Faults:

Anti Roll bar bushes worn out – excessive journeys over speed bumps.

Engine management unit failed (£400 of damage).

Driver’s door lock failed –failing again.

Expansion bottle seal failed.

On my fourth windscreen.

General Comments:

I largely bought the car on the back of owning a corsa for five years. The car is a special bodied corsa really, but that's not an insult. Back in 1996 there were not many small cars offering all the extras available on the Tigra it was a natural choice anyway.

I chose a bright yellow MTV model that I never manage to loose in car parks. I have never had an accident in the car, but have recently cut the paintwork to bring back the natural colour and shine. Sadly for some sort of mad reason Vauxhall chose to use black undercoat beneath the yellow paintwork which looks particularly bad on the front bumper now its stone chipped. It's a shame that something other than a black interior was all that was available and the seats could have more side support.

The car is sporty enough for me, though a 2 litre would be nice I imagine the insurance cost would be high. If driven carefully the 1.6 engine is economical and powerful when needed. If driven hard the fuel gauge suffers as well as oil consumption.

There are only a few things I'd change:

Folding door mirrors

Block off that silly hole in the rear seat.

CD holder in centre console for those fitted with cod player as standard, rather than cassette holder.

Improve technique for changing headlamp bulbs-removing part of the bumper then the headlamp is ridiculous.

Dark tints on the side windows which match the back window.

I'm now entering my seventh year of owning the Tigra so it can't be that bad, however getting the right dealer (Vantage Burnley / Whitmore's Edenbridge) is as critical as regular dealer servicing.

Faults:

The grey bumper bits are faded (but have colour coded ones now).

Driver's foot mat has bent up at the clutch, and gets in the way.

General Comments:

The Vauxhall Corsa is a fantastic 1st car, great stuff!

It's extremely fast for a 1.2.

The standard stereo is great (Grundig).

The shape of the car is great.

Modifications for the Corsa are great.

VERY CHEAP to run.

Looks sporty (standard).

Faults:

There was a fault with driver's door window mechanism. This was later corrected by the Vauxhall dealer.

There was a problem with the passenger side radio speaker. This was later fixed by myself.

The biggest problem so far has to be the white paintwork on the bonnet. It is easily chipped and damaged.

General Comments:

This car is very reliable, very economical, and is ideal as a small family car.

Faults:

Temperature sensor went.

Rear box went.

Control for the auto choke was found disconnected after a Vauxhall dealer service!

General Comments:

Great little car.

Has problems with vibration over 80+mph.

Sometimes wet start problems.

Cheap to run - 40-50mpg <60mph, 30-40 mpg - <85mph.

Too many blind spots!

Faults:

No faults so far.

General Comments:

Overall a lovely motor, very quick.

The handling isn't that good, but I lowered it, and now it is perfect.

Faults:

Driver's window stiff, dealer fixed.

Various rattles.

Engine management warning light comes on then off for days at a time.

Excess tire wear.

General Comments:

Steering heavy.

Flat and slow.

Too much body roll. No anti roll bars fitted.

Don't bother to overtake.

My knee hits the window winder handle. It hurts!