14th Jul 2001, 06:06

I have owned a G reg Seat Terra van, this is derived from the Marbella car. I have had it for five years now, it cost me £500 and I have just blown up the engine. I will replace it either with a scrap yard engine or another cheap second hand van.

This little van has given me no problems all the time I have had it. It has been my best friend for the last five years. RIP little van!! I have had loads of little vans in my 30+ years of driving, but only this one am I sad to get rid of (if I do).

18th Dec 2001, 08:52

I have had "Yampy" for 3 years now and we are nearly up to 100,000 (will he self destruct when he gets there??) A Marbella is the most fun car you can have on a low budget and great fun for rallying on country lanes providing there is nothing else on the road... at all!!! But I am feeling blue as my Yampster has a hole in his petrol tank which will cost more to repair than he is worth. Does anyone have any suggestions where I can get a very cheap tank from?

10th May 2002, 17:23

I am now on my second seat marbella, both of which have been limited edition Marbella "Blacks". Number one was killed by a Rover, and number two is still going strong. I can testify that the Marbella is capable of long distance motorway travel, cruising at 80mph, and reaching 95 if you are brave. As for the noise, I have a loud CD player in mine which, with the help of funk, goes some way to blocking it out. I can honestly say it is the most entertaining vehicle I have ever driven and will never die if I can help it.

24th Nov 2003, 09:28

I've just bought a blue Seat Marbella, and it's incredible fun! The car was used by an old lady, and had only run 75000 km. A cheap car to drive, and the amount of space in the car surprises me every time. OK, the car is not very fast, but I don't need that for now.

I'm going to treat this car like a child:)

14th Dec 2003, 11:58

I've had an L Reg 1994 SEAT Marbella Fun for 5 Yrs now and the gearbox failed a few weeks ago. I need a 5 Speed Gearbox for about £50 please. Would the person who said anyone need any parts please email me : easiclene@aol.com. Thanks :-)

31st Aug 2004, 11:27

I bought my little brother an L-reg when he first passed his driving test. It was the "Special" with alloy wheels! It had a bizarre fault that made a warning alarm sound intermittently whilst driving, we just learned to ignore it as the car ran fine! Top speed was 92mph (upset an MG driver).

Sadly it got killed off seven days later by failing to stop at a junction using those ever so powerful brakes. The rear axle absorbed most of the impact and the drivers door wouldn't open. At the time if I had been able to get hold of a rear axle for it, we would have had another 11 months out of it as that's how much MOT she had. Excellent car, I've just bought one myself!

22nd Oct 2004, 07:04

My Father in Law bought a Seat Marbella new in 1989 and gave it to my Wife three years ago. Great cheap little car, ideal as a town car and does nearly 50 m.p.g. Has been very reliable, although I was surprised that to replace the coolant thermostat last year the actual part was £25! Comes with the housing as an all in one unit.

Other than the usual stuff that wears out, tyres etc, it has been excellent and easy on the pocket, cheap tax and insurance as well.

I am just hoping year to year the rust bug doesn't do too much damage underneath - I'll find out next month.

It certainly seems to be a class above the fiat Panda from which it is derived.

30th Dec 2005, 14:05

I bought a seat marbella special (L reg) about 18 months ago for £100! I didn't expect it to last me more than a few months, but its is magical! I have had to replace the head gasket and the clutch cable snapped last month, although it did show warning signs before it happened which only now do I understand!!I have seriously had my monies worth!! I love it, but the street cred issue is becoming a problem! People just don't understand how reliable it has proved to be!!! Anyone want it??!!

16th Jan 2006, 17:20

My friend has a 1989 850cc model. I drove it round a car park the other day. Mad laugh!!! Probably the tackiest car ever made, but to hell with image. If he thinks about selling it I am definitely going to make an offer.

6th Feb 2006, 08:30

We inherited a K-reg 'special' (known as Tom) with only 200 miles on the clock, and it was an absolutely brilliant first car! It was used by my older brother, my sister and then myself, and was great fun. Only 903cc, but I managed to make the speedo reach 100 downhill with a full car!

Never had any real problems until one day, going uphill the engine just died. Reason? The electronic ignition (why it had this instead of standard-who knows?) had failed, and SEAT told us they had no testing equipment in the country as only 500 specials were made with electronic ignition. Unfortunately, Tom then slowly decayed in the garden, before being sacrificed to the council's old car amnesty : (

This car was a great go-cart, ideal for first-timers. It was a strange combination; vinyl flooring, steering wheel and gear-stick that eroded in your hands if hot or cold (not to mention first gear being somewhere near the passenger door...) a small engine equipped with a K&N air filter and the ignition system mentioned above! But great fun, and if I could find another cheaply, i'd get it!

8th Feb 2006, 06:08

I have a 1989 set marbella with an 843cc engine. I changed the oil and forgot to put the rocker box cap back on and lost it. Has anyone got a spare?. Does anyone know why even with new brake shoes why the hand brake is so poor. I am still trying to find some technical details for the engine i.e. the dwell angle and timing.

bob.davis@another.com.

11th Aug 2006, 01:41

"Mabel" was my first car back in 2003 and I bought her for £200 off a woman I worked with.

So much character, and I loved her so much, and as for street cred, the cheap tax insurance etc made up for that, and not caring what anyone else thought.

She was a good car, and I once drove to Birmingham in her from Lincoln, getting to 95 on the motorway.

She had one popped lock from where someone had broken in to her to steal my tape player and anything else that I had left, even an umbrella, but I never bothered fixing it as the door still opened and could be locked.

When I MOTd herm it cost 200 to get through it, but not exactly sure what was wrong with her. She died 4 months later when her head gasket went, with 4 1 month old tyres on her.

Do not regret buying her, and if I was offered another cheap I would take it! Every time I see one of these little cars I smile.