Faults:

Only problems with the car is the clutch going twice in a year.

General Comments:

Comfortable; the car can drive very sedately, but when you want to go, it goes even with a full load of people.

Compared to my mates Corollas, the Magna is like a Hummer inside, but performs like a beast; lots of torque on tap, pulls it up steep hills in 5th.

An all round great car.

Faults:

Timing belt at 27000

Rear main seal

Transmission seal

Carpet replaced twice

Heater core

Sump gasket

Door trim replaced

Door protector strips replaced

Camshaft seal

General Comments:

When all the the above were fixed, it was a great car.

Faults:

Rear view mirror fell off at 110000km

New oxygen sensor required at 128000km.

General Comments:

We bought the car in 2001 after a particularly bad run with a Landrover Discovery. We wanted a reliable, comfortable car that would be cheap to fix when required (as built locally).

The car has been virtually faultless, the problems above quite minor really (oxygen sensors don't last forever).

The car still drives like the day we bought it, the engine is smooth and power adequate although engine noise not as well insulated from the cabin as a V6 Camry of the same age.

The engine and transmission perform like new (oil changed every 6 months) and the body has no rattles or leaks. The interior has worn particularly well and the exterior paint has coped well with the Australian climate. The panels seem to be just that little bit thicker than what we seem to be seeing now. The odd shopping trolley bump doesn't seem to dent the car like it does on newer models.

The only real complaint was initially a tendency for the car to pull to the left slightly despite wheel alignments. Newer, better quality tyres fixed this problem.

An A/C re-gas may be needed this summer.

Total maintenance cost minus scheduled services/tyres etc about $200. This equals about $35 a year in repairs. Now our Landrover...$1500 in 3 months, works out at $4500 a year - maybe a little unfair a comparison :)

Faults:

The original battery lasted for 2 years only.

Minor oil leak which was promptly fixed by the dealer.

Rough idling after about 3-4 minutes after start on a cold/wet morning.

Minor leak at the tail door in an exceptionally heavy rain - just a couple of drops and it never happened again.

The inside rear view mirror just fell off recently.

General Comments:

I went out to buy a Toyota Camry wagon, but ended up with the Magna and in retrospect, I'm happy with that decision.

Pros: nice powerful engine, LARGE load area when rear seats are folded over, drives like a sedan not like wagon, the front wheel drive lets it climb very steep driveways (like mine) where rear wheel drives struggle. Only minor faults, it never left me stranded at the side of the road.

Cons: That very occasional rough idling 3-4 minutes after start - it never got satisfactorily solved (I alway fill up at reputable stations, so it's probably not the fuel). The occasional rough change of low gears (auto), it feels as if somebody bumped into you from the rear.

Faults:

At this stage, nothing has gone wrong.

Soon after buying it, it needed a new battery, as it was still the original battery.

General Comments:

This is a quiet, smooth powerful cruiser.

Cruise control greatly reduces fatigue on long trips.

Very roomy in the front and the boot. The rear isn't quite as roomy as say a Commodore or Falcon.

Maroon colour, rear spoiler, tinted windows, alloy wheels and slightly lowered suspension make it look quite sporty for a family car.

Great to have a car that can pull away from traffic if need be.

Being front wheel drive, it's turning circle is only average, but not a problem.