Faults:

This has to be one of the most reliable and cheapest cars I have ever owned. Nothing terminal ever went wrong with the car. A relay which controlled the battery warning light on the dash blew, and a couple of the dash board bulbs needed replacing, but all minor stuff. The rear heated rear windscreen died on all, but a few of the bars, but I didn’t bother to repair this.

In terms of wear and tear, it was the cheapest car to run in the world. For one MOT I needed two new tyres and a piece of exhaust, £99 for the lot, I pay that for one tyre these days. I also managed to get the front disks and pads as well as the rear callipers done for £120 all in. Cheap!

General Comments:

As I’ve mentioned this car was very cheap to run, not just in terms of parts and reliability, but being a non-turbo diesel it would do 45mpg around town all day long.

However there were downsides to this. The specification is beyond poverty spec. The car didn’t even have intermittent wipers and with a non-turbo engine the pace can best be described as leisurely. That said it would happily cruse at 90 as long as there were no big hills in the way. Refinement was basic, as to be frank there is little more than a 1980’s van engine up front which makes it self heard and felt! In terms of the driving experience, the steering was vague and it would under steer at the drop of a hat. When I first got the car I had a few interesting moments when I wasn’t sure if the car would make the turns. (At a reasonable pace, but all within speed limit / common sense).

To summarise a great car for those on a budget, but don’t expect it to deliver much of a driving experience. When I was job hunting after university I did over a 1000 miles in a week in this car and it was perfectly possible. Finally upgraded as the car was blowing a lot of black smoke on start up and I fancied something a little more refined and powerful, however I do miss the fact that it did cost me nothing to run.

Faults:

Wheel balancing and alignment. Fault manifested itself in shaking steering wheel above 65 MPH.

New bushes and hub.

When the engine is cold it takes longer than it should for the auto gear box to select second gear.

Window seals poor. In rainy weather and with passengers, it's always misting up.

General Comments:

Not a scrap of rust on the car; even the wheel arches.

However the auto gear box gives very little control over the car, especially on declines. Thus, you're driving on the brakes which of course, wears them out quickly. Plus the brakes seem a little 'skinny' to me.

Pleasant drive on the motorway and can cruise at 80 MPH easily. London driving a little more arduous, though it does have a 'nippy' engine.

The interior is laughably poor. No clock or rev counter. No back speakers, but plenty of flimsy plastic. Certainly no good for impressing the ladies.

Overall, you get what you see. A reliable, unremarkable run around that is economical on repairs and fuel, but doesn't handle as well as its Japanese counterparts.