Faults:

* Petrol Pump went at 77,000 miles.

* Head Gasket blew at 81,000 miles.

* New brake discs at 84,000 miles - they went at around 82,000 miles because I've had 2 new sets of pads in that time.

* Accelerator cable disconnected at 74,000 miles.

General Comments:

Good space

Good speakers

Bad on petrol

Nice + tidy interior.

Faults:

Coat hangers broke off easily.

Plastic coverings of seat hinges damaged easily. (3 Door)

Exhaust had to be replaced (£200) after rusting.

General Comments:

Very soft suspension, and bad brakes.

Quite fast for a 1.2, it does 110mph on the flat, but it needs a bit of time to get there :)

Looks great with body colored bumpers, skirts and lowered.

Faults:

Engine hood cable broke. 2 €, 2 hours and a lot of dirty words to replace it.

A rubber fuel pipe got broken. Costs 4€ and 20 minutes to change it.

Synchronization for third gear seems imperfect. For the moment, I change the gears slowly...

Small electrical details like broken wires for the horn or the water pump.

General Comments:

It is pretty fast for an old tiny engine. Runs smoothly at 140km/h and I have pushed it pretty often up to 170/h, even if it's indicated top speed is 157. However, it becomes obvious that it is a small engine when you fully charge it...

Good handling, even it has 13" wheels and 13"/155 mm tires, and power steering would be completely futile.

Looks good despite some small paint problems.

The fuel consumption is not too sensitive on the driving style.

Faults:

Driver's and passengers doors are both difficult to open.

Syncromesh on third gear has gone.

Seat belts fail to retract.

Rear window wiper works erratically.

General Comments:

I bought this car recently in an attempt to increase fuel economy, (I previously owned a petrol Cavalier).

I am very pleased - getting 45 miles to the gallon with no effort - sure I could get 50 plus with lighter use of accelerator pedal!

Have found it quite difficult to match paintwork for the inevitable stone chips - Seat's are generally not listed at Halfords.

Insurance seems to me to be quite high - I'm sure this is because it is listed as a hot hatch. I am however going to shop around as there must be companies out there that recognise that a 1.7 diesel 10 year old hatch-back is not driven by a boy racer!

I aid £575 for the car and believe I got a bargain - diesel engine is likely to outlast the bodywork (which is currently mint).

I have been informed from various sources that the Seat Ibiza Diesel of this vintage is based on the Volkswagen Polo and so has a Volkswagen Diesel Engine and running gear - still finding out about this.

I am interested in knowing more about this cracking little diesel hatchback and particularly would like a workshop manual - does anyone know where I can get one?

Faults:

Recently the ignition packed up, failed on emissions for MOT and the front panel between grille and bumper is rusty.

General Comments:

Good handling and cheap insurance. Engine good, fine wee car for tootling about in Scotland.