Faults:
"clumping" noise in the steering, possibly also the suspension. Has not posed any problems.
Occasionally hesitates to start or starts and then stalls. A few times It has stalled at very low speeds while turning the wheel hard (backing out of parking spaces, for example). In either case, it started right back up with no further problems.
Brakes wore out. They were replaced, now it stops too quickly, thrashing occupants around a bit. I hear the ABS kicking in, but the brakes still lock up.
General Comments:
The acceleration isn't great. I have to push it a bit to keep up with the flow of freeway traffic, and the RPM seems to run slightly high. The engine is also very "buzzy". I had a '94 Z24 before it with much more power. Then again, it was a v6. This is a small 4 cylinder.
This car is victimized on bad roads. Dirt roads or roads with potholes or bad cracks toss it like a volleyball, making it hard to control. This is probably due to it's small size.
Better than expected in winter. It is very good in snow, especially for such a small car with low ground clearance.
VERY cheap to maintain. It is a simple design, nothing high-tech that breaks a lot. Manual door locks and manual windows=less problems. It's easier on my wallet than a European car would have been.
It was a 2 year old car with 35,000 miles priced under $7000. I've gotten a lot of good miles since and it's great in the winter. It's been a good purchase. For the money, It's been doing it's job well.
13th Jun 2005, 11:35
You posted this under the 1999 year then in your description you said it was a 2000 model...