Depends on what you term as reliable. Even though my car has always rattled like a good un, and its just snapped a suspension spring, its never actually let me down or left me stranded. Im just putting current problems down to wear and tear - My car is now 5 years old so you can always expect somthing to go at that age.. People with the 1.2s seem to have problems with "Coil Packs" going....