Small car with power steering Which one??

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wrinklet1
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Small car with power steering Which one??

Post by wrinklet1 »

Hi, My Dad is looking for a small car that has power steering. He has an Ax but feels it is a bit too heavy manouvering when parking. He could increase the tyre pressure a few psi but at risk of loosing grip. What car does Citroen make with power steering bearing in mind the cost as he is an OAP. Or can power steering be fitted to an Ax 1.0 Spree??
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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

Retrofitting a power steering is a real nuisance, as a lot more parts have to be replaced/fitted, than you first think of.
Quite a few of the small cars are fitted with powersteering, beginning approx '90 models.
May be either electric or pump/hyd systems.
Should be possible to find an early Saxo model with servo, or a similar small Peug (106/206) model.
Donno if the later AX models had servo as option.
Simply shop around. Defo try Ebay auctions.
Brian Oblivion
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Post by Brian Oblivion »

Get a Nissan Micra with P/S. Put petrol in, drive. Remember to check oil/water once a year. Oh and the tyre pressure. End of Story. I love my French cars but I have to hand it to Nissan with the Micra, missus has one, nothing has ever gone wrong.
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Post by NiSk »

And whats wrong with the ZX then???
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Post by JohnD »

Later Saxo or Pug 106 - both have electric driven power steering.
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Post by Stuart McB »

Must say the Xsara VTR I now have is a breeze to drive and park in 3 door form it's not to big either. Easy, easy drive aswell. Big smiles [:D][:D]all week so far.
Forgot to mention it's only just bigger than a Saxo, really.
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Post by Jon »

I'd go for a Saxo with PAS as standard if it was me.
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Post by jeremy »

Is the Zx a small car? the reason I say this is that while you would have thought that it was considerably smaller than a BX estate our 1.9 D has a noticeably worse steering lock (we thought the BX very clumsy after a Renault 21) and its noticeably wider as well.
Both these features were brought home when I had to run some errands with my temporarily incapacitated father, and showed up as needing wide spaces to get the door open as well as the general clumsines when parking. I wouldn't normally notice these things as I would simply choose an easier place and walk a bit further.
I would have thought a good Saxo or 106 was worth a look (assuming the steering lock is sensible)
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TomH
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Post by TomH »

ZX is a lot bigger than an AX! next size up...small family!
I agree about the poor steering lock though
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Post by adrianeaton »

.....and the ZX is FAR better on the steering lock fron than the equiv. 306!
I'd agree the ZX is very wide - certainly far wide than an AX/BX. The Xsara is even more difficult to place as the sides stick out further relative to the wing mirrors so a swine to fit into a garage, while the BX is a doddle.
Saxo's are getting very cheap, but I believe aren't all fitted with PAS so worth a double check. For something new a C2 would probably fit the bill and they start at about £6k before you start talking cashback and discounts.
106 is also sensible, and 206 is somewhere in between and doesn't suffer the lack of footwell space and steering wheel adjustment of the Saxo/106 which I find infuriating at 5ft9"!
My elderly folks seem to cope no problems with our old ZX (they're used to a Saab 900 so it's lighter to drive than that and the power steering on the ZX is nice and light)
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Post by JohnD »

A + point in the Saxo or 106's favour is its £110 tax disc, as opposed to the 1.9's £165.
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Post by arry_b »

A - point is that the Saxo/106 still has some way to go before it reaches the bottom of the depreciation curve. A BX/ZX is already there, and more than makes up for a £55 yearly road tax saving.
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Post by Patxi »

Sorry to get into this topic, but, have you considered a Fiat Punto? the latest model is said to have a super assisted steering, kind off 1 finger steering...
Hope you can find a car that suits your father's needs... [:)]
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Post by Paulee »

please please please don't let him him buy a Micra there are already too many elder people driving them !
I agree the ZX is unwieldly in parking spaces also mine is covered in door dents from other peoples cars due to probably visiting tesco too much.
fiesta diesels were fitted with power steering and a mid to late 90's model shouldn't break the bank plus 55mpg !
Hope he finds something he likes.
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Post by DLM »

Erm... I think there is a problem with the Micra: apparently the throttle body is a known weak point (and an expensive one if it goes wrong, as salvaged ones sell extremely quickly).
The 106 is a wieldy size and amazingly frugal in diesel form (60ish mpg) as I discovered from driving my late father's car. Power steering isn't fitted to all of them, however, otherwise this one would've been snapped up straight away by another member of the family.
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