Used Volkswagen Lupo Hatchback 1999 - 2005 reliability

Volkswagen sells many cars on its perceived reputation for cast-iron reliability. That doesn't seem to be the case these days, however, because VW's performances in our reliability surveys have been overtaken by the company's cheaper brands, Seat and Skoda.

Nevertheless, with the Lupo's top-drawer build quality, you'd expect it to be more dependable than other more cheaply built city cars. Sadly, that's not necessarily the case.

Worst of all, the doors can drop out of alignment. Fixing the problem is an extremely awkward job and can take more time than it should. This could land you with a sizeable bill for labour if the car's warranty has expired.

On top of that, the 1.0-litre doesn't like freezing weather and niggling electrical problems can affect every model.