In these 'austere' times when people need all of the above, how could we forget the car that saved Austin Rovers bacon! A once common car on our roads, we all knew someone who had one.Yet now they are a real rarity. Their frugal running costs and simplicity to fix made them a popular choice. A better car than the later 100 by miles.

Did you find this review useful? Yes  No (3/1)

This 04 Zafira is a real workhorse. My wife uses it's 7 seats to it's maximum as she childminds and regularly has it full of kids!!
After 3 years have never really had any problems with it although mileage isn't very high.
Reasonably comfortable, very practical and easy to convert from 5 to 7 seats.

Did you find this review useful? Yes  No (30/8)

Bought this 07 Laguna Nav Est 3 weeks ago to replace my previous 01 Laguna II Estate. It served me very well for 8 years and clocked up 199000 miles before broken timing belt (due to not replacing on schedule) caused it to die. This had done some very hard driving and towed a lot of builders trailers!!! Had absolutely no second thoughts about buying and driving another Laguna. Very comfortable and nice to drive even on very long journeys (1 day 700 mile round trip to kerry!!). Ok can be a few issues with electrics and French reliability, but what car is trouble free these days.

Did you find this review useful? Yes  No (20/3)

This car is brilliant it's quite nippy, and solid build quality and has everything you need.

Would definately buy another SEAT.

Did you find this review useful? Yes  No (8/2)

Top driving experience : totally reliable, did over 120,000 miles without any major trouble. Loved this car.

Did you find this review useful? Yes  No (13/3)

I have a Saab 95 which is a 2003 model, it has a 3.0 ltr turbo diesel engine. I have to say I completely love everything this car has to offer, it has made driving a pleasure. The soft leather seats make the ride comfort extremely good, the 3.0 litre engine provides an awesome amount of power, the acceleration is incredible. The economy is excellent depending of course on how the car is driven averaging 50+ mpg . There is plenty of room for 4 passengers and great boot space in the back for groceries. The age of the car does not affect the performance of the car even now at 140,000 miles. what else can I say but I highly recommend this car

Did you find this review useful? Yes  No (29/1)

I have recently got my hands on 2003 Renault Laguna for an extremely good price as a run around while I look for a permanent car and I have to say it is definitely worth the money, there is plenty of room for the kids in the back. The fuel lasts a good while too probably getting around 45+ mpg out of it. The only thing I was let down with was its reliability on a couple of small things. Over all I was happy enough with this purchase.

Did you find this review useful? Yes  No (14/1)

The Kia Picanto has been my car for around two years and I have really enjoyed the experience. I think there is a good level of comfort (maybe I have gotten used to it) as far a in-car entertainment goes it is nothing short of excellent, speakers are really good, built in iPod connectivity is very handy, front and back electric windows, power steering. The pokey 1.1 ltr petrol engine is very nippy but slower at getting to higher speeds, perfect for town use, the 5 doors come in very handy. I have really got attached to my little Picanto, the experience of driving it has been nothing short of exciting.

Did you find this review useful? Yes  No (40/2)

This car has been all it has needed for be for my first car, I have been over the moon with it! Yes the car by default is standard and may be basic, however I completely love it, it gets me to where I need to go, it handles very very well in all conditions, I find the clutch very soft and laid back, very easy to town drive and sit on the clutch. I find it perfect for going to University and into town. The 1.2 ltr petrol is a slight bit weak, however is enough to get me by, It cruises nicely around 60. Despite being basic inside I find it comfortable and roomy, plenty of room with up to 4 passengers and 5 doors. I really like this car! has been perfect for what I have needed to do!

Did you find this review useful? Yes  No (42/10)

I had owned a Cream VW Beetle for just under two years now. What can I say I love this car, I love how it drives, how it looks, how it feels, how its very comfortable and how it has a personality. The icing on the cake is taking the roof down and going for a sail on the nice day (when we get one). Typical of a VW in efficiency roughly getting 45+ to the gallon. It doesn't have very much space in the back, it sometimes can be a struggle to have four passengers (depending on size). I find the engine has enough power, the 1.6 ltr petrol is perfect for popping to the shops in and around town, the slight downside to this is the smallish boot. All in all I really love driving this car and hope to keep it for years yet!

Did you find this review useful? Yes  No (39/8)

Good alternative to a common BMW 3 series, and much better spec'ed than an Audi a4. Very reliable. 6 cylinder (C240 2.6 & C320 3.2) engines surprisingly economical, smooth, quiet and capable of astronomical (300K) mileages. Parts and DIY/independent servicing reasonable.
Diesels prone to clocking. FSH essential.
Avantgarde & auto with leather interior preferred to basic "Classic" models.
I am already saving for a new one.

Did you find this review useful? Yes  No (38/0)

Bought the car last year and have had only to replace the battery within the key fob. Pleasure to drive if a little thirsty but for the year this model has all the toys. We also tow an Avondale 1400 kg caravan with the car with no problems at all.

Did you find this review useful? Yes  No (23/2)

This has been a recent purchase (Second hand), for the last year I have gained a fair idea of what the insignia is like as a car. The experience behind the wheel is very reasonable, I think its quite comfortable to drive and the 1.7 litre diesel engine provides more than enough power when driving around. This car has a decent efficiency meaning low running costs, I do a lot of driving so this has been useful. However it seems to give me the odd problem here and there, the stereo has has needed slight tweaking and a couple of other bits and pieces needed adjusting. Overall I have been very happy to use the insignia for business and family purposes and would recommend it.

Did you find this review useful? Yes  No (30/4)

Been driving a clubman for about 3 years now, and I still think it's a great car. Looks great on the road, and my diesel is very economical. Plenty of boot space in this estate version - since I got it initially I've had a baby and the buggy goes in the boot no problem, and the 1/2 door behind the driver's door makes it much easier to get the wee one in and out of the car seat in comparison to other 3 dr cars.

Did you find this review useful? Yes  No (30/3)

The Corolla Verso is a great car - very nice styling, and comfortable high driving position. I liked the positioning of the gearstick on the dash. Has the feel of a more "prestige" brand than your average Toyota, and the fold-flat extra seats were great.

Lovely smooth drive and very spacious.

Did you find this review useful? Yes  No (14/0)

My first ever car was a Renault Clio. I only have very fond memories of it! The only reason I got rid of it was because I got a company car with my first real job.

It was a great wee car, fairly cheap to insure and tax, and easy on petrol. Very nice to drive, and while I kept it serviced well, never had any mechanical problems at all.

Mine was the "Expression" model, which wouldn't have had many of the fancy extras, but was still stylish and nice inside.

Did you find this review useful? Yes  No (24/1)

The 5 series is a great example of a big German saloon at its best, fantastic build quality, reliable, powerful and so smooth! The 2.5 litre inline 6 has to be one of the best engines ever built, linear power delivery and a rasping sound higher up the rev range, on a cruise or driven sensibly you won't hear a peep, almost eerily quiet. With combined driving I average around 34 mpg which is great for a big petrol saloon like this.

There are times where I'd prefer more power and torque low down so for that reason and budget permitting I would recommend the 525 or 530.

Did you find this review useful? Yes  No (33/12)

It was my first ever car i bought it at 17 and drove it for 2 year. in that time it done over 40,000 miles and i never had to spend a penny on it bar servicing. excellent build quality. ive own some amount of car since and nothing come close to the level of quality and value for money that i received from my bora.

Did you find this review useful? Yes  No (33/6)

Owened my car now 13 years. Have to say it's never let me down. The 1.8 vvt is one on the best Reliable engines in the Vectra C range with the 2.0T the best. Car comes standard with cruise control and aircon and 17"Alloys. The 1.8vvt comes with 140bhp which is nippy enough for me but can't be mapped unlike the CDTI diesels. I've modded mine with Xenon lights as its known that the standard lights on the vectra with projector lenses is bad. I was lucky enough to pick up a factory fit sav nav from a scappy to give the car that more luxuray look. Thanks to membership at www.vectra-c.com any small problems I've had, the guys on there help me sort them myself. running cost are good with no problems. I get 32mpg city driving around Belfast and up to 43mpg on motorway runs. Heavy foot can see these figures drop by 7mpg.

Did you find this review useful? Yes  No (36/8)