Good all round budget car
Drivers seat has developed a loose screw that does not seem to tighten.
Rear window heater has started to fail.
This car is one of the best buys I've ever spent money on.
Being a diesel model she starts straight away even in real cold mornings.
Very cheap to run I average 350 miles on a full tank.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 23rd November, 2004
A very fast stylish car
Had to have a new cam belt as soon as I bought the car, as the old one was old and groaning. The brakes started to stick although this was probably due to accelerating and the heavy breaking needed to stop the car.
Apart from these minor problems this car is a dream to drive and is one of the best small cars on the road. Although you do have to reach 3K revs the car has great acceleration and handles well with out power steering.
The car looks good for its age and easy to modify. I have fitted a K&N as well as a performance exhausts system.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 22nd April, 2004
Reliable, economical workhorse
Rear exhaust silencer split at 80,000.
Headlights seem to lose their alignment.
This car has real stamina. It has been over 22,000 miles in 12 months with no major problems!
It is 10 years old and still had no problems driving back from Berlin to Calais non-stop 4 times last spring.
It will do approximately 600 motorway miles on a full tank which costs about £28-£30!
It cruises comfortably at 65-70mph and will do so non-stop for 6 or 8 hours easily.
It does roll a bit on corners (Roundabouts must be taken slowly)
It can lose a lot of power on hills.
It is far more comfortable than any other small car I have driven. (I am 6'2")
The off-set pedals can take some adjusting to.
The metallic green paintwork hides all manor of chips and scratches, and still looks good at 10 years.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 14th October, 2003
Fast, yet practical enough for anyone
Faulty ignition module, burst radiator, drivers seat adjustment doesn't work, passenger door handle loose, alternator and spare wheel fell from bottom of car!
Despite the list of minor faults above this car really in something else, it's an ideal car with excellent looks and acceleration to surprise far more powerful cars.
The small engine means you need to get your foot down to produce a decent amount of power, but when you do.. You'll find yourself doing 100 by the time you've dared to look down at the clock.
Carrying passengers has a large effect on performance because of the design of the car. This car will also happily do 350 miles on £30 or more if you can resist the temptation to get your toe down.
Compared to my 1.6 Fiesta this is quicker, better looking and with its full electrics is much more of pleasure to drive. Buy one now!!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 3rd October, 2003
Car for town not for motorway
Blow head gasket at 87,000 miles.
Tracking rod are too tight to be undone and so cannot have tracking sorted out.
Very good in town, but terrible on motorway.
Very good on petrol recently done 350miles on £20 of fuel.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 20th September, 2003
Cheap, cheerful, but its is not without faults
Fan belt needs replacing after 5,000 miles.
The front passenger seat will not stay in it's wanted point on the runners.
Good, nippy car that is ideal as a first car. It is fast in first gear and second gear, but lags a bit in third and fourth. It would also be better if it had a fifth gear.
The above makes it ideal as a city car, but it doesn't fair well on motorways as it takes a while to get to the speed limit.
The factory brakes are a bit below par, as it takes a while to stop if you need to.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 26th May, 2003
Top notch motor!
Faulty oil gauge, loose fuel injector, otherwise good.
It's a reasonably big engine in a very small car which means good performance. 0-60 is pretty good and not many people can beat it off the lights. The sound is a sweet little roar from both engine and exhaust.
The handling on tight roads is second to none. It is very light and you can whip it round the corner before you know it. However, long sweeping corners are slightly daunting at speed. This is hoped to be improved by dropping it and possibly some sixteens.
The interior is very tidy with a simple uncomplicated dash, but also very good looking. The bucket seats provide stability and it also provides good acoustics for a serious sound system.
From the outside it's a joy to watch, even with standard rims and no major styling. It's just a good all round first car, apart from the hefty insurance, well worth every penny though.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 26th January, 2002
A wicked little flying machine
The ignition module played up.
The alternator was cooking the battery.
It was still under warranty though so not to worry.
Some idiot keyed it!!
These cars are well underestimated, I've had mine now for about 8 months and it's still flying about as if it was just made yesterday. Now that the miles are clocking up though I'm gonna strip and rebuild the engine, tweaking it here and there for a few more horses.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 8th January, 2001
27th May 2003, 09:54
Not without faults. Somewhere after 10 years between 120000 and 130000 miles a fan belt broke... horrible really unrelaiable... and moreover the huge 1 liter motor does not fare well on motorways... very bad.