Drive ability, low cost's and reasonable preformance
I had some rust problems at the beginning.
And the fuel tank has been replaced.
At 250000km I had to replace various rubber bushes to the rear suspension.
The general quality of the car is very good.
The engine still preforms well.
The reliability is good.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 13th July, 2002
Never again
During my two years of ownership, the auto-choke would never work correctly. No matter how many times it was in various shops it still ran too fat for too long.
It died on the motorway, the ignition module was at fault. This was fixed very quickly and it wasn't even that expensive, but I still don't like it when a car breaks down on the motorway.
One year later it started running really bad all of a sudden. Turned out it was nothing more than the ignition leads, although this was very expensive to fix.
Then once a rear wheel bearing went (suppose that's normal) and two weeks later a component in the rear suspension failed, causing the same symptoms as the failed wheel bearing.
Radiator was doomed at 215000 km.
But the car's worst problem is rust. This car rusted very fast once it got started. The rear wheel arches completely disappeared in two winters. Also the sills rusted. But miraculously, the doors never showed any sign of rust.
Bumpy suspension, but a quick car that was quite good to drive.
I bought this car to get a cheap, reliable car. However, I have to say I was disappointed. I know it's an old car, but still. I thought the reliability would compensate for the lack of character, but I was wrong.
So I sold it (very hard to sell), and now own a Citroen XM instead. At least, it doesn't rust!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 24th April, 2002
A good highway car
Clutch and pressure plates, release bearing etc.
Various bulbs.
Rear hydraulic brake lines (rusted, and caused the brakes to fail).
Underpowered, being only 1.6 litres. A good highway car, once it gets going.
Tendency to understeer.
Large turning radius.
Difficult to start in winter (Helsinki weather).
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 20th September, 2001
11th Oct 2010, 12:33
If you have trouble with any vehicle shooting a wheel bearing every year, then your only option to fix that would be to replace the spindle. I'm assuming you drove it for a while with the bad wheel bearing, and it wore down the axle on your spindle. It's really a common problem with any vehicle if the maintenance is not kept up, such as packing your wheel bearings every two or three years for city driving, and every year for off road driving. And greasing all fittings, if equipped with grease fittings.
I only say this because my buddy owned a car exactly like yours, and on the way through the desert in Cali, his bearing went out. He replaced it, but it went out again shortly after that. I took a look at it, and it was quite obvious that the axle had been worn considerably. It's all about preventative maintenance.