Faults:

Speedometer works intermittently.

Paint fading in some areas, clearcoat coming off on bonnet.

Several trim rattles in interior, mostly in dashboard.

Fuel gauge inaccurate.

Carpet detaching from the floor in some places.

Rear drum brakes repeatedly fill with dust and impair braking performance, as well as creating a terrible noise.

General Comments:

This car is more reliable than it's reputed to be.

Despite the (relatively) minor problems listed above, this car has no other issues. It is utterly reliable and has never failed to get me where I needed to be.

It is comfortable and well-equipped, with good seats and excellent controls. I'm disappointed with the rattles in the dashboard, which do not always go away.

However, it is not the most exciting car to own. The handling is soft and hardly thrilling, and the design isn't passionate. When working, the brakes are excellent.

It isn't very fast either: 16.2 seconds to 100km/h or 62mph, and it shows especially at low speeds and I highly recommend not overtaking on two lane roads. It seems to be fairly quick in the mid range though.

Even though it is an automatic, it can get extremely good fuel economy by taking it easy. I got 7.4 l/100km, or 38mpg without trying too hard. Hard driving will raise this somewhat.

Servicing is cheap, and so far I've never needed to get it repaired apart from the brake problems, which I intend to get fixed for good soon.

Overall, I like this car very much. With a limited investment this car could be in excellent condition, and is a testament to how well an older car can be if it is looked after well. It is cheap, and some parts feel it. A lot of small parts haven't lasted as well as I think they should have. But it is a solid, reliable, and comfortable car that is cheap to buy and run, and could keep going for years. I only want better performance and better quality.

Faults:

Incredibly noisy on the motorway! Wind noise from driver door was very loud, but couldn't see what was causing it. Front window sills didn't meet windows so rain poured into the door wells, which caused some rust. Condensation in cold weather and long journeys is terrible, possibly helped by all the rain in the door wells, which you can hear swishing around occasionally. Radio/cassette never worked properly since purchase (second hand). Front passenger window motor failed, but scrap dealer provided one for £15 (fiddly to fit though).

General Comments:

I actually quite liked this car, despite the problems above. It started every morning with no problems. Took 1 adult and 2 kids and all our camping gear because of the hatchback and at least it wasn't a Ford escort (although it looks like it wants to be). Overall, as a bog standard driver who's just looking for a reliable family runner I'd say steer clear, because it's just not up to scratch.

Faults:

Injections blew apart from that nothing at all!!!

Parts pricey, but you pay for a good car!!!

General Comments:

Mine is not the gti, but has the lotus handling its great the performance is good with a bit of tuning!!!

And the car looks great with the rare lotus proton bodykit and the nice yellow paint work!!!

Faults:

Front electric windows are useless, the drivers side has basically stopped moving up and down and the passengers side is heading the same way! I went to the dealer with this problem and they claimed there was nothing they could do!

A metal bracket which holds two pipes in place under the bonnet broke not too long ago, but this was fixed with a new one from the scrap yard!

A very small amount of water leakage into the boot and driver foot well, but nothing major!

General Comments:

The car is a 1.5 litre petrol 12 valve, now if you know anything about cars think about it for a minute!

Anyway the car is 89-90bhp and it is surprisingly quick! I have beat many a beater car in races e.g. Nissan Primera GT, Peugeot 306 TD and VW Passat TDi!

Top end the car will do about 105mph, but with no driver aids apart from PAS it feels like you are doing 100mph in a go kart!