Faults:

Front brake pads/rotors at 86,000 miles.

Rear brake shoes at 111,000 miles.

Transmission clutch at 98,000 miles.

Alternator/water pump at 102,000 miles.

All struts at 90,000 miles.

Timing belt/v-belts at 60, and 102,000 miles.

CV driveshaft boots at 65,000 miles.

Seats have significant wear and need recovering.

All service has been performed according to the manufacturer's service recommendations since new.

General Comments:

I have owned this car since new, and still own and use it as a daily driver.

The ride has never been that of a luxury car, and the handling is not of a sports car.

It is an econo-box, and performs as such.

Reliability has been unbelievable.

It has been easy to work on, and I am the only person to have ever turned a wrench on this car.

I routinely achieve 40 plus MPG in town with this car, and that's the reason I still drive it.

Faults:

New clutch installed on purchase; old one was shot.

Upper radiator hose, engine block connector corroded, causing a loss of cooling water.

Throttle position sensor is on its way out.

General Comments:

This little car's engine is a ripper, can get enough of the performance it puts out for such a small engine.

However the suspension could do with a freshen up to make it handle and track better.

Very easy to work on at home; no need for an expensive mechanic, as everything is readily accessible.

Fuel economy is unbelievable; 550km out of 1 tank that costs $35 to fill to the brim; who can complain about that?

Faults:

I have needed to replace the clutch, valve cover gasket, one of the side-market light-bulbs, and a tire.

The interior has held up pretty well aside from a rip here or there. I am still looking for a replacement seat release handle though...

That's it! This car is nearly 20 years old!

The previous owner did have the catalytic converter, and most of the suspension system replaced.

Parts are indeed a little difficult to find, however...

General Comments:

I simply love this car.

It's an absolute blast to drive.

The little 3-Cyl engine does have some serious kick to it!

The interior is a bit cheap feeling, but that is not why you buy a car like this.

Every trip I embark on feels like an adventure in the little Charade.

Great gas mileage!!!

Faults:

The engine was blown when I bought it, I put in a new engine, (surprisingly easy)

Transmission refused to kick-down, I cleaned the kick-down switch, and it cured the problem.

The distributer (still the original from 1989) broke down, this was replaced and the car is running like a clock again.

Just changed the timing belt, it took 20 minutes.

General Comments:

Although the list I have given above may sound like a lot of trouble, the car has been faultlessly reliable over the past 11,000 miles.

The Daihatsu dealers in Ireland have no information on pre 1992 cars, and this led to problems getting the distributer parts.

The interior of the car has held very well, and is still like new.

The bodywork is still rust free.

The Automatic transmission does take from the performance of the 1.0L engine, but it is quick off the mark in town, and will hold it's own at motorway speeds.

The 3 cylinder engine is very torquey, and it will rev safely past 5,000 RPM. with a lovely sound coming from in front of you.

The fact that the car is an automatic means that the fuel economy is not as good as the manual car. It is averaging about 40 to 45 mpg, compared to 45 to 50 for the manual.

The car is very comfortable to take on a long journey, and the cabin is surprisingly quiet when on the move.

The steering is unassisted, and therefore quite heavy when parking, but this doesn't cause too much bother as overall the car is very easy to maneuver.

Even with all it's faults, I absolutely love it!