Corsa Advice

[Matt-Page]

My younger brother has passed his test and is looking for his first car.

Bless him he wants a Corsa and has his heart set on them. He's been loooking for a while and has found one he likes. Now personally, I'm not a bg fan of them, but for a first car, they aren't the worse, and it's something he wants so it's a bonus.

Just need a couple of points on what to look out for other than the normal?

The one he is looking at is a 1.4 SRi (apparantly he has quoted and can afford the insurance) What are the common faults on these? The one he has seen is a Y reg (2001) and has done 72,000 miles so pretty average really.

Thanks in advance

 

[Matt-Page]

Yes, they are.

Thanks, that's an excellent post.

Oh noes, this probably isn't the best place to ask about a Corsa.

*Grabs popcorn*

Oh and another one, thanks.

if you have non-girl sized feet you WILL catch your foot on the dash as you come off the clutch

Ah I'll look out for that when I look around it. Anything else? Ideally I'm looking for common faults/problems as I've never worked on one and hardly driven them.

 

[Matt-Page]

They're terrible cars, what do you expect?

Is it going to be barried?

Mind telling me why rather than getting on the internet throne? I've simply asked for common faults or problems with them to look for, I don't expect a Parkers review.

No, luckily my brother luckily does not crave neons, spoilers and 'zorst' so it will be kept standard. It will be use to commute around town and the odd weekend trip with his friends away somewhere.

 

[Matt-Page]

Has he considered a 1.5td cheap tax and insurance if he gets a 200 x plate model i used one of these to comute in 500 miles a week for 2 years and it was a fantastic little car. Better IMO than the equivalent fiesta and very easy to work on if he fancied getting his hands dirty.

The 1.5 td engine also has a little go about it and felt quicker than the 1.4 sri new shape corsa i was given as a courtesy car when a bloke in an a3 shortend my car slightly.

Was looking at something like this

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-u...icleYearOfManufacture=2000&vehicleRegLetter=V

I'll ask him about the diesel alternatives. I did mention/reccommend a Fiesta or a Saxo instead as I am not a big fan on Corsa's, but he is a young lad with a dream/want for a Corsa, he likes how it looks at that's what he wants. Personally I think he's lucky enough to have that sort of money for a first car, to me a first car is a Metro/Fiesta/Clio but very old and tatty.

He's looking at a Corsa C, these are simply 'bad' whereas the B is 'absolutely terrible'. I honestly dont know what would make you describe a Corsa B diesel as 'fantastic' - was it your first car and you were still at the stage of being absolutely amazed that it moved and kept you dry or something?

Right, again, I see you had one as a hire car after doing a search, can you give a bit more detail on why it is so bad?

Its not an internet throne, they are simply bad cars. Uncomfortable, unpleasant to drive - generally not a nice place to be.

They all suffer from this, so I suppose you could call it a common fault. A decent Fiesta will be a much better car

Yes you are sweet heart, you're looking extremely cool too. Uncomfortable? Unpleasant? Why? Are the seats flat like benchines with little/no support? Is the suspension bouncy or rock hard? Not a nice place to be?

As stated I'm not looking for a Clarkson review, just common faults to look for. I appreciate these aren't the best cars for the money/range but it's what he wants and I want to give the car a good looking over before he parts with any money. I'm guessing for this age you are looking at about 2.5-2.6k bracket if it is in decent condition from a dealer.

 

[Matt-Page]

I hope your brother finds what he wants mate.

Here's a link to a list of faults and fixes. This was a very quick Google so I'm sure if you did the same and had more time than I do at the moment then you'd find loads more information.

That's brilliant, thanks very much.

 

[Matt-Page]

My Wife had a MK3, MK4, and a Mk6 Fiesta. I had a Mk2 and a Mk3. IMO the build quailty was better on the corsa than all those cars. The corsa i had felt more solidly put together and the seats were far more comfortable. We drove from Plymouth to Aberdeen in My corsa and did not suffer cronic fatigue or back pain like in some of the more expensive cars i have owned. Don't get me wrong if it was a new car he was getting the new fiesta is a better propositioin than the new corsa, but as a said above how long realistically is he going to keep the car?

No idea, probably a couple of years until he realises he wants something with better quality and more power like most of us. I'll be honest, I' haven't asked him that.

I see no point trying to help if you're going to be like that.

It was not a "Clarkson Review" - you've had several people who have experienced these cars personally, explaining to you why they are to be avoided. If you choose not to take the advice then it's up to you, but I think you want to reconsider the attitude when people are trying to give you proper advice

Still no advice after 3 posts in one thread? Brilliant. Prove me wrong and give me some positive/negative points about it rather than a round a bout up the pub slating.

They aren't as bad as a rover 25, however I was so glad to get my car back on the road after driving my sisters whilst the work was getting done.

Felt really unstable on the road, handled bad, pedals were far to close to each other, seats were quite uncomfortable...must I go on?

The fiesta equivalent felt so much better, in fact I went out and bought a fiesta ZS and was more than happy with it.

Thanks dude, I'll check all of those things out when I vew is at about 13:00. I personally prefer the Fiesta as well.

 

[Matt-Page]

Get this stupid notion of pub slating, internet thrones and clarkson reviews out your head and read the posts properly.

My first post told you they were terrible, which they are. I've experienced them first hand.

My second post told you why and reccomended an alternative. I've experience both Corsa and Fiesta so I think I can comment on which one I feel is the better car.

My third post was trying to point out to you that this isnt a bunch of people pretending to be clarkson, it is a bunch of people with real world experience of these cars, trying to offer you genuine, helpful advice.

You dont seem to want to take it. No, I cant help you with common faults on them, but this is a discussion forum, where we can "discuss" things.

So you are still unable to tell me specifics why you dislike them....

Yes you can 'discuss' things, and you can feel free to do so, but don't get your back up when I ask you to list specifics and back up your argument. Anyone could pop on here and say they are crap and uncomfortable and Fiesta's are better. I'm looking for some detailed information rather than off the wall remarks.

If you've got nothing useful to say, please don't litter MY thread with pub remarks. Prove me wrong, give me a decent reply with some feedback on your experience and why you really dislike them. I'm not looking for an argument, just some info to bear in mind before I go to view this car in half an hour.

Ta v much.

 

[Matt-Page]

Just to add my 2p ,

I have driven a 1.4 Corsa B on a few occasions over a 9 month period helping my mate restore his mini, and even helped him service it,

My first impression of the car from opening the door was not too bad, basic as you would expect, plastics and fittings arent the best but its no luxobarge- so you expect it. The seats are fairly comfortable at first, but are a bit like an old sofa, after a while the lack of support makes them uncomfortable.

The pedals are in a slightly soppy position, as stated above you tend to catch the dash with your feet, steering wheel adjustment is limited - but acceptable. I can't call the driving position good , but its not terrible , as with the interior , just budget.

What totally kills this car is the frankly shocking driving experience, the steering is very wooly and doesnt inspire any confidence that the car will actually go where you want. The clutch is so light and unresponsive that you honestly wonder if it is connected, as the biting point is variable and hard to find with no clutch feedback (maybe not best for a new driver ?),
the brakes are the same - they work but dont really feel as if they are going to until the last minute when the car stops ( this is after replaced pads and fluid, and a master cyl test , so no , it wasnt broken, even checked the flexi-lines).
The throttle is ok however, works as expected really, and to my surprise the 1.4 is not toooo slow.

Unfortunatly, the gearshift is honestly scary, you cant even tell if the thing is in gear. Now i thought this was down to bushes, but after talking to a few owners it seems its common for the shifter to feel disconnected and wobbly.

I wont go on about the handling because its not supposed to be a sports car, all i will say is on budget tyres its a total death trap , so be careful.

On the upside its a simple joy to work on, as its so basic.

Overall, in my opinion of course, it would be an acceptable car for a budget if it didn't feel so darn wooly and dangerous to drive.

Ask if you want me to expand.

That's a brilliant post, thank you very much for that. I will take all of this into consideration.

I will be taking a very good look at it as it will be me who has to work on it should it go wrong. I'm not expecting it to be faultless or perfect, but I needed to know it doesn't burn through HG/Clutches/Boots/joints/etc.

I'll report back my findings.

It's up for £2,995, I'll push for 2.5-2.6k do people here think thats reasonable? Parkers seems to think so from a reputable dealer.

 

[Matt-Page]

I gave you specifics but I will elaborate if it makes you feel better

They were uncomfortable, the driving position was poor and the seats offered little or no support. The pedals were too close together. The steering was too light and it didnt feel secure on the road. There was also a lot more road/wind noise than the Fiesta. The build quality was poor on the newer ones, shocking on the older one. Both rattled quite horribly - not something fiestas are immune from, but the examples of Corsas I've driven have been really quite bad.

As I said before, I'd be interested in the rational justification for one over a Fiesta.

So please, stop calling my genuine opinions/advice as pub remarks as that just makes you sound like you dont want to listed to advice. Most of my findings had already been described by other posters, so there wasnt a need to repeat them ad verbatim.

Ahh, that's better. Thanks, it seems to be a common list occuring now, which I can certainly look for. The reason for a Corsa over the Fiesta is he personally likes them more, he likes the look of them more and simply prefers them. Try telling an exceited lad different, he doesn't care, and we've all been there I did make some other reccommendations bu he wasn't interested.

Thanks for the better response, I'm not very tactful and pretty much just get to the point. I'm keen to listen to advice/opinions but wanted them elaborated more and explained to me as others, and now you have done.

Thanks all. Would appreciate a response about the price.