Faults:

Front wheel bearings both replaced twice at around 20,000 and 35,000 miles.

The multi-plug for the blower melted recently.

The clutch cable snapped at around 40,000 miles.

Other than the above, has proved very economical to service and maintain.

General Comments:

Its very comfortable for its size and copes extremely well on long motorway journeys.

Always starts first time and handles very well in difficult weather conditions.

The 1.2 engine does struggle a bit on steep climbs when the car is well loaded.

Faults:

Did 80K km with it and all was fine. Then, ball bearings, Head Gasket (120000), exhaust... all fell apart at the same time. Costly for a student.

General Comments:

Excellent car for youngsters, easy to drive in cities and even for long trips (I drove from Nice to Northern Scotland with it).

Faults:

Weak points: Gearbox left side rubber gasket leaks oil. Front suspension parts worn quickly. Diesel fuel filter house leaked air. Timing belt tensioner rollers worn quickly. Seats are too soft. Trunk door leaks rain.

Good side: Some parts are still the original ones: Exhaust pipe, clutch cable, accelerator and hand brake cable, starter motor, electrics. The engine is the best. It is really a long lasting and dependable construction. The head was not dismounted yet. No oil consumption yet. Always started. The body stands well against corrosion.

General Comments:

A workhorse: small, enough power, economic use. No comfort, so nothing to get wrong. Ideal in town, good for everywhere else. Well handles in the corners. Especially since I changed the original 155/70 tires to 165/70. Well drives in snow. The speed range is limited, it does not like above 120.

I liked it so much. I just need a bit bigger car with some more comfort.

Faults:

The Rocker cover gasket went, but had fixed no problems.

Small rust and little paint jobs around car and arches of car, had to be for age.

Fuel gage is slightly suspicious at time, it doesn't always read correct.

General Comments:

This is a good little car, I went from a 1.6 16v Astra sport to this and it is a lot quicker off the mark, but a little slower top end. It is really comfy inside and almost retro (good for a joy boy) it takes all 6 foot of me in comfort, with little space for the back seat passengers though! Handles like on tracks and drives very nicely, looks very good with 15" alloys fitted!

Faults:

The gearbox blew.

Engine mounts went yesterday.

Side wall on drivers seat badly worn.

General Comments:

The 16v model is very very fast, in the last week I have seen off an MG ZT, BMW 325 and a Toyota Celica GT. As for cornering it is unreal, but does come up onto 3 wheels quite often. I love this car and will keep it for a long time.

Faults:

Firstly my Exhaust System corroded and fell apart including the Cat Converter within 200 miles of me owning the car.

Secondly, the Brakes have been replaced all round.

Thirdly, Shock Absorbers have been replaced all round.

Finally, the rear light has been faulty.

So I haven't experienced too many problems within the first 4000 miles of ownership.

General Comments:

On the whole this car has been a great runner, the problems that I have experienced are really expected with the age of the car.

The car handles well, even when swung into a corner.

This car really doesn't show its age, such a pretty car that was probably ahead of its time in respect of styling.

When buying a similar vehicle, I strongly recommend that a qualified Mechanic inspects the car, if the car has already had money spent on it then such vehicle is a real bargain for any second hand buyer.