Faults:

- The fan that blows air into the car from the heat/ac died. That would have cost $350 to replace.

- The front passenger door handle snapped off.

- A few months later, the front driver door handle broke off.

- The axles needed replacing.

- The engine block split.

- Transmission was bad.

- Brakes were bad.

- Frequently stalled, even when driving down the road at 60mph.

- Engine needed flushing.

There car needed so many repairs that the decision was made to junk it.

General Comments:

The sole redeeming value about this car was gas mileage.

Faults:

Check Engine Light Stays On For O2/EGR Related Reasons.

Tires Replaced (One had side-wall leak)

General Needs (Tires, Lube, Wipers, etc.)

Only thing major is clutch is slowly going out - but it has been like that for the past year and still ticking - just have to feather it more than a good one.

General Comments:

Definitely the best value I could ever get in a vehicle. I paid $600, plus new tires and general upkeep and it keeps going fine.

Interior is nice.

Starts and runs great - not perfect - but it also never fails - love it!

Pretty quick for a car like this - I am still amazed by it's speediness when I need it to go!

Gets decent gas mileage (30-40mpg) - would probably do better if I wanted to waste the money on the miscellaneous EGR repairs.

Faults:

Brakes and back struts went at 160 000.

Emergency brake snapped at 200 000.

Starter went at 195 000.

Alternator went at 197 000.

Driver seat warn threw.

Sway bars and control arms.

General Comments:

Excellent car.

Rust isn't too bad.

Has no options at all; no air bags and power steering.

Handling is horrible, shakes when travelling more than 120 km/ an hour.

Faults:

Absolutely nothing. I have had to replace two tyres since purchasing this car.

General Comments:

It is a cheap car to run, extremely reliable, and the automatic gearbox handles beautifully.

The only downside is that you have to lock your own doors, and wind your own windows, but saying that, it does make it a more secure car.

Faults:

Both front window regulators (electric) have needed replacing (£50 each), apparently very common on these cars!

Front brakes made squeaking sound when turning - replaced front discs and pads (general wear and tear) - £70.

Slight tappety noise when cold, disappears when warm - according to my mechanic this is due to 'lazy tappets' - will try an engine flush to see if I can solve this.

Gear linkage ever so slightly worn, but still fine to drive.

Aside from this no problems whatsoever always started rain or shine.

General Comments:

Off the mark this car is actually pretty nippy, it loves to rev and actually feels rather sporty (suspension is upgraded from normal Accents so is harder, but means handling is good)

This willingness to rev however means that it is tiring on the motorway on long trips - 70mph sees nearly 4,000 rpm! It can get a little bit thirsty when travelling long distances at high speed solely due to this low gearing, however it is not designed to be a motorway cruiser!

You don't buy one of these for the comfort - it rattles and shakes over bumps - despite this it is hugely fun to drive and you always feel like you are going faster than you actually are!

The car looks good in silver with spoiler with brake light, side skirts and alloy wheels as standard. The sunroof glass panel actually comes out completely - ideal for the summer! (watch out though as the metal surround does tend to rust)

Insurance and general running costs are great - Group 7 insurance for a car with 98bhp is superb and fuel economy overall is good also. Ideal for a younger driver like myself. I am 20 and chose this over the obvious choice of a Saxo VTR as I fancied something a bit different and was pleasantly surprised!