1995 Vauxhall Corsa Merit 1.5 diesel

Summary:

Surprisingly reliable

Faults:

Paint chips easily, especially on the bonnet and boot.

Tyres wear out every 20,000 miles or so.

Steering wheel developed a slight wobble at 70mph when the car had done 70,000 miles.

Otherwise - nothing!

General Comments:

Amazingly little has gone wrong with the car so far.

It is seriously lacking in low-end acceleration - once you've come to a halt you might as well forget about speeding away!

Top-end acceleration is good. I drive a company Peugeot 306 1.4 petrol and the Corsa can keep up with it at speed.

My only complaint with the Corsa would be that it can get uncomfortable on long hauls (and I do plenty). It has no power steering, sunroof, electric windows/mirrors, leather seats, CD player or any other fancy gizmos to play with.

It may not be the most fantastic looking car or have the best performance, but it has served me well so far and I am going to be sad when it is eventually time to say goodbye.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 25th October, 2001

29th Nov 2003, 08:48

I have had the same problem with shaking steering wheels it turned out to be all 4 wheels had cone loose.

19th Jun 2004, 14:01

Do all the 1.2 merits (around 94-96 era) have 4 gears?

1995 Vauxhall Corsa Breeze 1.2i

Summary:

A car which is pleasing in all areas for the correct budget

Faults:

Temperature gauge does not work correctly, sometimes it displays the wrong temperature or at times it doesn't work.

General Comments:

This is my first car and I must say I am very impressed with the general performance of the car.

It is very comfortable and handles very well, also it is very reliable.

It is a very nice drive and is very pleasing for all types of driving, whether it be town or motorway.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd October, 2001

1995 Vauxhall Corsa Breeze 1.2

Summary:

Reliable and hassle free

Faults:

Oil leak at 35000 miles.

Temperature gauge broke after 2 - 3 years, which the Vauxhall garage didn't fix.

Garage "fixed" the seat belt in a safety recall - although when I was in a crash the seat belt did not recoil - luckily I did not suffer any serious injuries.

Hazard light button fell off.

General Comments:

This had been my first and only car until it got written off this year. I'm sure it would have gone on for another 6 years.

A very reliable car with good handling, feels solid and well built.

Very roomy inside, with hard wearing upholstery.

Never broke down in the 6 years I had it.

Good motorway car - felt comfortable up to 90mph.

Towards the end it was getting sticky when shifting into second gear.

Great little car that gave me 6 years of hassle free driving - I'm going to miss it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th August, 2001

1995 Vauxhall Corsa LS 1.2

Summary:

Unreliable

Faults:

Frequently stalls when slowing down and when the engine has been switched off... car will take about 10 mins to re-start.

General Comments:

Would like to contact other people with similar problems.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 14th January, 2001

15th Jan 2001, 21:41

Have your mechanic check the fuel injection or fuel pump relay. Sometimes a cold solder goes bad. It happened to my '85 Audi. Mechanic opened the relay, soldered the hairline crack... and off she went!

28th Jul 2001, 14:56

MY 94' Corsa stalls when it's cold. When you start it, it is as though it's started, (You can tell by the starter motor sound.) Then there is a few seconds where nothing happens before the engine comes to life. And when it's started I always have to press the accelerator to help it then keep my foot on the accelerator for 10 -15 seconds before I can return it to idle. It turns out I have a problem with my ECU not switching over to cater for cold starts. Any Help?

1st Nov 2002, 12:52

I had similar problem with Corsa hot start, the hall sensor in the distributor was faulty, new distributor cured it.

1st Mar 2011, 21:38

Fuel problems. Gunk and bits from the bottom of the tank were a bit of an issue. Had to rock the car a few times, then rev it a lot, running it on a low tank, got most of it through the engine, then filled it right up, but be careful not to run it too low, there could be an unknown amount of bits in the fuel tank.