The two I had were reasonably reliable. (A 323 and a Protege5.) While I owned them there were no major repairs on either. The most recent one was a 2003 though, so quality could have changed since.

The P5 had a hard life after it became my daughter's car. The accessory belt fell off, so the water pump and alternator stopped - and she drove it until the radiator melted. The belt probably failed at least in part because it was a couple of degrees below zero at the time, and the rest is driver error. She noticed that the radio wasn't working right, but not that the engine Temp gauge was pegged. It got so hot that the paint on the hood discolored. About a year later the head gasket and one of the engine seals went. None of that is surprising on a baked engine. Amazingly enough, the car still works after all that, and she drives it daily.