Forum:
I have a 97 P reg 1.6 ELXi sportrak and it has become seriously sluggish and is using to much fuel. (40 miles to quarter of a tank) cant work out what is going on. Have renewed leads etc. Any ideas please as its currently costing me a fortune to run. Thanks
Filter
Check the air filter. If it is 13 years old then it is time for a new filter !
Probarly needing a good
Probarly needing a good service,
When was the last time it was serviced
especialy the air and fuel filters, do you know when they were last changed 
Fuel filter might be full of shit, air filter might be dirty, not giving the correct air fuel mixture,
Good luck with finding what the problem is,
But my guess is, try the easy option first and go for a service
Beemers do it sideways
Juicy and gutless
I think I'd go for the lambda sensor.
If it's really gutless i
If it's really gutless i doubt it's the lambda.
Very old cataysts can break up inside and then block up the exhaust, worth a mention.
Or maybe your timing belt has jumped a tooth so the timing is out.
"Gutless" Sportrak
Dear Apstretch,
I am not sure what it is you want from the forum. System diagnosis, whether it be car or sewing machine requires specific information to arrive at a defect probability.
You "have renewed leads etc". Excellent. Exactly what is the "etc" bit? Was the vehicle running within its stated parameters before it started to misbehave? Did the symptoms appear suddenly or was there a slow degradation in performance? Is the vehicle service by a competent mechanic? I could go on.
Asking the forum for advice will merely get you guesses, albeit well intentioned. My well intentioned guess is take it to a garage.