CITROEN XSARA 2.0i 16V VTS 3dr (2000)

Cheap for a Reason

I originally bought the Xsara VTS because it represented so much car for the money. With the engine (but unfortunately not the same six-speed gearbox) as the Peugeot 306 GTi-6, the performance on offer was enough for a fun drive but the cost for a less-than-3 year old model was far less than any of its competitors due to its terrible residuals. My plan was to benefit from these and then run the car into the ground so as not to suffer from them.

The facelifted Xsaras were among the first PSA models to use the new common bus electronics but the system cannot have been properly tested and proved to be the car's greatest achilles heel. The stereo would turn itself on when the car was locked which would set off the alarm and things got so bad that I could turn the ignition off and the engine would continue running!

I eventually traded the car in, just to be rid of it, and ended up losing a whole lot of money due to the aforementioned plummetting residuals.

My advice would be steer clear!