Faults:

Plastics seem cheap and brittle.

The passenger side mirror has broken.

Rust.

Electrical fault preventing the remote central locking to work. Had to be disabled as it continuously blows fuses when enabled. The garage couldn't find out what was wrong with it.

General Comments:

Good:

The car runs nicely on the motorway and has plenty of pull.

It runs on fresh air.

Bad:

It is not very nice to drive around town. It is just too uncomfortable.

Slow off the mark.

No room in the back.

Seriously small boot.

Wheels are very narrow and the lack of ABS makes skidding very easy if for some reason you need to use the brake.

Very noisy engine (yes I know it is a diesel, but I just can't get used to it).

Faults:

In a year I have gone through four sets of brake pads and disc in 8000 miles, but still can't find out what the problem is.

Faults:

The electric sunroof was jammed when I got the car, some gentle persuasion and a tub of grease fixed it though and now it's fine.

General Comments:

I was lucky enough to find a mint example with only 30,000 miles and a full service history that my dad would be proud of.

I have been looking for a 200 vi for months and tested several that had underlying problems, such as irregular idle speed blown head gaskets and one which cut out at 5000 rpm.

My vi is as perfect as a five year old car can be. It's seriously quick in 1st and 2nd gear, totally annihilating a 320 BMW on my first proper run out in the car.

It's also relatively comfortable for a small hot hatch, not too hard on the bum even with the uprated vi springs.

I can't think of any other car for less than £4000 to match the 200 vi, it's a brilliant little package.

The best thing about it though has to be that boy racers have never heard of them, they just look like an ordinary rover 214, so I'm hoping it doesn't get nicked.

Be warned, you may have to shop around for a cherished example.

Faults:

Loose oil seal; engine losing oil. Fixed under warranty.

Display on dashboard clock not working.

5 years owned - new exhaust mid-section required.

General Comments:

I love the performance from this little hatchback, 143 HP for a compact small car meant nothing could touch it for the money at the time of purchase.

The motoring press moaned about the lack of interior space. Who cares if your in your 20s with no kids and most cars under £20K get left behind by the acceleration.

Besides, look at all the more spacious small cars now and they all look the same (Civic, Focus, Corolla, 307). None can give 0-60 in under seconds unless you spend 17K on civic type-r, or 20K on focus RS.

The interior is quite good, but build quality not up to german standards e.g. Audi a3, BMW 3-series.

Economy is also good for a car this fast. Combined 37mpg, servicing £170 for a 12k service if you shop around.

One note about cost. I imported mine to the UK from Holland (cost £12K) saving £5K on UK price)