Vauxhall Nova 1.2 > Reviews > Oh The Humble Nova

Author's product rating:   

Safety	Satisfactory
Comfort	Good
Road Handling	Excellent
Security	Poor
Looks	Excellent

Advantages:	Small, Cheap Tax, Good On Fuel, Old School Styling
Disadvantages:	Easy To Steal

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Oh the humble old nova what a fantastic car, the first of my nova's was the 1.2 antibes limited edition in a fantastic blue colour, what a car I absolutely loved it. I couldnt help but fall in love with it the moment I saw it.

The Nova 1.2 8 valve what a great little car with a great little engine. This engine is brilliant I had no problems at all with the nova I had. I only finally got rid of it because I was short of cash and my friend offered me £300 for it.

The nova has brilliant handling, great fuel economy for an engine which gives really good performance. It has a low tax band, great for you first time drivers and to be honest even now nearing 2007 it still has great looks (Well I think so anyway). It also has a really good ride comfort for such a dated car.

If you are going to get a 1.2 nova and you want better styling then get yourself a 1991 onwards model because Vauxhall uprated the looks (They used different headlights, better seats, wider arches and different wings) but unfortunately they used single point injection so the performance was slightly reduced. If you want better performance from your 1.2 then go for the Pre 1991 model Nova becauase Vauxhall used standard carburettor engines which had slightly better performance.

Anyway I personally love the Nova and will always back it up when someone gives it a bad name. If you want a really sporty nova then check out the GTE/GSi models with 1.6 8 valve engines. Or if you want Vauxhall's up to date version of the Nova check out the Corsa.

There is a few things I wouldnt trust in a Nova and thats the fact that they are so easy to steal and the majority of Nova's have been stolen at some point in their life, another thing is I wouldnt like have a smash in a Nova because basically they are just tin boxes with wheels and they crumple easy.
The features of a Nova aren't that great, if you're lucky you may find one with a sunroof and even more luck if you get one with electric windows but dont expect air con because you wont find it.

As I said I love the Nova but make up your own mind and get one because they are so cheap and fun. I would recommend it anybody after a cheap, reliable, easy to drive car.