davy (06/14/82)
#N:pur-ee:2900001:000:1653
pur-ee!davy Jun 14 11:59:00 1982
I've not had any experience with the X-11, however, I've driven a
couple of Citations ('81s, I think). I used to work as a part-time
delivery person for a florist in town, and he had two rented Citations.
The first one was a four-cylinder, with power steering & power brakes.
It was really the pits. The steering has a lot (I mean a LOT) of play
in it, and the handling is really poor. The brakes are ok, but nothing
to write home about. As far as acceleration goes, it ranks right up
there with the Chevette - you have to stick out your foot and push.
Now, the other one had a V-6, with rack & pinion steering and no power
brakes (they might have been power assist, but I doubt it). This car
was exactly the opposite of the other. The acceleration was really
unbelievable, you could get out on the highway from a dead stop, and be
up to 65 in no time flat. The steering was very responsive (as most
R & P is), although the car is really too heavy to not have any power
assistance. Most of the female-types who worked there complained that
their arms got sore. The brakes wouls stop you, but I think if I had a
choice, I would have taken power brakes, because, once again, the car
is just too heavy.
Consumer Reports says the Citation has a miserable rate of repair,
however, neither of these two cars has ever had a major problem, excluding
a short in the wiring harness on the first one. A couple of friends
own Citations, and they are quite pleased with them. All in all, I'd
suggest driving one, and if you like it, buy it. It's one of the
better cars to come out of Detroit in quite a while.
--Dave Curry
decvax!pur-ee!davy