Faults:

Faulty light switch, tailgate struts shot, windshield spray water hose broke.

General Comments:

Solid feel when driving, handling not quite as good as my 306, but holds its own, especially with Conti tires.

Good power, could have used a 6th gear or longer fifth.

Poor speaker system, dull cabin upholstery, poor inner city comfort, though gets better when on the highway, economical at 18km per liter, tight back seat leg space, front seats will not go back enough for tall drivers (over 185cm).

Good service here, maintenance very reasonable, and easy to self maintain. Fixed the broken washer hose by putting in an irrigation line..

However had to remove the fuse for the fog lamps due to a faulty light switch.

I'm a happy camper.

Faults:

Fuel lines replaced (rubber was very worn).

Corroded exhaust.

New lower wishbone front near side.

New wheel bearing front passenger side.

Corrosion around windscreen wiper spindle.

New transmission fluid.

Just regular maintenance required.

General Comments:

Unlike previous reviews, I haven't experienced any of the mentioned problems. The mechanics are in perfect working order, and it's very easy to keep up in modern day traffic. Especially in the first three gears, it accelerates very quickly, mainly due to the System Porsche 100 BHP engine and its light weight.

No complaints on handling whatsoever, you just have to remember that it's over 20 years old now, so there is bodyroll and slightly heavy steering.

All in all, I'm still very pleased with my Malaga. I've driven more modern cars from the Volkswagen Group, but I wouldn't swap my lovely old Seat!

Faults:

Power windows packed up soon after delivery.

Central locking always tempramental - either totally non-functioning, or operating only on some doors.

Cold start problems - stalling.

Poor air-con performance.

Minor gauges in middle of instrument nacelle not lit - design fault on all Malagas rather than peculiar to this unit.

General Comments:

I was enticed into buying this Spanish product owing to its claims of vivacious performance from its System Porsche engine and six-year anti-corrosion warranty. It looked quite good too, with its Giugiaro penned lines atop what was essentially a Fiat platform.

The Seat range came into Singapore at a time when Japanese cars were going up in price, owing to an appreciating Yen, so the Malaga was competitively priced at time of purchase. However, the maxim of getting what you pay for fully supports this car.

The electric convenience features (power front windows and central locking) were a nightmare from new, with very intermittent operation, despite repeated visits to the agent's workshop. Very humourous to have a power window down when a tropical monsoon is blowing!

The much promised performance was also not fully delivered on thanks to the acute cold start performance of the engine. It would never run cleanly until at least five minutes had passed - and all this in Singapore, where night temperatures hover around 25 Celsius!

The final straw came when a taxi ran a red light and creased the Malaga - thankfully no one was injured, but the resultant damage, though repairable, just compelled me to sell the car, rather than endure its "charms" for much longer.

Faults:

The car is always breaks down because of small things, tough they are cheap to repair.

I had to repair:

- the water pump

- a pipe

- various microchips

- the exhaust pipe

General Comments:

The performance is excellent because the car is very light. That is the main reason for its economy.