First buy in 8 years, advice if possible (omg he owns a corsa!)

[Streeteh]

if you wont value other people's opinions, have you actually test drive the new corsa? you complained the corsa is too small, slow etc.

new corsa wont be 10x better than old corsa. focus is

Is this directed at me or settle?

If me, then i value opinion that has been given here. I've got a pistonheads window open at the moment, browsing Focuses, but then i've also got another one looking at more 'interesting' cars and i'm going to book a test drive of a Corsa soon hopefully.

Going to try my best to explore every suggestion that has been made.

That thought just crossed my mind too.

There are year old, lesser specced examples up at 9k

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1598455.htm

Which negates the issue of swappage/scrappage. I'd be inclined to advertise it at £8500 and just be honest - say you could get a blinding deal new but you want something bigger.

That's excellent, thanks for the example. So i could essentially get a £3k car in exchange for my corsa B without a penny spent. Certainly something i will very seriously consider. That'll leave me without a car for a while... might pop out to the shops and buy a box of chocolates to use as a bartering tool to 'borrow' my girlfriends car for a couple of weeks.

 

[Dogbreath]

A brand new Corsa for 5k seems like a very good deal, they are far better cars than the old Corsas. To get anything else new with three years warranty for that sort of money you'd be looking at some nasty little Korean box.

However, if you find your 1.4 Corsa a bit gutless, I don't think you'll have much fun with a new 1.2L Corsa since they are significantly slower (unless your 1.4 is slow for other reasons e.g. lack of servicing).

 

[wesley]

i'll be fair, i'm thinking for you, if corsa is too small for you, then i strongly suggest to forget the new corsa as it wont be much bigger than old corsa. if you set your heart on vx then go for the astra.

 

[wesley]

what make me laugh that when any new model comes out, people saying it's better than old model.

of course, new model will be better than old ones.............purely cos it's NEWER. nothing else.

if any corsa regardless the model is too small, then corsa is NOT a car for you.

 

[Settleddown]

what make me laugh that when any new model comes out, people saying it's better than old model.

of course, new model will be better than old ones.............purely cos it's NEWER. nothing else.

if any corsa regardless the model is too small, then corsa is NOT a car for you.

Because it’s NEWER?? Hahaha what a load of rubbish. Not because it’s a completely different car, no just because its NEWER ok.

 

[Streeteh]

what make me laugh that when any new model comes out, people saying it's better than old model.

of course, new model will be better than old ones.............purely cos it's NEWER. nothing else.

if any corsa regardless the model is too small, then corsa is NOT a car for you.

I do see what you're saying wesley, and it is a concern of mine too. However the new corsa is a physically bigger car, it certainly has more passenger space than the corsa b. There's also the fact that the corsa b isn't the most logical design for space; the steering wheel is huge and angled very low so it restricts the legs and the clutch pedal has very little room around it. These and ride comfort are my three biggest qualms with the corsa b, hopefully both issues have been resolved. Maybe small wasn't the correct way to describe it in my original post, it's just... not very comfortable.

With that said, this is all speculation based on what i've seen and what i've read. I'm yet to actually drive one, until then i'm not going to write it off as an option. However i have taken your advice on board and have begun looking into Ford Focuses of a similar price point, so thank you for that.

 

[Minxy]

Because it’s NEWER?? Hahaha what a load of rubbish. Not because it’s a completely different car, no just because its NEWER ok.

It is likely to be more comfortable and more reliable being a newer car (note I said LIKELY) as it won't have the wear and tear of an 8 year old car.

Buy it and flog it, why settle for a 5k car if you can have an 8k one instead for no extra money.

 

[Settleddown]

It is likely to be more comfortable and more reliable being a newer car (note I said LIKELY) as it won't have the wear and tear of an 8 year old car.

It a completely different car though not some small facelift of old. Just to say its only newer is foolish in my eyes.

 

[Gribs]

i'll be fair, i'm thinking for you, if corsa is too small for you, then i strongly suggest to forget the new corsa as it wont be much bigger than old corsa. if you set your heart on vx then go for the astra.

Have you been in a new Corsa? They're much bigger inside than an old one at the expense of boot space. They don't feel like small cars inside anymore, probably becasuse they're not. I'd guess they're now about the same size overall as a mk3 Astra and certainly have more passenger space inside. The back seats are actually useable for normal sized people.

I should add that I'd never buy one myself but the same is true of all the supermini's and the Corsa is now no worse than the rest. The previous generation Corsa is one of the most hatefull modern cars I've driven with almost no redeaming features.

 

[Minxy]

It a completely different car though not some small facelift of old. Just to say its only newer is foolish in my eyes.

Agreed but it doesn't make my statement any less true. There's usually a big difference between an 8 year old Corsa and a brand new one, apart from the amount of street cred that comes with driving it of course.

 

[[TW]Fox]

So, for a brand new 1.2l, 3 door Corsa i'm looking at just over £5k. I would look at other brands but the family discount and GM points can only be used for Vauxhalls iirc.

Check you can use all these various offers in conjunction with each other. If you can, its a good deal, but only that - a good deal, not a good car.

Well Corsa and Fiesta, nothing in it.

On which planet? Corsa is now perhaps 3rd, maybe 4th in class at best.

New Astra and Focus, the Astra is better.

Not really - some people think it is, some dont. At best its slightly better overall but doesn't drive as well. But then the Focus is still the same generation of car as the previous Astra and is due for replacement. So if anything the fact that with a completely NEW generation of car Vauxhall can only just perhaps maybe slightly better the Focus that went head to head with the PREVIOUS Astra shows how out of touch they really are.

The Insignia and Mondeo the Insignia is better.

Again, not really. The Mondeo is no longer anything like as ahead as it was in the Vectra days but neither is the Insignia a clear leader either.

 

[Streeteh]

Check you can use all these various offers in conjunction with each other. If you can, its a good deal, but only that - a good deal, not a good car.

I had a quick browse and saw nothing that said they wouldn't, but you're right i do need to look into it further before i consider it a sure thing. I know that my uncle combined GM points with car scrappage fine, so i'll need to check the family discount gubbins.

An average car will do me, it'll be better than what i have now; a bad car. I'm an A to B in as much comfort as possible kind of person, i don't have a single thrillseeking bone inside me.

 

[Dogbreath]

On which planet? Corsa is now perhaps 3rd, maybe 4th in class at best.

That doesn't make it an inherently crap car however, just not as good as others.

 

[[TW]Fox]

That doesn't make it an inherently crap car however, just not as good as others.

Oh quite - I was merely addressing the specific point I quoted.

A Fiesta is better than a Corsa but a £5k new Corsa is better value than a £10k new Fiesta - the Fiesta isnt twice as good.

 

[atpbx]

It all depends on a variety of factors.

Is a car just a way of getting around (my position)
Are there more important things in life than worrying about how your car handles at 10/10ths on the very rare occasion you are able to venture up to any kind of speed on the roads theses days?
Do you fit in it?
Are the seats up to the longest journey you can regularly envisage yourself taking?
Does it have a good radio? (most important, and the only downside of my ancient festa)

These are the reasons I dont spend a fortune on cars, this past few days I have been driving 80 miles round to mansfield and back to grantham for my HGV training, my 89bhp fiesta has been more than adequate, it bombs up to a decent cruising speed on the A1 without being deafening, It handles the incredibly boring 18 odd miles of 50mph road between newark and mansfied well enough, with enough poke to get past and lorries if i need to. I get to each end, and I dont feel tired, and I can walk without stamping life back into my legs.

Would I choose a festa to do it every day in? no.
Could I manage it in a festa every day if i had to? yes.

Is it worth the extra initial purchase price, running costs, tax, insurance over what ever benefits a larger car will give you over the corsa you are looking at?

I would say, while a larger, faster car is nice, and indeed desirable, its not necessary in the grand scheme of things.
It depends entirely on what you own mind set is, neither option is more right, or wrong than the other.

 

[Streeteh]

You sound like a man of my own heart atpbx and make some very good points

 

[Settleddown]

Check you can use all these various offers in conjunction with each other. If you can, its a good deal, but only that - a good deal, not a good car.




On which planet? Corsa is now perhaps 3rd, maybe 4th in class at best.



Not really - some people think it is, some dont. At best its slightly better overall but doesn't drive as well. But then the Focus is still the same generation of car as the previous Astra and is due for replacement. So if anything the fact that with a completely NEW generation of car Vauxhall can only just perhaps maybe slightly better the Focus that went head to head with the PREVIOUS Astra shows how out of touch they really are.



Again, not really. The Mondeo is no longer anything like as ahead as it was in the Vectra days but neither is the Insignia a clear leader either.

So yeah Ford are 'much' better. They are on the same playing field now, nothing in it, gone are the days Ford are 'much much' better. But as always VX will never remove the stigma attached to the badge, even when they have better cars out there than some in the same market.

Brilliant supermini as good as anything on the market and wearing a surprisingly stylish suit. Grans will argue with grandsons about who’s taking it Saturday night

And that is from TG, hardly a VX fan are they?

‘The Corsa may be a small car, but its talents are huge. It’s spacious, refined, well built and good value. It’s also strong on safety, environmentally friendly and looks great! It had to beat some incredibly able cars to take our Best Supermini award, let alone the overall Car of the Year crown.’

From What car! I'm no Corsa fan or the like just trying to put across its noting like the old Corsa and infact a decent small car!

 

[[TW]Fox]

The problem with those particular magazines is that more often than not the reviews and soundbites are written/chosen when the car is launched and stay there.

So yes, in 2006 when it was up against things like the old shape Fiesta perhaps that was the case. But we no longer live in 2006.

What Car awarded it 'Car of the Year' in January 2007. This was well over 3 years ago and the market has completely changed since then. Plus its a crap magazine anyway and judges cars in utterly ridiculous ways, how else can you explain the Peugeot 3008 as Car of the Year 2010?

But that said, if you MUST use What Car? as your benchmark then take a look at Car of the Year 2009.

Its the Ford Fiesta, and not the Vauxhall Corsa.

 

[MeAnBoY]

My first thought was to probably buy the Corsa , sell it on straight away for more! Certainly seems like a very attractice route for yourself in your particular circumstances.

The new Corsa isn't a terrible car, infact the interior is actually quite nice but if your even remotely interested in driving characteristics then forget it. It's designed purely as an A-B supermini and will get you there in relative comfort (against it's competitors).

 

[Settleddown]

The problem with those particular magazines is that more often than not the reviews and soundbites are written/chosen when the car is launched and stay there.

So yes, in 2006 when it was up against things like the old shape Fiesta perhaps that was the case. But we no longer live in 2006.

What Car awarded it 'Car of the Year' in January 2007. This was well over 3 years ago and the market has completely changed since then. Plus its a crap magazine anyway and judges cars in utterly ridiculous ways, how else can you explain the Peugeot 3008 as Car of the Year 2010?

But that said, if you MUST use What Car? as your benchmark then take a look at Car of the Year 2009.

Its the Ford Fiesta, and not the Vauxhall Corsa.

I have just realised it’s from 2007 my mistake! I would take the values and reviews from a well-established car magazine than some internet computer forum to be fair. The guy who mentions that the Corsa is a newer car and nothing else proves this point. You seem a knowledgeable guy so I won’t include you in this But I will say the new current generation Corsa is a good car, the basic eco 1.0i life model I wouldn’t touch but they have some decent spec and good looking models in the range.