Faults:

Had to fit three new tires, two when new and one at last MOT in January, they were cheap though- about £42.50 for new branded ones.

My neighbors are snobs and they hate it!

General Comments:

Insurance is shockingly cheap!

No adult will ever fit in the back, trust me, I tried it!

The pedals take some getting used to, they are offset to the left and you could end up driving other cars in this position, which is fun.

It cost me £470, when nine years old with just over 40,000 miles on the clock, bargain!

It does 40mpg, round town, stopping and starting- with me driving, which is seriously good, considering how I drive!

Security features when new were abysmal, get a cheap steering lock for about £10, an alarm, or imobolizer, from about £40 and you will be fine, it might even bring your insurance down.

Buy carefully, only well serviced, low mileage ones should be on your list.

Faults:

Some shudder on the engine when it is cold caused by spark plugs and/or leads.

Some knobs have fallen off the stereo!

General Comments:

This is my first car and overall I am very impressed.

For a car this old it is very quiet and extremely economical (about 350 to 400 miles form one tank of petrol)

However it really loses power when going uphill, especially with more than one passenger on board.

It loves to have its engine hot and will sit all day at 60-70 miles per hour.

However it could really do with a 5th gear for motorway driving.

Faults:

Leaking interior radiator at 75000 km's. Took 2 days and a lot of headaches to change! This happens with all Ax's with the difference that the type I (upto 1991) has a far easer to change radiator.

Alternator brushes and regulator unit changed at 92000 km's.

Don't buy the original as it will cost nearly as much as a new alternator.

General Comments:

This car is a tuned GTI. It has changed considerably since I bought it. Some of the changes are:

- Tuned engine (chip, valves, pistons, camshaft etc.)

- 4 in 1 exhaust system, no catalytic converter, two 90 mm end-pipes

- Completely redesigned and self-manufactured front suspension, rally type adjustable ride-height and adjustable shocks. Car lowered about 20 mm overall.

- Alloy rims with low profile tires

- Rally type brakes with Dot 5 fluid

- Added extra rear spoiler

- Cool blue headlights

- 400 W audio system with 12 speakers

- Driver seat replaced with rally seat and corresponding seat-belt harness.

Total engine output is about 130 HP which takes the car in some 8 seconds to 100 km/h with a max speed at 220 km/h.

Believe me this car is a rocket! It blows out 406 coupes, Golf GTI's, BMW's and the likes….

It has and incredible roaring sound when putting your foot down.

Due to the changed front suspension it has a little over-steering instead of the traditional under-steer.

It drives like a kart, but is still comfortable enough for long hours of driving. However it is not really a family car.

It doesn't have any major faults other than the well-known problems;

- Leaking interior radiator, which is real problem to change due too bad original design.

- Some bad electrical connections.

- Alternator brushes which wear down before 100.000 km's.

I perform all maintenance, including motor revision. Spent about 1400 hours realizing all changes.

The parts I use come from all over Europe.

It now has around 92000 km's and is still in excellent shape. Painting keeps it's brilliance throughout the year with little extra care other than washing and polishing regularly with a real good polish.

Would I buy the same again? YES, definitely! I've had a total of 4 Ax's, but this one really was and is the one.