Faults:

Just normal running costs for me. Never had a problem whatsoever, apart from using up tyres and brakes rather quickly.

General Comments:

This car is a lot of fun to drive.

There are a couple of people who will say this car is down on power, but that's just because they can't drive it properly. I personally have had my car up to 150 mph at Santa Pod, and ripped the doors off an RS Turbo.

The car handles very well, both in the wet and dry, but do watch your speed around sharp corners in the wet, as the back end can get the better of you.

I feel the cabin is a nice place to be, with a lot of room in it for the size of the car. I have no problem getting in and out, and I also have two kids in the back with plenty of leg room. The boot is quite big, as we can get our weekly shop in it no problem.

Faults:

Cylinder head gasket, cost £120 to repair (along with a new timing belt fitted) at 148000 mls, MOT failed, handbrake needed tightened and needed new front pads.

General Comments:

I bought this car due to being an offer I couldn't refuse, the car had a high mileage and I was prepared to pay out for a few repairs.

I spent about £200 on the car for new alloys, tyres, cleanup of bodywork, and a new stereo system, the car was in amazing condition, you wouldn't have expected it to have done so many miles, I carried out a full service by myself.

20,000 miles on it was time for the cars MOT, it needed new brake pads and the handbrake tightened, I was very surprised as I did rag the car a good bit.

When the car reached 148,000 miles the car required the cylinder head gasket to be replaced as I found oil had mixed in the expansion tank, I got this replaced along with a new timing belt for £120 at a local garage.

Unfortunately a woman drove into me 3 days later after getting the car back, the car was then written off.

If your thinking of getting a Mk2 Ibiza, the 1.4 is quite nippy, very fuel efficent and a comfortable car, I'd not have swapped it for anything.

Since then I've had another Polo and a Corsa, in a few weeks time I get my new car... Seat Toledo 1.9 TDi mMmMm.

Faults:

Nothing ever gone terribly wrong with the Ibiza. Only problem was with the aircon vacuum hose coming loose. Fixed by the dealer.

Servicing cost was a killer (in Singapore, at least). My main reason to change this car was the high servicing cost. Each service costs me about S$400.00 (that's about 130 pounds) - Everytime!

General Comments:

Reliability was first rate, despite old horror stories of pre-VW Seats. It started first time, everytime. The Ibiza will work 24/7, come hell or high waters. Dependability is top notch.

The body felt solid and the doors heavy. You feel safe to be inside this car. In terms of handling, the Ibiza scored too.

The 1.0 engine was gutless, but feels it will run forever. Economy was first class too, returning an average of 16 km/L.

Interior has class above the rest. Beautifully made dashboard and tactile feel of the switches. As a 1-litre car, you couldn't asked for more!

The Seat Ibiza was my first car that I feel oozes character! If not for the dealer maintenance pricing, I have no qualms recommending others in getting one.