Faults:

The car needed a new exhaust and was overheating. The overheating was caused by a faulty earth connection which blew the fuse every time the fan tried to come on. It won't start now when it has warmed up. It will jump start though.

General Comments:

Good handling, but not in the wet.

Performance is good and is as quick as most hot hatches don't try and mess with the big boys in M3's they make you look stupid!

Insurance is loads cheaper than a 205.

Faults:

The Head gasket blew at 125000 miles.

Power Steering pipe split.

New radiator at 129000 miles.

General Comments:

Quite simply the best handling car I've ever owned.

The engine had previously been rebuilt by Skip Brown and the suspension lowered by 30mm so the performance is incredible.

Not the most reliable car and the running costs high, but the price of parts are relatively cheap.

Faults:

Almost nothing. It seems that every three years I have to replace one of the CV joints. Nothing has gone wrong with the motor, however. There are a few annoyances with the interior -- glove box door, which I finally replaced; map light; fuse box door flops down; but, hey, this car costs little or nothing to operate beyond oil changes and fuel fill-ups.

General Comments:

I put seat covers on when I bought it, so the seats still look good as new.

The paint job is still superb.

Always starts, first time, every time.

I've been very faithful with preventive maintenance, particularly oil changes. Still, I have the impression that this little may outlast its owner!

Faults:

Starter motor solenoid was sticking at 55000 miles.

Distributor not fully advancing at 64000 miles.

General Comments:

I love this car and will never sell it.

It handles like a dream and is quick enough to have fun without being dangerous.

It has been very reliable, but it is starting to show some problems with wear and tear with a reconditioned rear beam being required last year, and a new radiator this year.

Build quality is not that bad, but they do suffer from minor rattles and brittle plastic parts.

The cabin noise is fairly high, but my K&N induction filter makes things worse. I do not mind the noise as it tells you what the car is doing.

Spares are very expensive, but are good quality in general.

Service charges from a main dealer are high, but my car is serviced by Skip Brown Cars in Cheshire, a superb independent, rally acclaimed dealer.

Faults:

Drive-shafts needed replacing just after I bought the car.

Several problems with brakes needing replacement parts.

General Comments:

Cheap to run, cheap to insure, and handles reasonably well. Seats are uncomfortable on long trips, and the car struggles with more than one passenger. Motorway cruising is not impossible though.

Very, very reliable - the car's been in my family for 10 years, and has never broken down.

Faults:

Radiator corroded.

Exhaust @ 250k.

Rear brake cylinders every 125k.

Shock absorbers @ 120k.

Clutch @ 200k.

CV joints @ 170k.

Windscreen easily pitted.

Car well worn at 325k.

General Comments:

Fitted an intercooler to the engine which gave GTI type performance but retained the economy.

Heavier anti-roll bar in the front improved cornering.

Faults:

Clutch.

Front brake pads.

General Comments:

The lighter colour models look much better.

Resistant to rust, reliable and roomy. Only broken down once. Quite economical.

Faults:

Only a broken indicator stalk!!!

And it's never been dealer serviced!!

General Comments:

Very reliable, a bit noisy, good fun to drive even if a little sluggish.

Faults:

Nothing until it hit 90,001 miles and the clutch cable snapped much to my amusement.

General Comments:

A good motor, reliable and cheap to run, I just love the hot start ignition, but can be a bit sluggish especially with passengers in the car.