Faults:

Battery.

Tyres.

Exhaust.

Head gasket could be on the way out, as oil is evident in coolant.

General Comments:

My grandad bought this car new in 1996.

It was garaged up until 2008 when he retired from driving, meaning it has survived quite well, with barely any rust.

The car is now getting used more than at any other time in its life, and showing some signs of wear and tear, ie, bubbling arches and car park dings.

If I could, I'd take it off the road and mothball it. I know it's 'only a metro', but its very low mileage, family owned since new and deserves a retirement!

It is excellent on fuel, very nippy around town and low maintenance in general.

On faster B roads and motorways, it tends to struggle, and I find that other drivers just can't wait to get past you.

Respect from other drivers is almost non-existent, I've found, when they see you're in a Metro.

I love this car, however, and it will always be in the family till the end of time, probably.

Faults:

The timing belt snapped in half within 24 hours of bying the car.

The passenger side central locking isn't working.

Two new front tyres.

Gear stick a bit loose.

Rust around the rear wheel arch.

And just the insurance premium is very high for my age.

General Comments:

The speed for such small engine, having driven Clios and Fiestas, I do prefer my GTa. In fact the only small car I'd sell it for would be a Starlet Galanza V (the small turbo Toyota), or a GTI Metro (very very fast for a normally aspirated car with 110bhp from a 1.4).

I find the car to be very comfortable. Mind there is no room in the rear, not even for a small pet dog (Bull Terrier), the boot is adequate, but not the best.

There is no way to describe my car, other than I love it to bits, even with its problems.

I hope when Rover comes back, they'll bring another Metro, but maybe built a little better with the body, but don't change the engine or the the running gear, as only when you reach very expensive cars can you get any better.

Faults:

Although I have only owned this car for a year, it has been in my family for 4 years.

It has been so reliable. We have only replaced the battery once.

The only faults I have had are the clutch cable snapping and the handbrake cable worn out through wear and tear.

Sometimes when I am in a traffic jam, the engine will heat up excessively, even reaching red until the cooler kicks in which is a bit worrying sometimes.

General Comments:

This is a fantastic first car, and is a lot of fun.

It never lets me down (touch wood) and is extremely reliable.

It doesn't corner very well and has slow acceleration, but I guess all expected in a car of this size.

It does seem to crash down potholes and over speed bumps which makes me worried about the damage I am doing, because it sounds like it is going to fall apart if the road gets rough.