A beast!
Petrol cap was stolen.
Gearstick head fell off.
Tires went bold after 50000.
The most comfortable car I have ever driven in.
Very safe yet extremely exciting to drive.
Best two hundred pounds I've ever spent - it only cost a tenner to scrap.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 24th March, 2003
Solid, reliable, but aged looks
Drivers front side strut collapsed.
Pneumatic struts on hatch needed replaced at 50,000 miles.
Grommet missing allowing water into drivers foot-well.
As comfortable as you can get in a cheap runaround (£1,000 nearly 7 years ago).Slightly heavy for fuel, but reliability evens that demon out.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 28th August, 2002
A great buy for the money
Starter motor.
Water pump.
Carburetter needed cleaning.
Throttle cable snapped.
Speedo and mileometer packed up.
Solenoid wire needed reconnecting.
We bought the car four years ago while we were living in Cornwall, and have found him very reliable and comfortable.
We have travelled all over the country from Cornwall all the way to Scotland, and most recently to Normandy in France.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 22nd November, 2001
Not Much. Generally little niggles. Alternator and starter motor had to be replaced. Never broke down while on the move !
A very dependable car. Virtually rust free even considering age. Very presentable and reliable. Fully recommend one versus Escort/Astra equivalent. Currently parents car - I will definitely get one for my 1st car !
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 22nd March, 1998
Front struts rusted out (blocked drain holes, car been standing for some time before I bought it). Volvo wanted £300+VAT per side - I did it with two breaker's yard struts (£50), a tin of Hammerite and two new BOGE shocks (£80).
Pushrod snapped - local inept (Lada garage) greasemonkeys tightened down rocker cover too tight, so no clearance.
Brake master cylinder died. Also seal went on radiator, could have been caused by someone leaning on it, apparently.
I needed a car to ferry me home from University at the weekends (20 miles each way) to my part-time job. Budget: £1000. Criteria: Rust-free, reasonable size, rear-wheel drive. Bought the car in October '96 with 37,000 miles, mint condition with FSH. Have averaged 1000 miles/month since then.
Likes: Rust-free (Waxoyled it over the summer, a little surface on the rear arch lips now but not bad since it lives outside), solid build, great stereo (put in by me, it didn't have any radio when I got it), comfy seats, interior roomier than you think, rear-drive antics (but doesn't really have enough power), cheap insurance, easy to fix (Renault engine).
Dislikes: Beige paintwork, low MPG (4-speed, heavy car), lack of performance, arthritic image, little niggly faults that occur when you start doing larger mileages on a car that isn't used to it.
Sum-up: Surely better than a fifth-hand rusting Astra/Escort for the price.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 12th January, 1998
9th Dec 2002, 18:30
Just to say that we have still got the car and have since driven to France four times and back and is used for everyday transport, generally extremely reliable. The parts that we have replaced are tyres, bulbs, spark plugs. I drive it quite hard as being a 1.4 litre you have to put your foot down in City traffic to keep up. It is now 18 years old now and still running smoothly. I'd say it will last two more years. It has covered 80,000 miles approximately as the milometer packed up some years ago. But at least everything else still works. Still owned up to 7/12/02.