Faults:

Battery connection/Fuel injection connections faulty. Sometimes the car would not start and all electrical systems would fail, including hazard lights and horn. (Only happened when starting the car not during driving)

After I got it going again by jiggling the battery connection, the car would idle poorly dipping to about 200rpm before slowly returning to normal.

Heater/Fan backlights do not always work.

General Comments:

This car is an excellent first car. It's fairly sporty looking and cheap to run.

Handling is quite decent and while performance isn't great, it's right where it should be for a 1.5L engine.

Headroom was marginal for me being 5"9 but it was tolerable and it is a 2+2 coupe afterall.

Rear seat space is quite good (leg room) except head room is non existent, passengers were always hitting their head on the rear window.

All in all I was very happy with the car for the price I paid for it. Apart from the battery connection which I believe was a small easily fixable problem, I think this car was very reliable engine wise.

Faults:

The Positive Crankcase Ventilation Valve needed to be replaced frequently. It was sucking small amounts of oil which caused a problem with the car's ability to pass local air purity restrictions.

There was a vague problem that I was never able to fix that caused the car to behave like I had turned the overdrive off. It would be hitting the red zone when I was only trying to drive 60mph. Then, after a few minutes it would suddenly return to normal. This problem was chronic, but intermittent. I had the car checked several times to find out what was causing this, but never did. Servicing the transmission helped, but did not completely end the problem.

The seal on the exhaust pipe broke.

The Constant Velocity Joints had to be replaced at 130,000 miles as well as the bearings on the front wheels. The car still whistled some times at higher speeds. With a transmission service and yet another PVC valve, this cost me about $600.00. That's the most I ever spent on repairs with this car.

The Air Conditioner leaked Freon.

General Comments:

Despite the problems this car was very dependable. Regular oil changes and attention to the belts were all it really required. The oil needed to be changed rather more frequently than most cars though.

I was always surprised by how quickly the car could take off and gain speed. The engine was tiny, but I never felt like the car was dragging.

I could fit my entire 88 key keyboard, stands, mikes, amps, and a few changes of clothes into a two door coupe. That sounds ridiculous, but it's true. It was like Mary Poppins's handbag.

I always got excellent mileage out of this car, even with its problems. I usually got 26-28mpg.

It was very comfortable for me. The interior had held up very nicely and I could drive for hours without soreness.

The car was safe. I was in a very bad accident which threw my car onto its side. I was unhurt although the car was completely destroyed.

This car was an excellent vehicle for a college girl like me. The problems it had were easy to fix and not surprising in an older car.

It looked pretty good too.

Faults:

Just some minor repairs; being a mechanic it is unusually cheap for me to perform repairs on this car.

I replaced the water pump at 80,000 with an AIR-TEX water pump and have never had to do that again. I have replaced the front and rear main seal at 115,000 and they are just starting to leak again.

I have also bypassed the E.G.R. system on this car at 118,000 due to poor gasoline quality causing it to clog. When I did that, I got better gas mileage av/34mpg from 29mpg.

Other than regular maintenance, that is it, and after paying only $2,500 for this car, I am amazed every time I drive it.

General Comments:

I love this car, for 1.5 liters I cannot complain!

I have done some slight upgrades to this car such as mounting 195/60/14 tires on the stock steel rims, and I always use the best brakes money can buy on all of my cars, the best to use on the Paseo has been the AXXIS ULTIMATE pads by Bendix (R)

I drive this car like I hate it and it just keeps going.

On a reticent trip to Vegas, while going down a steep grade late one night while next to a friend in his Porsche I redlined 5th gear at 151mph!

I also drive hard through a twisted canyon during my daily commute to and from work and I have never had a problem negotiating the curves.

Handling is great!!!