Faults:

Anti-roll bar linkage (on a trip through the Welsh mountains. Fun on the way back!)

Carb gasket (30p for the part; £30 to have it towed to a garage).

Bottom fell out of the driver's door and the window went with it. Replaced with door from a scrap yard for a tenner.

Wings turned to confetti eventually - scrap yard again (£7 each AND I met TV's Pat Roach!)

General Comments:

Bought as a replacement for an absolutely awful 1977 Golf (two engines exploded). My first car was a Viva so the Chevette was like meeting up with an old friend (sad) except it handled better. Brilliant handling, in fact, even if it was rather slow, although I did manage to get 103mph out of it once.

The engine was absolutely unbreakable (probably because it was cast from the earth's core, or something). The bodywork? Well, I'd made more substantial papier mache face masks at junior school! But I can't grumble. Went all over Britain in it and it was my car at university, so fond memories.

Cheap as chips and utterly reliable. A definite classic.

Faults:

Thermostat and both anti-roll bar linkages - not bad since they were about 15 years old when they went!

General Comments:

Excellent handling and *very* easy to fix when it went wrong - which was rarely.