Faults:

Brake hoses needed replacing 180000.

Transmission fluid leak (minor)

Seats were dirt black from previous owner. Remedy was to remove entire seats from car, then remove covers and wash them in washing machine. They are like new now. 2 hour job.

Handling is average. Wear on outside of front tires. Remedy - rotate front rear tires.

Air conditioner mysteriously switches off occasionally.

General Comments:

My familia has been amazingly trouble free. It is easy to drive.

For the high mileage on the clock it is reliable and economical.

Good for a first car.

Faults:

Nothing major at all has gone wrong with the car - it gets serviced twice every year and it just keeps going.

Last year oil leaked onto the belt, but it was not at all very expensive to fix. The previous owner had an air conditioning unit fitted by Mazda and it is really good too.

General Comments:

I would highly recommend this car. It's quite old - 13 years, but doesn't look it and keep on running well. I told my mechanic I was going to sell it because it had done so many kms, but he said I would be crazy to sell it because there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. It gets up hills really well. It just needs an extra five seconds to wake up when it's cold and I first start the car. I bought it for $4200 Aussie dollars in 2001. The registration was due three months after I bought it. It is a sedan, similar to the Ford laser, but cheaper in price.

Faults:

Blown water pump Replaced radiator.

Blew Clutch.

Blew Gearbox 10000km after clutch replaced.

General Comments:

Fun car to cruse round in, Turbo sucks heaps of gas on boost.

Gearbox is not strong you should not launch car.

Cheap to modify with good results, can increase the boost with a simple modification bypassing the waste gate solenoid.

Good first turbo car.

4wd provides very good traction.

Very fast, but offers poor crash protection.