Faults:

Original turbo was found to have cracks and chunks taken out of the blades due to previous owner using a Pipercross induction kit so replaced for a Turbo Dynamics MD28 and Green kit. Major improvement!!!

Carb replaced for Group A.

Gearbox replaced with a standard type.

Starter motor replaced.

Flywheel chewed up by the starter motor had to be replaced.

Ignition barrel faulty so replaced.

Radiator replaced due to a leak causing the car to overheat.

Electric window motors only got window half way up, replaced eventually.

Replaced nearly every dashboard bulb.

General Comments:

I always wanted a 5 Turbo, unfortunately I wasn't slightly mechanically minded when I bought it and feel that I bought the typical thrashed 5. Gutted.

I have replaced so much that the car is now as you would like it - after many £££££'s spent.

The cockpit is great, the seats are very comfortable - so comfortable that they definitely put you off fitting bucket seats!!!

Get it running right and you will be whipping bigger and newer cars all day long.

These cars are great in all scenarios - that is if your cooling system is OK!!!

Treat it good and it will be your best friend!!

Faults:

Starter motor.

Head gasket.

Alternator.

Wheel bearings x 8.

Turbos x 4.

General Comments:

Awesome car, I will never sell it.

Very comfortable.

Very fast.

Handles Like a go-kart.

Mine has all GT tuning parts, is well over 220 bhp and still only weighs 800kg! Very similar to an Exocet missile.

Faults:

Not much. The accelerator cable snapped on the motorway, usual things which go wrong.

Pretty damn good on the whole, though my right leg hurt after very long distances.

Drove it all over the UK in a year and it only let me down that once. It was easily fixed at the roadside by a very, very, very nice man.

General Comments:

Word of warning: When the fuel gauge says 'empty' it really is empty. Caught me out a time or two.

Faults:

Clutch, starter, inlet manifold gasket, turbo, splits in nearly every hose, twisted tread on the sparkplugs, springs, whistling noises of all sorts, electric window motor, seized door lock, brake sensors, no oil pressure reading ever, not even when I rewired the loom.

General Comments:

I will never sell it. Amazing power in such a small car and cheap to buy, however it's not so cheap to run. My advice is don't buy one unless you have a lot of money to chuck into it. Cos it drinks petrol and every mechanical job costs a fortune in labour. If you are a competent auto technican you should have no trouble.

0-60 in 7.5secs for under £1000 isn't too bad. My final piece of advice is get a manual, you will need it at least twice a week.

Faults:

Head gasket.

General Comments:

I paid £400 for it and it will see off a BMW 328i. Bit unreliable but it was £400. Don't believe the horror stories, they just need looking after! Yellow paint, red leather! 5 spoke alloys, lowered to hell, 60 in 6.9 seconds, no crap!

Faults:

When I bought my car, the previous owner hadn't taken very good care of it.

I had to change the radiator myself, since it was overheating badly. I did a basic service myself, and overhauled the carburettor myself.

I've had the car 8 months now, and I thrash the bollocks off it at 6500rpm everyday, and so far nothing major has blown up; these engines can really take a hammering if you know how to look after them properly.

General Comments:

My spec is Jetex direct bolt on cone air filter, running with a larger 135 main jet (carburettor), and running on standard Garret T2 turbo with 18psi boost (end of the red on the turbo meter). Strapped and flowed intercooler, and Group 'N' spec clutch, with a Group 'A' dump valve.