General Comments:

I wish I could get one of these today.

I got mid 30s MPG in town and high 30s on the highway. As small of an engine as it was, with a manual transmission it could spin the front tires if desired. With all season tires, in snow, it would not get stuck. The carburetted little engine was smooth and quiet, and the shifter was light and quick...

The hatchback design was convenient.

I had to get a timing belt replaced and some lining underneath the hatchback. Other than that... rock solid little car and surprisingly nimble.

No tinted windows, and visibility was great when driving with the large window area.

Faults:

Normal wear and tear for the mileage, but never had to put major work on it.

General Comments:

My dad bought it and handed the car over to me. I never had any problems. It ran great and was better than the new cars I own in gas mileage. I used to fill it up with 7 dollars when the gasoline was at 87 cents. I gave the car away to my brother, but would love to own another one.

Faults:

At 75000 miles the muffler went bad. At 110,000 miles in rapid order the clutch, electronic ignition, & something else needed replacing. The manual transmission needed coaxing to shift at times. At 130,000 miles I thought the engine was "getting weak". Spent a lot of money, but the mechanic never could find the problem. Continued to drive. After thousands of miles I finally figured the engine was OK, but the brakes were "very slightly on". New brake pads & rotors solved things! Wow! At 140,000+ miles, one cylinder had low compression & started to use some oil. At 146,000 miles & 21 years, the water pump failed, & I drove other cars.

General Comments:

Ran great for 110,000 miles except for muffler repair, giving reliable "back & forth to work" service. Champ averaged 42.7 mpg to work, & would hit 50+mpg on hi-way trips! Saw lots of mtns, canyons, & logging roads through the last of the 20th century. Saw lots of national parks, monuments, & states too. The Champ loved heights, still getting 40mpg at 10,000 to 12,000 foot altitudes despite not having fuel injection. Sold it after 22years. Saw it once around town 2 years later.

Faults:

I've had to replace the CV boots (4) and joints (3) I don't know if that's normal or excessive for the mileage.

Rear wheel wells rusted out around 205000 miles.

I'm on my third set of brakes. I consider that to be pretty good.

Replaced the interior carpeting at 208000 miles. The driver seat vinyl was also replaced, using the original cloth insert. All other upholstery is still in good condition.

Drips oil. No one has ever been able to determine the cause to make it stop. Does not drip enough to require adding any between changes.

Replaced starter around 175000 miles.

General Comments:

I continue to drive this car because it fits me. I can reach all the controls easily and it's comfortable. I have not been able to find those two qualities in any other car I've driven.

Also, my gas mileage is still better than most of the newer cars on the road. I was getting 36-40 mpg until the State introduced MTBE into its gas supply. I now get 32-36.

Faults:

My head gasket blew at 165000.

Everything else you can think of went bad except the engine & transmission.

General Comments:

Still was a well built car for its time. Great gas mileage.