Faults:

Starter motor.

General Comments:

This car was purchased to teach my daughter to drive. It has been brilliant, the only problem is I can't get it back!

Fuel economy has been brilliant, 57 average, & I have achieved 72mpg on a long run down to Devon at 65 ish, but loaded.

The service from my dealer from the time of purchase to servicing & a starter replacement recently has been excellent, so good in fact that I am writing to the MD. I had better service than from my Jaguar dealer.

The car for what I paid, £6600, 5dr Vibe with mud flaps & door rubber protectors, has been fantastic & fun to drive & park. It's so nippy it's unbelievable.

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong so far, though engine more mechanically noisy than you'd expect for a new design, maybe due in part to minimal sound deadening.

General Comments:

Don't confuse low cost with excellent value! Although the C1 is generally the cheapest of the C1/107Aygo family, it is very spartan inside, especially in Vibe trim. That said there is nothing missing that you actually miss after a while and less gizmos means less to go wrong.

Ride is surprisingly firm, but enjoyable unless you prefer a very soft chassis. Engine is keen, though not particularly torquey even taking it's capacity into account. A 1994 1.0l Polo I drove recently felt much more gutsy at the bottom end for example.

Economy is quite incredible, never had under 60mpg, and a recent tankful consisting almost completely of slow (55mph) cruising returned just over 70mpg. 65mpg quite normal for longer journeys. With diesel over 12p/litre more expensive now, small petrols like this make most sense if the pennies are tight.

Servicing is expensive full stop. 10k intervals and they're no cheaper than any other car, expect £180 from a main dealer.

Bizarre recommendation from dealers to use a mineral 15W-40 oil. No obvious reasons, though other similar Toyota/Daihatsu engines have been known to start using oil fairly early (40k) so this maybe an admission of potential oil consumption problems, time will tell.

Faults:

Locking petrol filler cap stopped locking.

General Comments:

I downsized to the C1 and haven't regretted it. It's a car the deserves more recognition for its many good qualities, not least its no-nonsense appeal.

It is surprisingly comfortable even at motorway speeds and on long journeys - my biggest worry before buying it. Engine noise is very modest, road/tyre noise is evident, but no more than I'd expected, on most surfaces it is very quiet even beyond 70mph.

The reliability (no problems, uses no oil, ABS very effective in a sudden snowstorm) and economy (genuine 60mpg achievable) are superb; it's fun to drive and cheap to own.

The boot is small, and I find I have to drop the rear seats most weeks for routine shopping and carting things about. I bought roof bars, a bike rack, and a collapsible roof bag/box for holidays etc, and that makes the car pretty versatile for my purposes.

I'd happily tackle a very long drive in it - crossing the alps, for example - and have travelled from the Scottish borders to London and further in a day without over-tiring the car or its driver.

Equipment is fine - the radio and heater work well, I use the i-pod socket most weeks. I'd like an interior light in the boot, but that's being really pernickety.

Do you really need any more from a car? I decided I didn't, and am delighted with my C1.