Faults:

When I bought the car it was low mileage for the year, with a full service history. So it came as surprise when the cam belt snapped, caused major damage. I had to find an imported low mileage engine which took two months of waiting.

Occasionally the tickover seems too low and makes the car cut out, but this problem seems to have gone now.

General Comments:

I really do like the cars` looks and it is so distinctive and always stands out. The engine is smooth with a unique sound.

Despite it's age, it still looks like new with a very tidy interior, and the exterior is still very smart.

The only gripe I have is the boot is too small for my family, for shopping, holidays etc.

Faults:

Main problem was snapped cambelt at 80K, which led to £700 engine work (given the mileage and no service history with the car, I probably should have known better!).

No other major problems, although parts are expensive in the UK and often available only through a dealer.

Interior looked as new even after 100K.

General Comments:

Terrific fun car - great round corners and felt much faster than it was. I can't understand why these didn't sell better when new. My only gripe was no central locking, but I thought the car looked great. With hindsight, I would have gone for a newer 1.8 GTi (which replaced the 1.6) so I could have beaten the Golf and Peugeot GTis a bit more convincingly!

Faults:

Nothing serious in 96,000 miles so far. Minor repairs like light bulbs, one exhaust, tyres, one engine mount, spark plugs. The rest is still original.

General Comments:

Daily driver in the urban jungles of London. Never left on the hard shoulder. Always starts from half-turn as the more cold the better. Lots of useful goodies like electric windows, PAS and electric mirrors. Still, nice looking design, excellent ergonomics and dashboard layout. BUT felt cheaply assembled, rattles from everywhere, engine noisy, at speeds over 65 mph conversation with passenger impossible because of engine and wind noise. Heavy fuel consumption - as low as 22-25 mls/gallon in city.

Parts expensive and because of the rarity of the car must be bought from the dealer at villainous prices (like rear parcel shelf £200 for a piece of cardboard). Engine sounds more like a diesel and behaves as well. Revs over 4000 impossible to achieve and it feels like thing is gonna explode in the next second like a nuke. Small car with big bills especially if something serious happens.