Saxo VTS versus 106GTI

Leon11

Looking to get a new (used) car and these two are within my €4k price range. These are probably the two most stylish h/b's available to me. Anyone care to give me the pro's and con's to either. I'm undecided on engine size at the moment though realisitcally I'd like to get a 1.6. Daily journeys would be 20-30min drive to college, 20 min drive to training and 10min work drive 3times a week.

Anybody care to share their experiences? Much appreciated! I'm open to other suggestions within the price range although I would prefer if they were hatchbacks. Also fond of the 00-01 Almera for some reason. Anyways thanks for any input you have!

p.s Currently driving a F.I.A.T (shudders) head gasket going again after 4months:(:mad: so don't think I'd go for another:D

Neilw

Well their both basically the same car, same engine (1.6 16v 120bhp), gearbox, brakes and suspension.

Over the years I've had 2 106 gti's, bought one new back in 99 and had it for 2 years without any problems. Had another 99 car a few years later, only problem I had was the coilpack died.
By far the best handling car I've ever driven, great fun on back roads.
120bhp does not sound like much but they are very light so can really shift.

There would be more 106's to choose from here as they were a better seller then the vts, the vts was more expensive new.

Another car to consider would be a 106 rallye, again brilliant handling and more exclusive as there were not that many built. Has an 8v engine compared to the 16v in the gti and no electrics at all, power steering and an airbag were options!

Neil.

rowanh

Id be fairly interested if anyone knows what the differences are between the two. You can get a saxo for a fair bit less, im not really sure why. I have read reviews of the saxo saying the steering is a bit vauge and the foot space is minimal where other than being small generally few people have anything bad to say about hte 106. On one of clarsons videos both richard burns and a touring car driver both thought the 106gti was the best handling car in the world, though they later agreed with clarskson it was the ferarri 550.


If i was going to get a small car a japanese kei car would be something id consider. There was a thread a while ago about the most fun car under 1L, you might do a search for it.


http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=767480
http://www.driver.ie/classified/showproduct.php/product/2187/cat/44

bit over your price but they could be had for less..

p-nut

As neil said they are essentially the exact same car, so it's just down to personal preferance really. I think the 106 looks far better, and if you get a later one, it comes standard with leather seats.

OP, you never said what age you were. I would warn you about insurance costs, as if you are a young driver it is ridiculous on either of these cars. I was originally going to buy a vts, but had to pull out of it as i could not afford to pay insurance while still in college. I ended up buying the irish version of the vtr, which has the same handling setup as the english vtr/vts/106gti, but only has a 1.4 8v engine so insurance was much more affordable.

If you want a 1.6, take a look at the english spec vtr, there are a few on carzone now. They only have the 8v engine but are still great fun to drive and look cracking. Or again, as neil said you could look into a 106 rallye, but these are VERY rare, and you would have to import one. These are pure rally bred cars aswel so have no electric windows or anything like that. They dont even have sound proofing. Saying that tho, they have a madly tuned 8v engine, so the insurance is affordable BUT it would eat a 106 gti on the track/backroads.

Another car to look out for would be the 106 quicksilver, also very rare, but have the same 1.4 8v engine as in mine, and the same handling setup as a gti.

Hope that helps, and good luck with buying.

If you do end up getting a french car tho, get on to frenchcarsireland.com, its a great club and everyone on it is always willing to help out.:)

Leon11

cheers lads, input appreciated, I'm 22 now and have been driving over 2 yrs, current insurance is €650 on a 1.2litre. I'm 6"4 so the space might be a problem in the saxo!! I've actually to go look at a friend of a friends saxo vts this w/e.

On a sidenote my punto died this evening on the way home from a rugby match. Not happy, really means I've to get a car as quick as possible now:(

p-nut

Leon11 wrote:

cheers lads, input appreciated, I'm 22 now and have been driving over 2 yrs, current insurance is €650 on a 1.2litre. I'm 6"4 so the space might be a problem in the saxo!! I've actually to go look at a friend of a friends saxo vts this w/e.

On a sidenote my punto died this evening on the way home from a rugby match. Not happy, really means I've to get a car as quick as possible now:(

Ah cool, well if ye can get a goot quote on a vts/gti then go for it, i guarantee you will not be let down:D

Also, you should check out the peugeot 306 gti-6 if yer worried about space. They're an absolute monster of a car, near 170bhp as standard and look the nuts. Insurance may not be much more than a 106gti even tho its a 2 litre engine, just because of the fact that so many peaply crash 106's.

EDIT: Here is a 306 gti if you don't know what they look like. I happen to know this one and can tell you it's a minter aswel.