1980 Vauxhall Viva L 1.3 cc HC petrol from UK and Ireland
Summary:
A cheap runabout with a bit of style
Faults:
34K-Badly repaired clutch cable broke.
43K-Head gasket and piston rings went (replaced engine + g/box)
47K-Head gasket blew.
General rust and rot repaired as and when required/discovered!
General Comments:
The car goes alright - in a straight line. Any help or advice on how to improve the handling relatively cheaply would be greatly appreciated.
I ran a mk2 Astra before this Viva (my second one) and although the Viva is slower its so much better made and more solid I'd have one instead of an Astra anyday.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 22nd May, 2002
9th Oct 2005, 03:30
Hi.
If you want to make the Viva be sportier to handle, I would suggest the following:
A) Get a set of wider rim wheels with the same PCD (pitch circle diameter) and offset, as fitted to the Vauxhall Magnum (essentially a larger engined, more luxuriously appointed Viva) that will allow the fitment of larger section radial ply tyres.
The car corners better on 175/70 x 13s i/o the skinny 155 x 13s originally fitted. You could go for 185/70 x 13s as well with the wider wheels, but be careful of fouling the arches under full load.
B) Fit anti-roll bars front and rear.
C) Have your shocks checked - they could be worn and causing the car to roll and pitch markedly.
Cheers!