Faults:

Rusted driving lights.

Oil leak from distributor.

Drivers side window mechanism seized.

Hydraulic tappets replaced.

General Comments:

Looks good for a 13 year old car. Heavy steering (needs PAS). Stable handling (even past its limits) with gentle understeer. Brakes aren't brilliant. Very good fuel economy, I get 38mpg on a run, 30mpg urban. Performance isn't as good on unleaded petrol (95 octane).

Faults:

Oil leak due to oil filter not being fitted properly. Puncture as well but had only had the car 2 months - so far so good.

General Comments:

Nice for first car, very reliable and economical. Tidy for wear and low mileage. I want something quicker (tempted by friends Astra GTE) and may buy sooner, get GTI Golf.

Faults:

Only major problem has been failure of a C.V joint which I believe was caused by me driving it into a rock a month previously. Aside from that nothing except general wear and tear (brakes, tyres etc).

General Comments:

A very solid and dependable car. It handles well, is economical and can take a high mileage (currently 165,200). Quad headlamps are useful to have in Wales.

Not fast with 1.3 engine but more than adequate, needs a 5th gear as well.

Overall I am very satisfied with this car.

Faults:

Relay to the fuel pump broke, and I have had the odd boot that needed replacing for the MOT. Apart from that, nothing has gone wrong at all - a very reliable second hand car.

General Comments:

This is a great car to modify. It responds well to lowering, and the engine will give lots more with just a filter and exhaust. You can get about 130 bhp out of it quite cheaply, and it'll still do 35mpg on the motorways (28 ish in town). Great fun and not too expensive. New bits for it can always be found easily and cheaply (just don't get it fixed at a dealers!) I love it!

Cheers - Rich