I'm looking for my first car and these seem to be cheap to buy and I've got some reasonable insurance quotes on them. However, my other half's step-dad does MOT tests and recommened I don't get one of these as they have a lot of bad problems now. I'm also being told by other people around my age though, who have either owned or know someone who has owned one, that you don't get a lot of bad problems with them and that they're sound.
Has anyone on here had a 2003-2006 Corsa 1.2 or know about their reliability? I don't wanna buy one and end up having to spend a fair bit on repairs in the furture.
Comments
Corsa's have, or did have, a reputation of being about the most cheaply insured cars on the planet so I can see why you're leaning that way. Did your partner's step-dad offer any advice on what you *should* buy?
That was a brilliant car. Again, super dull (and faded pink) but it never missed a beat until its very last weeks.
It's a funny, metallic tinkling noise that you'll notice with the bonnet up, engine idling, often when cold. It'll also do it at certain engine speeds when driving.
I've run it low on oil once or twice but seemingly done no harm and it's still going ok after 143,000 miles.
Neither of them were new when I owned them - one was 9 years old and I ran it for 3 years.
Mechanically they were both rock solid. I think the Corsa is a good bet for a low cost car.
Ed Conway & The Unlawful Men - Alt Prog Folk: The FaceBook and The SoundCloud
'Rope Or A Ladder', 'Don't Sing Love Songs', and 'Poke The Frog' albums available now - see FaceBook page for details
My current 2010 megane is a 1.5 diesel, 6 years old, always driven with care, cared for, ie all the tyres match, are properly inflated and liquid levels always checked.. yada yada, all the easy maintenance shite we can all do!
Its serviced properly by renualt each year etc etc.
Its so far blown one engine at around 15k miles (cambelt?) the pistons seized so it needed a new engine. Luckily Renault replaced the entire lump free of charge because that shit just should not happen!
Its steering wheel clicks when you turn it which is just annoying and never used to happen, but its happened..
its coolant has been pissing out of a schrader valve for the past 2 years (screwing a metal dustcap instead of plastic on has almost plugged it), but I'm pretty sure that the valve is faulty as surely a plastic dustcap alone isnt supposed to keep your coolant from bleeding out?
And this week its decided to have intermittant power issues. Possibly related to ESP but unsure as the light that flashes up only does so for a split second..... Anyway it gets to 50 just fine, but beyond that its a gamble what happens when you put your foot down!
My mum had a VW beetle, the newer but not the latest shape.
Absolutely laden with issues. German cars are usually good..
My old mk1.5 focus was great except its engine light being on permanently. It could have been a lambda sensor or the cat. Thats as far as my troubleshooting went before I scrapped it for a mk2.5 focus.. which was also great. Shitty mileage for fuel though considering it was a 1.6ltr. Heavy old lump it was n thats possibly why.. but drove nice.
i'll then buy a haynes manual and that should be the most relaible and cheap car I'd have ever owned!
Failing that I'll buy a nice pair of hiking boots..
In its defence, it didn't have any major mechanical failures and got through MOTs fine, although I only ended up doing a couple of K per year in it as I got given a company car very shortly after buying it, and I ended up spending less per mile for personal usage on the company car than in the Corsa.