Faults:

The Clutch cable needed replacing as it was getting tight, The radiator needed replacing as it leaked and finally I replaced the lower ball joints as they were beginning to get noisy.

General Comments:

I would definitely recommend one of these to anyone who takes their driving seriously! Its not a motorway mile muncher, nor was it intended to be. Despite all its faults, its very quick, handles beautifully with amazing amounts of feedback and I even like the noise when you get it on cam!

Faults:

Occasional misfiring - first occurred in warm, dry weather, but then became the norm in cold, wet/damp weather. Light and heavy throttle usage resulted in misfiring and loss of power, necessitating use of low gears and high revs to remain in mid-throttle usage. Despite changes in spark plugs and exhaust, seemed to have been resolved the day before we sold it by resetting the ECU. Went on for about 20 months, but only occasionally.

General Comments:

The problem outlined above resulted in some expensive changes before the free ECU resetting (!) ; otherwise problem-free, a tough car.

Mainly local driving, but has managed London-Bradford-London (460+ miles) on a single tank!

The 1.4 does it's job, and revs well, but this car is underpowered with it.

Very good handling, gives the driver total control and feel.

Cabin is certainly dated, highlights the fact that this is the generation of small family cars before the Ford Focus. Seating is low, not supportive, but not uncomfortable.

Only a couple of trim parts were loose; on the whole it's of a sturdy build.

Faults:

Nothing wrong so far (touch wood!)

Most sports seats suffer from premature wear apparently, but mine are fine still.

General Comments:

A fast diesel. Certainly impressive compared to its petrol rivals. I had a 1.6 xs petrol for a few days and couldn't wait to get back in my d-turbo. The car gives so much torque its perfect for a back-lane thrashing for motorway cruising.

These high amounts of torque are also great for overtaking... with little or no effort.

I have had mine for 18,00 miles this year so far and have had no problems at all, the car drives like its still new, and looks the part as well. Only insurance group 5 and considerably faster than supposedly more respectable cars - BMW 1.8 (petrol's etc). With a very heavy right foot I'm currently returning 38-44 mpg... however if I drive sensibly I can acheive well in excess of 50mpg.

Faults:

Lower bushes disintegrated at about 100k.

Air bag warning light repeatedly faulty.

General Comments:

Most of the mileage I do is on rough country lanes not billiard table smooth motorways, given the pounding the car has taken it's stood up really well.

Most of the work carried out on the car has been routine stuff, regular oil changes, brake replacements and eventually the lower wishbones (can't complain though they did well). The only niggling thing was the airbag light which took repeated visits to the dealer to sort out (under warranty).

On the road the car is fantastic, the engine pulls superbly and responds well. The handling is great too and the car is above all fun to drive providing the driver with good feedback that instills confidence in the car.

The downsides? The brakes - they really could do with more bite, there are times when the car appears to struggle to shed speed (and brake pad wear can be high). The only other vice is the lift off over-steer, but once you've encountered it once you're ready for it in the future - the car really does just snap away and you've got to be quick with the opposite lock and throttle to get it back.

Overall it's a fantastic car that has served me well over the six years I've had it, fun to drive, reliable and pretty cheap to run - I'll be looking to replace it soon, but I have no idea what with, there doesn't seem to be anything out there that has all the qualities of my trusty 306...