1995 Fiat Uno D Start review from UK and Ireland

Alternator - but I hear it's a regular problem with Diesel Unos. This only cost £50 to fix and fitting and replacing was very easy.

Timing belt - last owner didn't seem to have changed it (even with 87,000 on the clock!). So started it on a cold morning and something went bang and the engine became very loud. Luckily it had only slipped one cog tooth out of alignment. After fixing this and the broken exhaust valve the engine was very quiet.

Brake lines corroded for MOT - £60 to renew the system gave me so much more confidence when driving.

A very reliable car that I was sad to see go.

Brilliant on fuel, giving about 40-50mpg.

Although the engine wasn't the most powerful, it was perfectly adequate and could still slightly push you back in your seat if you understood to drive with low revs and high-torque. It was quite capable of motorway speeds; traveling now and again for 3 hours non stop at about 80 mph.

Good little workhorse, carried me and loads of stuff effortlessly through the countryside to the Lake District. Thank God for the torquey little engine or we'd never have made it. Petrol wouldn't have made it I know that for certain!