I've had my DS3 for two years now; a great little car!
I did consider a Fiesta, but I don't think I could live with that dash & it gets expensive for what is, after all, a "normal" family car when you spec it up to a decent level. Alfa MiTo? In theory a contender, but after three Alfas, never again! At the time I bought it the A1 was a few months away, so I did consider waiting but looking at the early details on Audi's website, to be honest I found it underwhelming - a matter of taste, but to me it looks very ordinary. I hadn't really considered a Citroen, as I've always considered them cheap & cheerful, but we decided to pop into the local Citroen dealer & have a look. First impressions were very good! A cheery welcome from the receptionist & very helpful sales staff & we were left alone to look at the car for a while & then offered a test drive without having to ask. The car itself gave the impression of a quality product & was very pleasant to drive - I think we made the decision to buy one within a few minutes!
Price-wise we did a satisfactory deal - no discount as such, but the trade-in price we got was well over what I'd have settled for so we were happy with what we paid. We bought a DStyle 120VTi with the City Signature option pack, mainly for the power folding door mirrors, but it also includes auto lights & wipers, rear parking sensors, etc. A selling point for me was that all DS3s have cruise control & speed limiter as standard - I wouldn't buy a car without cruise control & the limiter has proved to be very useful! Didn't like having to pay £75 extra for the space saver spare wheel, though!
Still loving it after two years. Good handling despite only having 16" wheels with Michelin Energy Saver tyres, not the "sportiest" tyres in the world! Good ride for a small car - rather on the firm side, but well-damped & not harsh. It's an excellent motorway cruiser, despite only having a 5-speed gearbox - I'd have liked a 6-speed but it's not available with the 120VTi engine.
So, everybody knows French cars are unreliable, don't they; here's a list of what's gone wrong in two years & 17,000 miles:
Not a very long list, is it?
A few small "problems" - fastener lost from front wing liner, rattle from dash & rear side trim, but these were known problems quickly fixed by modified parts so not a big issue.
Would I buy another, would I recommend a DS3 to anyone else? A definite "yes" to both questions!