Faults:

Numerous head light bulbs blown, changing the side light bulbs on this car was double hard work, gotta take half the front off, incurable leak every time it rained hard, despite new screen, screen seals etc, wet floor on the driver's side.

Mirror lens fell out of housing on A12 at 80mph. Luckily one came into our pound smashed up, and the O/S mirror was intact, so that was OK... very hard to source through Vauxhall.

When I part exchanged it, it was still a fine looking car, the paint was still good and the car was still quick. Can't be compared with any VXR... another era.

General Comments:

Enjoyed owning it, just little niggles bugged me.

Faults:

New engine at 10,000 miles, due to knocking bottom end.

New engine tappity on cold start. Started at around 15,000 miles.

General Comments:

The Vauxhall Corsa, now what a popular little car, this is my second after owning an older M reg one.

I bought this SXi 1.2 Twinport model from new, and added a non-offensive spoiler, exhaust and petrol filler cover, just to stand it out from the millions that are on the road.

The car as standard comes with a pretty good trim level, with electric windows and mirrors, PAS, air bags and remote central locking. Upgrade the the SXi as I did, and they throw in alloys, sport seats and bumpers.

All in, on the road £10,280, not bad, but for £1000 cheaper, I could have gone for a Punto, but on this test drive it felt cheap, and the quality was way off the Corsa.

Also, in my eyes, the Corsa would hold its value a lot better, and be more sought after in the used car market.

Now for the car:

Inside it's well put together. Dash seems hard wearing, without being too bold and plastic. The Radio/CD player takes up most of the dash, big easy buttons and big volume controls knob are easy to use, as are heating controls. The analog clock is straight out for the Vauxhall parts bin, as it's on every Vauxhall made since 1993. So that is due for a upgrade.

Driving position is good, and perfect for town driving; sit there for more than a hour or so, and you will find yourself moving about trying to get comfortable.

This car is not a motorway car; it's fine for a quick blast up and down, but a long journey leaves you wanting a bigger car, and not liking the Corsa; wind and engine noise plays a big part in this. Engine is revving at 4,000 at 70mph, which makes you feel you're driving it hard.

Around town, it's perfect, the engine is punchy and gets lively when you push the revs round.

The steering is great on the road, but when parking or slow driving, it can become heavy.

Corsa's do have a fault with the electrically powered steering rack, which can fail and costs £500+ to fix. You have been warned!

Good MPG is easily achieved, around town 36 is average, and out of town can see it as high as 60. Why would anyone get a diesel?

The engine performs well, and the 5 speed gearbox is close ratio, so it zips along nicely. The Ecotec engine can become weak with heavy miles, so dig deep into the service history, especially cam belts. Cam belts are due every 40,000 miles, and could destroy engines if not changed.

I like the way the Corsa looks; it's bigger than the old model, and the bumpers are more solid, so it will take a knock or two from learner drivers.

One thing to note, is that the headlights are not much good. I would upgrade to some better ones from a car spares store for around £30.

Overall, the Vauxhall Corsa is everything it should be, and a little bit more; cool looks, good build quality, and if you look after it, you should get lots of trouble free miles. It will buzz you around in comfort, and give you great MPG, just don't spend too long on the motorway with it.