Faults:

CV joints have needed replacing a couple of times.

Rear windscreen washer pipe started leaking after freezing in icy weather and fluid leaked into rear light area causing bulbs to blow.

General Comments:

This car has been the most reliable I have ever had: it has never let me down.

At 78,000 miles I made a 1020 mile round trip and still got 52 mpg fuel consumption from it.

My only complaint is the off-set pedals meaning the driver's seating position is slightly skewed.

Faults:

Headlight bulb blown.

Sidelight bulb blown.

General Comments:

Very economical car.

Generally good all round.

Nothing extremely high tech with this car, but a good first car.

Sound system is disappointing, however easily accessible for upgrades.

Shame there is no power steering.

The gears feel very comfortable and seem to go in very well.

Very spacious with a large boot space.

Faults:

Usual things, I go through brakes very quickly.

Had a holed oil sump @ 60k miles - but this again was totally my fault for jumping humpbacks!

General Comments:

Being my first car, it was obviously going to be mistreated, has had umpteen sets of new (Michelin) tires, a huge stereo & a K&N air filter.

Body work is in mint condition and the interior has held up to five years of driving drunk lads back from the pub & various takeaways extreemly well.

The car has not been designed for speed or racing cornering, it has alarming body roll and skinny tyres, but it is a hoot to drive and it is simple to provoke some tail out and comedy style tyre squeal.

In terms of performance, it isn't too bad to be honest, the auto box mutes the 1.4 slightly, but the K&N filter helps things and improves the sound 10 fold.

The local Vauxhall dealership are always cheery enough and have done my little Corsa well over the years.

Alas, shes over 7 years old now, I'm going to upgrade to a new Corsa sxi 1.4 manual, and pass the Corsa on to a careful driver who will look after her!

Faults:

It has required a timing belt change at 62,000 miles as a precaution. It then chewed its way through the next belt at 90,000 miles damaging all the teeth on one of the cogs, and also taking great pieces out of the casing.

It had a lambda sensor replaced at 70,000 miles as the car was running unsteady at constant throttle positions. It has now started to run unsteady again and will probably require another sensor.

It had the two rear shock absorbers replaced at 92,000 as one was weeping and would fail its M.O.T.

It regularly blows rear, near side tail light bulbs, and the number plate light requires an occasionally thump to get it to work.

The radio struggles to pick up any decent radio stations on the FM frequency, so it's old music time or cassettes.

It had a water pump fitted at 70,000 miles.

It went back to the dealer to have the work done on the seat rails.

General Comments:

If you want a high performance car, save up and buy one.

If you want an economical car buy something that sips petrol.

This car can give you fun driving without costing you the earth to run. It will seat four large adults, over six feet tall in comfort, and will happily carry two adults and three kids with a fair amount of luggage over seven hundred miles in a day. I have done this trip so I know.

Find yourself a reputable specialist rather than an actual dealer, this could save you a fortune in servicing.