Faults:

Airbag light came on, rear windows winders jammed, door seals leaked, radio won't work, some rust getting pretty bad on the rear, etc.

General Comments:

Inherited this car from an elderly relative who no longer needed it. He had it since new in 2003. When I had it the last couple of years, it was very rough and I just used it as a cheap run about, and to be fair it soldiered on till the end.

The Matiz is a silly, gimmicky early 2000's car, there were lots like this at the time. I never cared for them and always drove something decent. The Matiz is exactly as I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, it is not a really bad car, just very, very basic and nonsensical for anyone who actually enjoys cars and driving. It is a shopping cart.

My SE model is green, with bug eyes. It looks as ridiculous as it sounds. If you have forgotten what these early Matiz's look like, do an image search and have a laugh.

Inside is very cramped. I am of average build and around 5'10 tall. If you are over 6 foot, try something else. There is also cheap looking plastic everywhere. Seats are comfortable enough, but the ride is far too rough, also very noisy on motorways, where it struggles to maintain 70 mph. Wind blows through this car on a cold day, very thin metal. Those wrecked door seals are doing it no favours, but the car still feels cold and unsafe in winter. Handling is pretty poor also.

0.8 petrol engine is very slow, struggling all day even in the city, but will always do over 45 mpg. Tax is still rather expensive for an older petrol car I thought, but everything else about the car is cheap to run.

Scrapped it last year, it was not worth much and the engine was sounding rough, plus the rust was not getting any better. It was 18 years old and did its job, cannot say fairer than that. But not a car I will miss. They used to be a common sight on the road, but there can't be many of this generation of Matiz left. Even so, value is still low and I doubt they will ever be a collectors item.

Faults:

Electric window, driver's side, now fixed.

General Comments:

This is my first Matiz. I have only had Nissan Micras before.

I love this car. It's reliable and economical, although the tax band is higher than I expected; that is due to the government's new rulings about emissions!

I find the Matiz comfortable and a lot more roomy than I thought it would be for a small car.

It's easy to park, taking a bit less room than a Micra.

I never thought I would ever change from the Nissan Micras, but I love, love this little car!

Faults:

Immobilizer failed, requiring car to be towed to an auto electrician so it could be disconnected.

Grommet around radio antenna failed, allowing rainwater to enter the roof space where it destroyed the interior light switch.

Flimsy driver's seat adjuster cable broke preventing fore - aft seat movement.

Windscreen wiper linkage broke.

Speedometer began oscillating wildly while emitting a banshee like howl.

General Comments:

Crap brakes and suspension, and a high centre of gravity make for very poor road holding. A very unpleasant car to drive.

Tiny engine provides just enough power for level roads and fair weather. Operating the air conditioner, climbing hills, carrying a passenger or even driving into a stiff headwind seriously reduces performance.

The car is cheap to run, but not as cheap as you would expect with such a small engine. It's only slightly better than our new Mazda 2, which has an engine almost twice as big.

Load carrying capacity is good for such a small vehicle.

While we have not had any really major mechanical problems (yet), the overall build quality of this car is so bad I feel sure it's only a matter of time before something goes seriously wrong with it. We have had it serviced and maintained regularly by the dealer, who has done his best, but the endless minor problems have left me decidedly underwhelmed, especially since the car has only done 81,000 km. The car is currently for sale, and I'll be glad to see the back of it.