Faults:

Different fuses blown.

Major oil leaks.

Starter motor regularly wearing out due to a worn flywheel.

Interior bulbs blown. Dimmer switch blown.

Rear quarter windows jammed closed.

Rattly heatshield.

General Comments:

The car is nice and quick and handles like a dream.

Quick and can take a lot of abuse. It's one heck of a revvy car, just pushing you all the time to go faster.

Loud at high speeds though, but very comfortable.

This car maybe overshadowed by the 205 and is very underrated. If you drove one then you would find out there is a lot people don't know about this car, it is a major wolf in sheep's clothing!

Faults:

Exhaust & rear brake backplates rotted through. Both easily replaced by myself.

Tappets noisy when car aquired but again easily cured.

General Comments:

This car was offered to me cheap and I purchased it because of the rising petrol prices. It returns over 40mpg and is a joy to drive.

The bodywork seems to resist rust and it has just sailed through an M.O.T!

Faults:

Steering universal joint at 110k and valve clearances need adjusting every 30k to keep noise down.

Front tyres wear evenly after tracking optically set.

Water requires topping up every month.

Brake disks at 80k.

New handbrake cable and brake pipes in recent MOTs.

Rust on bonnet and tailgate.

General Comments:

Now at 120k, the early service history has paid off in reliability, but I have to keep an eye on things. Car is good fun to drive, handles very well. Interior is basic and could be more comfortable, but the car was cheap to buy secondhand.

Faults:

Exhaust system, rear wheel bearing.

Passenger seat will not lock into place correctly.

General Comments:

Good on acceleration, but gearbox could do with a cruising gear for motorway driving. Bodywork is good, considering the age and had no trouble with the engine at all.

Faults:

Steering Rack replaced 90,000mls.

N/S brake caliper replaced twice.

Headlamp changed twice.

Drivers seat replaced (scrapyard £40).

Tail gate seal replaced.

Pass/Door window motor replaced.

EIGHT tyres fitted.

General Comments:

I have done over 60,000 mls in this car. It works hard and is serviced (DIY) regularly. I find it is more expensive to run than I expected. Interior is very basic, cheap and tacky. I cannot give a good reason for not buying another of the same make, I just wouldn't.