Faults:

Clutch release arm sheared, so fitted a new clutch and release arm. £140 and a week in my garden, covered in oil.

Rear brake caliper seized, causing a very glowing brake disc. £10 for the bits to perform a rebuild, and an afternoon's work.

General Comments:

Goes like stink, handles well, and doesn't half scare the boy racers!

Incredibly comfy, I did many long journeys, but it will absolutely chew through fuel.

Everything worked, down to the air conditioning. Very pleased with the car, overtaking is painless and rapid.

Faults:

Bought for £390, had to get the car MOTd and all it needed was the usual rubbish 600 handbrake sorting. Loads of people said it needed new calipers, well a clean up of the handbrake mechanism and a proper adjustment had it functioning perfectly. Didn't need anything else for the MOT, and the only cost so far has been £7.50 for a slightly weepy cam cover gasket.

General Comments:

These make great cruisers, the 1.8 Honda engine is strong and reliable and can be made to perform very adequately too. It averages 37mpg.

This model has full leather trim and air conditioning, which is still ice cold, makes it a very welcoming and comfortable environment.

Ours is white with grey leather and 15 inch alloy wheels; it's still a very handsome car.

The boot is large and space inside is quite generous, although not enormous; makes it feel more like a personal luxury car rather than a barge though.

The motorway ride is very smooth, although it could be slightly quieter with wind noise.

Although the suspension is soft, it holds the road very well and always feels very safe and secure. Of course it has ABS brakes.

The only maintenance issues that can be expensive are the front discs, which require the fitment of new wheels bearings as well, and the cambelt change can be expensive if you don't know a good well priced garage.

I have had BMWs too, and while the build and trim quality isn't quite upto that standard, it's cheaper to maintain and most likely more reliable and cheaper to own.

All suspension, brake and engine parts are Honda, so easy to buy, cheap and good quality.

Faults:

Air conditioning, 90,000.

Front shocks, 130,000.

Engine inlet pipe at 160,000.

General Comments:

The GSDi is top of the range - leather seats, electric windows all round, decent alloys, sunroof.

Performance is adequate - better than some modern diesels. The engine does chug at idle when cold, though. Basically a Honda Accord with a Rover diesel, trim and 'tuning'.

I once achieved 50 mpg on a trip, but my average is 45 mpg... mainly dual carriageway at.. er.. 69 mph!

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with the car at all. Mind you, I've only had it a month.

Equipped with air-con, but it wasn't working when I bought it. Not needed at the moment though.

The Owners Handbook states that you have to leave the engine running for 10 seconds before turning it off to lubricate the turbo. Sounds a bit antiquated, but I'm getting used to doing it.

General Comments:

Comfortable and reasonably quick, I bought this car as a winter smoker to keep my classic Rover away from the ice and salt.

This particular L series Rover TD has done above average miles, but is very reliable and starts happily enough in sub-zero temperatures. The engine takes a while to heat up from cold (compared to my old winter hack - a Rover Metro 1.1S) but I drive gently for the first 3-4 miles anyway. I'm probably going to convert to running it on bio-diesel rather than "mineral diesel", and can do this without modification.

Rover claimed 50MPG extra-urban, and I managed 45 from my initial full tank - this was 200 miles A roads commuting, and then mostly 80-85mph motorway cruising. Target is 70mpg gentle commutes..!

Cabin space is good with a tall roof. The dashboard layout looks OK, but dated (the car is only 8 years old). I'm not a fan of the stalks for indicators/wipers, but I guess I'll get used to them. Everything appears to be good quality and hard wearing.

Interior comfort is OK, although my car is a bit grubby - there appears to be good rear legroom with the seats back too.