Faults:

Fuel cap was broken.

Battery coil failed.

Heated rear screen failed.

Rear wash wipe kept tripping its fuse.

Horn came on of its own accord and jammed on!!

Bulkhead rusted through, causing major water leak.

CV joints needed replacing.

General Comments:

This car was a major disappointment in some ways, but very good in others.

Reliability was probably the worst I have seen on any Nova.

Performance on the other hand was excellent for a 1.2 55bhp car.

Handling was also good, considering that the car was 11 years old, on standard suspension and with fairly skinny tyres (155/70/13).

Most of the faults described above were electrical; mechanically the car was bullet-proof and felt like it would rev forever (all Vauxhall engines of this era are like this I am told).

Underneath the car and inside the wheel arches had been treated with rust protection, so the car was virtually rust free.

Trim was basic but hey, this was a Merit! Spec was no worse than the equivalent Fiesta/AX/205/Metro etc.

In my humble opinion the Nova is one of the best first cars / cheap runabouts that money can buy (so long as you get a good one!!).

Faults:

Brakes have been warped.

Gearbox was a bit dodgy.

VERY sticky clutch.

Rust on the arches.

General Comments:

Reasonable acceleration for a first car.

Cheap to insure, which means more cash for modifying!!

Great fun racing Fiesta 1.0/1.1's.

Great fun thrashing Metro 1.0/1.1's.

Needs a major interior upgrade - GSi stuff on the way.

A better drive than my Ford Orion, had to sell it because it cost too much to run (I'm only 17!)

When looking tidy, you can quite easily pull in it!

Faults:

The engine has lasted well with no serious faults.

Driver'a side caliper seized.

Steering rack needed replacing.

Faulty ignition switch caused an electrical fire which melted a lot of the wiring loom.

The gearbox and clutch needed replacing before I got the car at 80000 miles.

General Comments:

For a 1300CC engine this car is seriously quick and is easily one of the most powerful 1.3 engines ever mass produced with 75 brake horse power as standard on post 1985 SR models (72 on pre 1985 SR models). The handling is very good for a standard suspension set-up.

The 1.3 over head cam engine also responds well to tuning and the other parts of the car are easily and cheaply modified.

However, the SR retained the brakes from the standard 1.3 Nova which means they do not match the performance of the car which lets the car down.

The ride can be a bit bumpy and noisy, but not unusual for a car of that age and size.

Faults:

Rust in the engine bay, bad enough to fail its M.O.T. Small amounts of rust around the bodywork, but not serious.

Driver's seat showing signs of wear.

Sunroof has a slight leak.

General Comments:

The GTE is a super car, it's fast and fun.

Parts are cheap and it's easy to repair.

Like all old Vauxhalls, they are easy to get into, so make it secure.

Ideal second car, not really a motorway car due to the hard ride and lack of space. Ideal for around town and boy racing!!

Faults:

The brake discs were badly warped, so I replaced them and the pads all round.

The fuel line between the pump and carburettor sprung a big leak, but was easily changed in 5 minutes.

The only big engine problem (and even it was relatively minor) was that the electronic ignition module failed at 82000 miles, but was easy to fix.

All the wheel bearings have been replaced.

The offside outer CV joint and track rod end have just been replaced to cure a knocking noise at speed.

General Comments:

My Nova Club is a cracking little car and in the 11 years it has been in the family, it has only broken down once - the battery packed up!

Things that have gone wrong are from normal wear and tear, and the parts are so cheap.

7 of my friends have Novas, all modified to some degree.

I have done extensive modifications to my car (interior, ICE, engine bay cosmetics) and I am going to get alloys, lower the suspension, and put the late Nova front on.

The bodywork is great for an E-reg - the arches are fairly rusty, but not as bad as some J-reg Novas I have seen! There is some rot on the O/S front strut, and a bit on the boot floor, but it is all easily welded.

The Club's bright interior is cool. I have added an SR dial set - rev counter, etc with white backgrounds, and highlighted the dash panels with aluminium paint which looks very up-to-date.