Faults:

Timing belt at 130,000km

Faulty Thermo fan switch at 135,000km

Faulty CO2 sensor at 138,000km.

Internal panels are coming loose. Probably from the 4 sub-woofers in the boot!

General Comments:

I purchased the car from the local wreckers for $2700.

I intended this vehicle to be a cheap form of transport and to keep me out of trouble, as my last car got me in a lot of trouble with the law.

The car was quite nimble for a 1300cc and seemed to hug the road quite well.

And that's all it took.

I had the bug again!

I fitted a cold air intake with pod filter. GT suspension and performance treads.

Extractors. Mandrel exhaust, which gave it the sexiest note you have ever heard!

Increased acceleration, 0-100 from 11 sec to 8 sec.

Increased top speed from 145km/h to 185km/h.

Fuel usage increased in the city from 6L/100km to 7L/100km. But Highway usage decreased from 6L/100km to 5L/100km.

The point I am trying to make is that I never thought of the charade as being a fun car to drive until I bought one.

The power and economy of a Suzuki Swift GTi, for half the price.

Faults:

While driving there is a stink of fuel if I top it up at the bowser, but maybe it just needs a new fuel cap.

The rev counter plays up, and only works half the time.

The locks on the front doors don't work. The key turns, but the lock buttons don't go up or down.

The windscreen wiper water jets are blocked up, and the motor that pushes the water through is seized up with rust.

The driver's seat belt is fraying (on a small area).

General Comments:

These cars look good for their age, IMHO they won't look out of place on the roads in 20 year's time and seem to hold their value well.

Respectable performance for a non-turbo 1-litre automatic. Don't expect to go 0-100 Km/h in less than 10 seconds and you won't be disappointed.

Has very good economy (about 5 litres per 100Km's). Is cheap to maintain in almost every respect and parts are thankfully easy and fairly cheap to get too.

Comfortable inside for 4 adult passengers (leg room is a little limited in the back seat though). Still very good for a small car.

These cars don't seem to rust, ours is 15 years old as of writing and there is no considerable rust anywhere. I have hardly seen a badly rusted Daihatsu of any model anywhere (they seem to use better steel).

One gripe I have is that the back seat doesn't fold right down flat. You have to contend with the seat sticking up at an angle if you want to put something big in the back of the car.

Faults:

My Cam belt broke a couple of weeks after getting the car, resulting in 3 bent valves.

Bearings and rings needed to be replaced shortly after.

Clutch needed to be replaced, due to their size they wear out quickly, so you can't ride the clutch or you will be short pocketed about $500 Australian.

General Comments:

The car is pretty slow even when driving on your own.

Carpet in front is poorly installed and not designed to last.

The handling is fantastic after some bigger tires were installed, bit to much body sway, but not serious.

Being such a small car going sideways is pretty interesting, and has got good response.

Although no power steering, the steering I found easier than a power steering vehicle.

One tank of petrol lasts me 4 weeks around town driving, but repair bill is through the roof.