Faults:

I've only had it for few months, but have driven a fair amount that many people would drive in a year. Nothing has gone wrong yet.

There are few minor leaks I noticed. I will look deeply into it.

General Comments:

I think 80s and 90s were the time when car manufacturers were really making cars; not like now for the sake of it, and more to do with making commercial sense. Yes, these cars may not offer similar standard safety as modern cars, but they offer a lot of things that modern cars fail to do.

The design is very smart and attractive. Mine is a 1994 XSI, which is Phase 1 sport model. Later on during Phase 2, they discontinued it and came up with 1.6 16v, which is 20 BHP more and called it a GTI. Mine is a 75kw or 100 BHP.

This car offers:

- Very quick for what it is.

- Very fun to drive.

- Excellent handling.

- Great fuel economy for its age and the power it offers.

- Handles like a RWD.

- Comfortable even by present standards.

- Very reliable.

- One of the best super minis there is, which is worth keeping in my collection.

- Rust proof.

- Out performs any other of its competitors.

On the down side:

- They are now very rare in NZ. There are only 3 on Trade Me for sale as I write this review.

- Parts availability is getting harder, but with modern Internet accessibility - it's never hard from France.

- No power steering, and the steering is a bit on the heavy side, but it never bothered me (the Phase 2 has the option, but the Phase 1 right hand drive never came with any).

- The gap between the clutch and brake pedal is tight.

In summary - I bought this as a project car. It came with 10k worth of receipts since new, so was maintained very well by a top euro car workshop in Auckland. The body needs lots of care, which I will give it over the time. I plan to add this to my collection and will keep it as long as I can.

If you're considering one - I highly recommend having one. It will only bring a smile to your face. For very little money, it's a lot of fun.