Faults:

Alternator has failed.

Due to alternator failing, battery has run down.

General Comments:

The Derby is a very comfortable car to drive, the low seating position and large steering wheel make it easy to drive and comfortable.

The looks of the care are beautiful. Everywhere it goes it turns heads.

The interior is very basic, but it has all the right features, including wooden style dash, rev counter and digital clock (baring in mind this is a 23 year old car that's practically state of the art!)

Handling is a bit scary on the original tyres as they are a very thin in width. This is easily sorted by buying new wider wheels when it comes to tire renewal time.

Boot is huge, you could store a few bodies in there.

Rust is a major problem with Derby's or in fact with an Volkswagen of this age, but it is mostly surface rust as the metals used were of a high grade and therefore were less susceptible to car cancer.

Faults:

The main problem was overheating, I was told that this was common with VW alloy engines such as the 1.3 unit fitted to the Derby.

The headlights were also terribly weak - a friend that also owned a Derby suffered the same problem, he fitted uprated bulbs, although I don't think these were legal.

During the final year of ownership I used the car relatively little and reliability suffered as a result.

General Comments:

For a small car it was quite good over longish distances due to an engine that was reasonably lively and very good front seats. I regularly made a trip from Birmingham to Plymouth (UK) without problems either from the car or from my body.

The controls all worked well, precisely and with a degree of solidity not present in other small cars I have driven. It was also a decent drive along country roads being agile and responsive to the throttle, although you wouldn't win any hill climbs in one!

Room in, and access to, the back seats is restrictive, but the boot was a decent size and it was OK on petrol.

Faults:

The bodywork started to show its age towards the end, but the mechanicals were as tough as old boots.

The interior started to wear away with age, but apart from that everything was excellent.

General Comments:

I bought a 14 year old Volkswagen Derby for £350 in 1993. The bodywork was still shining like a diamond and the engine ran as smooth as silk.

The ride and handling were hardly exciting, but they made the driving comfortable enough. The engine gave good performance and good economy.

The interior of the car was solidly screwed together, but the standard of comfort and amount of space were not too good.

My previous car had been a 1974 Austin Allegro which failed its MOT due to rust. The Derby was far better, only towards the end did a few spots of rust start to appear.

I finally sold the Derby for £20 in July 2002, by when it had covered 190,000 miles and was 23 years old. The bodywork was starting to get slightly rusty, but the mechanicals were as good as new.

My next car was a 1991 Ford Escort 1.4 LX, which had covered 118,000 miles and cost £500. It had been my mother's car and had given her years of reliable service, but was now starting to show its age. The bodywork was rusting and the gearbox and brakes starting to go wrong. But it lasted a whole year before I sold it to a mechanic for £250. I'd used it a lot for driving around the country, and it had clocked up 135,000 miles - 17,000 in one year! I bought a 1994 Volkswagen Golf 1.4 CL for £900, the car had covered 114,000 miles. The Golf had so far been an excellent car and the Escort was reasonable, but the Derby was the best of the four cars I've ever owned and I wish I'd kept hold of it even longer.