Faults:

Rear brake drums had to be machined at 135,000km.

Radiator replaced at 145,000km.

Water pump replaced as a precaution at 145,000km.

Timing belt replaced at 145,000km.

General Comments:

Very practical, very cheap to run, and quite fun to drive around town.

It is underpowered though, my 1.3 single point injected engine is mated to a 4 speed auto and power steering, making this car no road rocket.

As a result of the car being underpowered, it is OK around town, but not good on highways, as it is difficult to remain at 110km/h, especially uphills. The engine is also very noisy at high speeds. Car also feels unstable due to its light weight and overly light steering at 110km/h.

I think though this is a great car for around town, as it is fun to drive, go kart like. Ride is very firm, sporty, but not very comfortable. General quality is excellent, with very little going wrong with the car over the last 20 years. There were no faults and no repairs needed for the first 19 years!

Car is definitely a keeper. Unfortunately there is a bit of rust around the rear windscreen now, typical of cars of this era. I think I can squeeze a few more trouble free years out of her though!

Brakes are excellent, although no ABS is available. Safety is a bit of a concern, considering its poor crash performance compared with modern cars. I have fitted good quality tires to improve primary safety.

The interior is very basic, and the boot opening too small. However, I love this car for its strengths, and can forgive its weaknesses!

Faults:

L/H boot needed to be done at around 98,000.

Electrics sometimes play up for example the high beams have completely gone unless you hold it back (like when you flick them).

Dash lighting has recently been going dim for days at a time and then back to normal.

However we suspect these problems were the fault of the people who installed the aftermarket Cd player.

General Comments:

It's easy to drive, handles great for a small non-performance car.

Accellerates like a tank with Rosie O'Donnell driving it. Which can sometimes be dangerous if you ask me because at times you NEED that acceleration and it's just not there. You really have to rev guts out of it to get it accelerating at a decent rate.

I've backed into a 2000 model magna in a shopping centre carpark... The magna had a small scuff on it (could've been polished out) BUT the 121 folded like paper for such a small prang. At least a $300 - $400 (AUD) repair.

Mileage is great, if I buy another 121 it will be because of the mileage. I can get to Brisbane and back (140kms all up) for $10 - $12.

Faults:

Gearbox and at clutch 98000km's.

Left and right outside CV joints replaced at 126000km's.

Left and right inside CV joints at 149000km's.

General Comments:

I thrashed the car from day one, and it's never really let me down.

I bought the car new from a dealer in 1992, and all I've done is put on some 17" mags (215/45 tyres) and a 2 1/2" exhaust.

I've driven a lot of small European and Japanese sports cars and not many of them come close to the performance and handling of the bubble.

The car also has a short wheelbase, which makes off-roading fun.

Faults:

Nothing has really gone wrong.

General Comments:

The manual transmition is good in that the gears slip cleanly into place. It tends not to stall, but the clutch is rather high, which makes it easy to over rev. That can be changed.

The small engine isn't yet a problem. I suspect it might be, but in the mean time it's saving me petrol money.

The boot is massive for the size of the car. Golf clubs no hassle... just have to fit them in diagonally.

The radio is a little dodgy. Screen was cracked when I bought the car... though a cd player will fit nicely.

Air Conditioning is strong.

Very low mileage. Seems to be a trend with these cars. In ten years this car has done 62000km, or around 38000miles. That's great... But I wonder how it will hold up with 25,000km per year.