Faults:

Front and rear brakes replaced (twice).

Front rotors and calipers replaced.

Exhaust system replaced.

Moulding keeps falling off.

Factory tires too small for good handling.

Check Engine light on constantly.

Replaced all lights on system within one year period; there seems to be a problem with the fuses.

General Comments:

Overall, this car isn't bad - but far from great.

This car, however, is a very expensive car to maintain. I've followed nearly all the scheduled maintenance suggestions, including checkups, oil changes, etc. But, when a problem occurs, don't expect a cheap fix, especially if you own a newer model.

I use this car heavily (over 30K miles per year) and have encountered numerous problems, most of which incurred large amounts of cash (relatively) to fix. I'm talking $500 US or more per incident.

My check engine light has been on for several weeks. The factory service codes indicate a problem with the idle, yet two separate service technicians couldn't find an actual problem. One was rated as a top performer by AAA. Apparently I'm just going to have to live with this problem for a while.

Recently the rotors and calipers deteriorated, causing another costly fix ($555 US). Luckily, I no longer have payments on this vehicle, but I'd suggest you keep putting money in a savings account for future repairs.

But, in comparison to almost any American-made four cylinder vehicle, this car should last twice as long.

Overall performance is all right, but not spectacular. Don't expect to beat any traffic to the next stop light with this vehicle. At 115 horsepower, this car will probably have a top speed of 110-115, but not much "get up and go." The factory installed tires (195s) are too small for higher speed driving (e.g., Interstates), but the vehicle can accomodate a larger size - I run with 205s in the good weathered months, but switch to 195s in the winter.

Faults:

A skilled foot on the clutch is required to avoid a 'bucking' sensation when engaging gears.

The driver's wiper arm loosened enough to collide with the passenger's wiper.

The power door locks are stiff, and have begun to squeak when going down.

The coolant reservoir mysteriously emptied itself once, setting off the temperature light.

The silver paint on my plastic wheel covers is chipping badly.

My cruise control switch sometimes does not engage.

General Comments:

My car looks and rides like a new little black Mercedes.

The turbo diesel lacks spunk at the starting line, but will happily overtake slower vehicles at highway speeds without shifting from overdrive.

The air conditioning is ice cold, and cools my black interior with haste.

The factory 'premium' cassette stereo is impressive.

My cloth interior is immaculate, but seriously lacks without a sunroof despite the white headliner.

I can achieve close to 900 kilometres of combined driving on a tank of fuel.

At highway speeds, I often feel that a sixth gear is needed to reduce cabin noise and curiously high engine revolutions per minute.

The cabin is spacious, and the controls are well organized.

This little car is tight and as straight as an arrow.

I look forward to driving my car, and being seen in it.