Faults:

Squeal from drive belts, partially cured by replacing belts with new ones (and occasional sprays of WD40)

Idle lumpy when temperature drops below 4 degrees C - OK when engine warms up.

New front discs needed at 84,000 miles (originals badly scored by previous owner neglecting pads)

Rear washer button fell off the right hand side control stalk. Some of the controls use brittle plastics.

Cleaned up throttle body which was getting gummed up (used a specialist spray cleaner through air intake)

General Comments:

Surprisingly comfortable on long trips despite hard suspension and rattles in town - little engine noise or wind noise at Motorway speeds.

Can be driven hard especially changing manually - brakes excellent, grip good on the right tires, handles predictably.

Auto box very smooth and quiet, great in traffic, though does take a slight edge off performance when overtaking.

44mpg from a 125bhp petrol Auto? Amazing. I rarely get less than 36mpg however I drive.

Bought for next to nothing, will run it till it drops - which could be some time, some have done over 250,000 miles.

Parts can be pricey - £220 for new discs and pads, £200 for mid and rear boxes of exhaust (both are fitted prices)

Faults:

This car has been very reliable with only expected parts, (tyres, bulbs, belts etc.) replaced.

It has had an intermittent fault of the starter motor not turning, once every 2 months or so, even after being replaced with a new one. Occurs whether the engine is hot or not.

However, the BIG bugbear has been the Renault built engine. It has always smoked badly and especially when the turbo kicks in. My garage has not been able to fix it, just added jet-cleaner fluid to the diesel to get it through yearly road tests.

General Comments:

This car is a very average - having hard suspension that creates road noise and discomfort over any journeys over 20 miles.

Faults:

Cam sensor failed at 10000 miles.

Relay switch indicators failed 150000.

3 exhausts in 4 years.

Engine mounts move when gear changing.

Heat shield comes lose regular.

Boot springs failed 50000 miles.

Central locking fails in cold weather.

General Comments:

Extremely light back end.

Poor cornering at any speed.

Very expensive parts.

Very quick value depreciation.

Fantastic cup holder.

Comfortable and roomy interior.

Comfortable driving position.

The largest boot I have seen on a family saloon.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

A very nice car (especially compared with my old Escort).

Very economical on petrol, though last service was quite expensive.

Lots of room.

Ride is a touch harsh.

Paintwork seems poor - seem to be lots of (faint) scratches for a 3 year old car. Maybe because it is a metallic finish?

Faults:

Speedometer, mileometer and heated rear window failure plus exhaust failure.

General Comments:

The electrical failures kept the car off the road and at the dealers for 3 days. The dealer never sends out service reminders.

Faults:

When I went to collect the car from the dealer the electrics gave up. The engine did start, but nothing electrical would work and the dealer was not able to explain why.

Rejected the car immediately and walked away.