Faults:

Front brake pads/rotors at 86,000 miles.

Rear brake shoes at 111,000 miles.

Transmission clutch at 98,000 miles.

Alternator/water pump at 102,000 miles.

All struts at 90,000 miles.

Timing belt/v-belts at 60, and 102,000 miles.

CV driveshaft boots at 65,000 miles.

Seats have significant wear and need recovering.

All service has been performed according to the manufacturer's service recommendations since new.

General Comments:

I have owned this car since new, and still own and use it as a daily driver.

The ride has never been that of a luxury car, and the handling is not of a sports car.

It is an econo-box, and performs as such.

Reliability has been unbelievable.

It has been easy to work on, and I am the only person to have ever turned a wrench on this car.

I routinely achieve 40 plus MPG in town with this car, and that's the reason I still drive it.

Faults:

I have needed to replace the clutch, valve cover gasket, one of the side-market light-bulbs, and a tire.

The interior has held up pretty well aside from a rip here or there. I am still looking for a replacement seat release handle though...

That's it! This car is nearly 20 years old!

The previous owner did have the catalytic converter, and most of the suspension system replaced.

Parts are indeed a little difficult to find, however...

General Comments:

I simply love this car.

It's an absolute blast to drive.

The little 3-Cyl engine does have some serious kick to it!

The interior is a bit cheap feeling, but that is not why you buy a car like this.

Every trip I embark on feels like an adventure in the little Charade.

Great gas mileage!!!

Faults:

Leaky radiator, bad fusible link.

General Comments:

These cars ride unbelievably well for being a small car. My car had the 4cyl 1.3 16 valve. Economical,30-40mpg, air conditioning worked well. Would have never have sold it, but I didn't have a place to park it.

Faults:

Had to replace CV boots at 75,000 miles otherwise, nothing went wrong. It never left me stranded.

General Comments:

I have driven much nicer Honda's and Toyota's since I had my Charade, but I do miss the car at times.

The mileage was fantastic. I usually got 50-60 mpg on the highway and 40+ in the city.

I finally gave it to charity, because I wanted something larger, but it was definitely one of the most reliable and inexpensive to maintain cars I have ever seen. The engine was a simple design that was easy to get around for maintenance. I am sure had I kept the car it would have gone well above the 200,000 mile mark with no problems.

I wish they sold them in the USA still. I would buy one for my kid.

Faults:

Exhaust leak, air conditioner part (electronic).

General Comments:

Except for normal wear and tear, this car has had almost no repairs. It has never left me stranded. It feels much more solid than any other small car. I wish they still sold them here in the US.

The only strike against these cars is that OEM parts are harder to get, but I just looked on carparts.com and they have a lot of parts that I would not have expected to be able to get from secondary manufacturers (ie. clutch cable, all brake parts etc).

If you can find one in good shape, I would buy it, especially because they are SO cheap on the used car market.

Faults:

Nothing! Even the brakes lasted 100,000 miles! Just oil changes and tires!

General Comments:

This was a very tough vehicle, too bad they stopped selling them here! You could drive it two weeks on 10.00 gas. High quality materials used, much better quality then any of the Korean stuff being sold in this country! Felt very solid, like a much bigger car than it was. Why did they stop selling them here? A high quality car people can afford, what a concept!