1993 Daihatsu Sportrak elxi review from UK and Ireland

Virtually nothing except two outside door handles broke; mainly my fault for being impatient with them! Otherwise normal wear and tear.

Although now discontinued, this is an outstandingly reliable and sensible offroader for anyone on a tight budget, giving over 30 mpg on the highway and with moderate insurance premiums.

Sportrak is a proper offroader with low ratio gears and selectable four-wheel-drive employing auto-locking hubs. With the right tyres, it is surprisingly capable in the rough, being the smaller brother of the acclaimed Fourtrak, though obviously not expected to match the bigger offroaders like Landcruisers or Landrovers in extreme conditions.

Its small size makes it a doddle to park and manoeuvre in town traffic.

It also has a certain aesthetic appeal with its rakish body lines.

Sportrak holds its own in modern traffic; it cruises well at motorway speeds and accelerates from 0 to 60 in just over 11 seconds. Noise is only a problem at top legal speeds.

As with all small SUVs, lack of luggage space can pose a problem; this is not really a family car. The seats are rather small, and most suitable for shorter, everyday journeys rather than long hauls, but the view ahead from the driver's position is excellent.

The only other real drawback is the ride; it is perfectly acceptable on good roads, but on country lanes at over 30 mph you feel you're in a speedboat. To younger drivers, however, this will probably be all part of the fun.

In theory, the back section of the roof can be removed to drive open-topped, but this is not advised; it is very awkward and the parts can get damaged.

Sportrak is tightly screwed together; things just don't break. The interior is plain with a Tonka-Toy, slabby dashboard that shouts 4 x 4. Everything feels solid; the doors shut with a lovely clunk.

Provided the proper servicing is kept up, this car runs and runs. Snobby critics tend to laugh at it, but unlike some more famous offroaders, its life won't be spent in the repair shop or outside your bank.