Faults:

3rd gear burnt out.

I replaced the clutch 2 times.

Rust!

Ball joints on the front went bad. This requires the control arms to be replaced.

Engine smoked briefly when started each morning.

Motor mount broke.

General Comments:

This car has been the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. When I list every problem I've experienced, they seem to add up, but over the course of 6 years, I drove this car 121,000 miles and only had to do one major repair (I installed a used transmission, new clutch and control arms). The parts cost about $300 and the job took about 10 hours.

I live in Minnesota, so I painted it almost immediately after purchase to keep the salt off the cracked paint.

I bought it for $1500 and probably put half that amount into maintenance over the six years I drove it (repairs, tires, battery, paint, etc).

It started in below zero weather and handled snow better than my wife's '98 Volvo S70. It got about 33mpg when I bought it, which decreased to about 26mpg by the time I finally sold it to a friend last month. It still runs and drives great. I love this car.

Faults:

Front brake rotors are warped from mountain driving.

Body has rusted badly around wheel wells and lower quarter panels.

Fuel filler pipe was badly rusted due to a poor design, surprisingly the replacement part was both in stock and cheap.

General Comments:

The 1.3 litre combined with the 5 speed gets 35 miles per gallon in the city and will cruise at 120 kph.

For a 500 dollar beater it has been a great car.

Parts are very cheap and still easy to find at the wreckers.

Replacing the stock 12 inch wheels with 13 inch wheels made a 100 percent improvement in the handling and ride.

Long hills and passing require some planning to get the car up to speed.

A quick and nimble city commuter.

At 21 years old it still feels tight and solid, especially compared to the 7 year old F150 we had.

Faults:

Had to replace the floats in the carburetor once.

Had to replace the multi-function turn signal switch.

We have to keep replacing the constant-velocity joints - the boots will not stay on.

The window mechanisms keep breaking.

General Comments:

This car gets unbelievable mileage. Around town it gets about 30mpg and on the highway it gets more like 40mpg. I do drive it conservatively, though.

Excellent for bopping around the city. I have driven it cross country several times and it is fairly cramped in the cabin, but it cost me next to nothing to travel in.

This vehicle will take an incredible amount of abuse. I have taken it off-road and into terrain marked "Four Wheel Drive Access Only".

It does not handle well in snow or wind.

On dry land it is zippy and handles great. It drives like a neat little roller skate.

This is the most reliable car I have ever owned and the only vehicle that has never abandoned me anywhere.

Faults:

Right inboard CV joint- replaced at 130,000 miles.

That's IT!

General Comments:

This is a great little car. It's my daily driver, as I take my '78 Thunderbird and '79 Cougar to shows.

It gets 30 miles per gallon, is worth more as transportation than it's monetary value and is fun to drive. Well I guess it's just fun to drive since its the only 5 speed I have access to.

It's no race car, but it is faster than most four cylinders out there.