Used Citroën Xsara Estate 1997 - 2004 reliability

The Xsara has had seven recalls to have defective parts replaced over the years, but before you panic, the car came 26th out of 100 in Warranty Direct's survey of the most reliable cars of the past decade, putting it ahead of cars such as the Subaru Impreza, Skoda Octavia and Audi A4.

All the same, there are faults with the car. Poor electrics are a recurring theme, and although the problems may not be big, they can prove difficult to trace and rectify. Airbag warning lights and fuel gauges are prone to giving false readings, while warped brake discs - which will judder during a test drive - are another potential headache, as are electronic control units on petrol engines. Automatic gearboxes can also give major and expensive problems. At least the Xsara features convention steel springs and shock absorbers, so there is no fragile hydropneumatic suspension to worry about.