Faults:

Had to have the exhaust replaced when I bought it, cost about 160AUD.

Rear engine mounting had to be replaced as well, which cost about 40AUD.

Water pump thermostat repaired at about 50,000 km.

Seats worn and ripped, so sadly had to be replaced.

General Comments:

Odometer only goes to 99,000km so I have little idea of how far the car has gone.

Done 2 services personally on her and the first was the only concerning one, don't think it had been done in a while. Second service was very easy.

Uses no oil, put oil in on the first service, never needed to top up, took pretty clean oil out on the second service.

Boot is a bit tricky to close, but nothing a 10 year old couldn't get the hang of closing.

Never had a problem with freeways or city driving. Doesn't like the hills so much with a full tank of fuel, but for a 1200 can't expect much better, in fact could expect way worse. On a nice long straight you can always squeeze out a bit more speed, never seems to stop accelerating with your foot flat, although accelerating is slow after about 110km/h.

Faults:

Radiator hose and front driver side wheel bearing replaced within first 6 months.

Brake booster, master cylinder, handbrake cable, rear brake drum replaced at 39000ks (approx.).

Water pump, thermostat replaced after 1 year.

Timing belt, tensioner, oil seal replaced at 40000ks.

Minor oil leaking from head gasket since I bought it.

Seats wear badly.

Small leak from rear shocks.

General Comments:

Don't get freaked out with the items replaced.

I can say it's actually not too bad for a 23 years old car. And I think it's because the previous owner didn't take good care with the little car.

Bought this with $1.2k, and after spending another $1.5k on maintenance, my was City back to life, and gives me lots of fun to drive.

With the 1.2L engine, it accelerates fast from 0-60km/h, which is lots of fun.

However, without air-con is not really that fun in summer.

Faults:

Clutch has started to slip badly.

Minor oil leak.

Surface rust in boot.

General Comments:

Mods: 13" turbo 2 rims, Autogauge boost gauge, aftermarket intake tube, Redline oil breather, Wildcat pod filter, 2 1/4" exhaust.

This car goes hard, and I have beaten several cars in drags including a 2.0l DOHC 16v Corona, RB20DE 2.0l DOHC 24v Berlina, 2.0l DOHC 16v VTEC Torneo SiR, 2.0l DOHC 16v Celica, 1.8l DOHC 16v Primera, 1.6l DOHC 16v FXGT, 1.6l DOHC 16v Integra, just to name a few.

Front leg room is in short supply, so if you are tall like me it will be very cramped in the front. This car has lots of storage compartments making it a very practical car as well as being easy to drive and park.

Handling is surprisingly good for an old ladies shopping trolley, having fully independent suspension standard, and the bigger wheels make the handling even better. There is little body roll, but when pushed too hard understeer will result, but it will still outhandle most cars.

These cars are a mechanics nightmare to fix when things go wrong as the engine bay is very cramped and there is hardly any room to work on.

When driven sensibly and serviced regularly these cars are much more reliable than other early 80's turbos and are unlikely to leave you stranded anywhere.

Faults:

No problems for the first 3 years (which is good for a car already 14 years old).

Odometer only runs to 99,000 so it's hard to tell if it had done 140,000 or 240,000 when I got it.

Replaced the passenger side CV joint (cost about $200) at around 220,000Km.

Water pump went at around the same time.

Have had the exhaust pipe welded up twice (should have replaced it the first time).

General Comments:

The 5 speed gearbox means this car is fine on freeways or around town.

Great little motors in these things. Motor runs quiet, and I haven't noticed any smoke. Seems to run extremely well on Shell Optimax.

I get about 15Km/L, and that's with a small leak in the fuel tank.

Steering is very light, direct and responsive (the car only weighs about 900Kg, so you don't need power steering!).

The factory tyres are 165/80R12, which don't handle very well if you throw the car around. Get some Accord 13" wheels and put on 175/60R13 to really improve the ride and cornering. You can do that without any modifications, and the speedo will remain correct.

The seats are getting a bit tired, so you'll find that they mould to your body after a while, but things may be uncomfortable when you first get in!

No rust problems, but due to its history the paint-work is starting to get a bit tired (mainly on the bonnet and back hatch), so polishing up is difficult for those areas. Other paint-work is fine.