I drove it hard for 5 years and 120,000 miles. It never broke down. Apart from routine servicing, its only real vice was eating front brake discs. Rust started appearing when only two or three years old. Clutch replaced at 100,000 miles.
Don't be fooled by its dowdy looks and granny image, this is a capable mid-size fast hatch. It out-accelerates many other fast hatches 0-60 and especially 50-70 in top. Goes and handles better than an 8v Golf GTI and far better than an XR3i.
Lacklustre image means traffic police and thieves don't see it. Unfortunately nor did other drivers - it got rammed in the back several times, and the final time wrote it off. After 120,000 miles it still matched the published 0-60 and MPG figures.
I had an excellent MG Maestro too that got written off before its time, very reliable, fast, good handling, 34,000 miles (84 - 128 K) without a let down, before someone else drove into it.
Poor image (???) makes them cheap compared with other hot hatches, but don't be fooled by the price tag - it's a very underrated car.
My pride and joy was written off, my first real tears shed in years after seeing it smashed up (I was not present at the accident). It would have driven for a lot longer.
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