Used Car Buying Guide: Cheap Hot Hatches

The Citroen ZX was often vilified for not being a proper Citroen, ie distinctive and unconventional - a pretty fair criticism, since it was very closely related to the workaday Peugeot 306 (see separate page for a rundown of the more exciting 306s) and did away with all the Citroen quirks such as hydropneumatic suspension and interesting styling. But its conventional suspension system, like that of the 306, is actually very adept, and the lightweight ZX is a lot more rewarding to drive than it looks.

It's available in three- and five-door forms, but the three-doors are definitely the best-looking and most sporty. The ZX Volcane petrol models (the name was also used for some diesels) have a fully colour-coded exterior, front and rear spoilers, all-round disc brakes, remote central locking, front electric windows, foglamps, optional air-conditioning and a leather-covered gearknob and steering wheel. First launched in 1.9i form in June 1991 (when the ZX range replaced the BX) it gained an alarm in 1993, just before the 1.9i model was replaced by the 2.0i 16-valve, which got 15-inch alloy wheels. The 2.0i 16-valve is fairly quick; its official 0-60 mph acceleration time was eight seconds, compared with the 9.3 seconds of the 1.9i. There is also a 2.0i eight-valve (123 bhp) model, not badged as a Volcane, which does the 0-60 sprint in 8.4 seconds, but it was intended more as a junior motorway cruiser and isn't in quite the same sporting spirit as the Volcane-badged versions.

Replaced by the Xsara in 1997, the ZX looks increasingly good value as prices for cars over five or six years old plummet. It might not be the most exciting-looking car on the block, but it delivers a fair amount of fun.

Links:
Guide to checking out a used car
Mug's guide to tuning: More bhp for your bucks

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