 2005
XytraS on 25th Nov 2005
adrian17cy on 7th May 2007