Advantages: Economy, Cheap Spares / Servicing, Compact
Disadvantages: Lack of Space, Strange Power Steering, Heavy Accelerator, Sloggy Engine

...The first Corsa I ever drove was an Opel (I don't think there was a British version then) in Gran Canaria in 1991. Nine years later, I was looking for a small, economical runabout and remembered the Corsa. I test drove a Vauxhall Club and discovered a few built-in problems but decided I could live with these and bought a new 1.2 in metallic silver. I still have that car and so this is a long-term, five year test of the small Corsa (as opposed to the bigger version marketed a little later). I'll start with a brief overview of this 'compact'. At first glance it appears to be a small, light, nippy car, which is what it should be. However, this view is somewhat dispelled when you start driving the Club. Unexpectedly, the power-steering is heavy at low speeds and the accelerator is heavy all the time. The engine characteristics... Read review

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Advantages: 3 years warranty/breakdown cover 1 year free insurance
Disadvantages: Price a little steep starting at £7495 for expression model

...Ive been the owner of the Vauxhalls new model Corsa now for a month.At first I was put off the vehicle with it having only a 1 litre three cylinder engine, but I have to say even with a full load of 4 adults it still pulls very willingly.The engine does however make a funny washing machine sound when pushed hard.Its a very pleasant car to drive, I upgraded from a old corsa and can see the huge difference in the new car.I feel Vauxhall have improve the gear change and ride quality no end.While the speed sensitive power steering is out of this world. Ive got a three door model(five door due out early 2001), access to the rear for adults is tricky.But once they are seated there is plently of space.I like the height adjusting drivers seat with means bother me (6 foot 5) and my girlfriend (5 foor 5) have no problems finding the car... Read review

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Advantages: Good reliable car
Disadvantages: None really

...Well when my family purchased a new Vauxhall Corsa Club 1.2l 16v car, I was very happy indeed. We have always had Vauxhall's apart from a few disasterous flirts with other brands :) Further to this, I learned to drive 4 years ago with BSM who use 1.0l Corsa's so I was pretty much used to them. However, even I as a loyal Vauxhall fan as surprised at just how good a car the 1.2l Corsa is. The look of the car is pretty OK. Nothing out of the ordinary, just what you expect from a Vauxhall. Infact there is very little difference between any makes of car in this day and age, and alot of the cars this size look similar. We bought a silver coloured car and this looked very nice when it was brand new and all shiny. The car I first drove at home was a 1.4l Corsa, and so I was worried when we changed it for the 1.2l that it would not pull... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap on running
Disadvantages: Depreciating value rapidly now!

...I bought my Corsa on recommendation from a Dr who drove a slightly more impressive Astra Coupe. I'd previously had a Ford KA with disasterous consequences. I am no car genius, if I can drive it, it's fine, if it works, it's fine. I bought my Corsa Club on a 51 plate, brand new from a Vauxhall main dealer. For £7495, the spec on this car is relative cheap and cheerful, there's nothing out of the ordinary here. Basic is the key word to the Club model, there is a radio with tape player, manual windows but you do get central locking as standard on the Corsa. Other deals included are 3 years warranty, 1 years AA cover and I got got free insurance and the dealer offered 6 months tax as part of the deal. So, what does it offer? For me, I needed a small car and it offers me the small car mentality with a bit of space to pack in your... Read review

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Advantages: Small
Disadvantages: High fuel consumption (auto box), dodgy power steering, no brakes

...In March 2000, I purchased a new Corsa Club 1.2 (see review) and, at the same time, my wife bought a new CDX variant. We were both unaware at the time that Vauxhall were about to launch the bigger and (?)better new Corsa but that's history now. My wife liked the Club but decided on the CDX as it had a few flash components (for those days) such as air-con (usually an extra in then), fancy interior, passenger airbag (why?), alarm, and alloy wheels. The wife's version had 4-speed auto-transmission (on a 1.2l car!). It also had a storage tray under the passneger seat (wow!) and electric front windows as standard. Importantly, it also had ABS. Anyway, I had reason to use this car a few times and can report as follows: Auto-transmission - good grief, the manual has little enough grunt but the auto was absolutely useless... Read review

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Advantages: Reliable name, garage/customer service
Disadvantages: bit expensive.

...I have just sold my Corsa Club 1.0L.I managed to clock up 33,000+ before i sold it,the car is a ver nice little runner. When i first bought the car i paid extra for a CD player and remote control central locking.I was used to an old banger before, but as soon as i started the Corsa, the engine was smooth, hardly any noise. I bought the car for £7,995 and sold it privatly for £3,000,i would recommend the car it is a nice little runner, ok for a first time buyer or someone who doesn't want something to flash. The car is good on fuel also,i put £20 every week which takes me well over 300 miles each time,i'm also suprised how fast it is, mine was a 1.0L, knowing that when i pulled upto traffic lights with say a 1.6L car, i managed to beat it away most times, i don't know if that is me the driver or the car, but it kept me from... Read review

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Advantages: Good range of feature. Cheap running costs.
Disadvantages: Very common cars.

...This is the Second of the Corsa C Models we have owned. Our first car was a 2000 model 1.0 Club which served us well during the 2 years we owned it. The car was cheap to run, nice to drive, but was let down by the basic equipment Vauxhall gave us as Standard. Why Another Corsa. ****************** In January and Feburary I had 2 different new shape Fiesta as hire cars and I did rate the drive and comfort of the cars very highly. They were similar to drive as the excellant all round Focus model. You did feel a lot of bumps in the road but in general it was a very good car. The first Fiesta was a 1300 Finesse which was as slow as they come. You didnot change into second gear until 50 mph....well it felt that way!. The car was way to slow. The next Fiesta was a 1400 LX and was quicker if you revved it hard. The reason that a 1400... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap to run, low tax band, can get them quite cheap
Disadvantages: Older models may show wear and tear, uses oil quickly

...My last car was a vauxhall corsa and i must say i was sad to see it go.. overall the car was very reliable. It has many good points such as it was cheap to run. I used to do long journeys weekly. The petrol costs were resonable considering the soring prices. Tax for the corsa club is cheap as it is in the lower band. The car is varley spacious and comfortable if you are travelling with others. However some of these models are getting old now like mine it was beinging to show wear and tear. In the winter months when it became cold I had a lot of problems starting my car even after i had my car looked at. The oil would run out very quickly which apparently is quite common in this model! I would recommend this car in newer model as older models may show wear and tear. You can pick these up second hand for resonable prices now... Read review

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Advantages: Easy to drive, economical
Disadvantages: Boring as you can imagine

...LONG TERM TEST: Vauxhall Corsa 1.2i Merit PLODDING ALONG Long term tests can be a Godsend. As motoring journalists we usually have a car for just one or two days which only normally equates to around 4 hours driving time. In this time we have to make judgements which could, we hope, have an effect on whether or not readers buy the car. Having a car for 6 months allows us to make some real judgements of the merits and pitfalls of a car in day to day use. However, in this case, when I was landed with the task of driving Vauxhall’s Corsa 1.2i Merit for 6 months, the 4-hour test seemed much more appealing. It’s not that the Corsa has a bad reputation, it just doesn’t have a good reputation. My assignment was to determine once and for all, is the Corsa any good? The Corsa is an awful piece of automotive engineering. First... Read review

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Advantages: Good easy drive
Disadvantages: Not a boy racer's car

...In early April 2000 I took delivery of a new car. I wanted a car that would suit my usage which would be trips to the shops and short runs (under 10 miles) to visit my kids and grandchildren and maybe the odd trip down the motorway. So I chose the Vauxhall Corsa Club 1.2 16v automatic with power steering in a nice metalic Satin Red. O.K. so there were no electric windows but the central locking, including the fuel filler cap, on locking the driver's door is a boon. Can't forget to lock all doors, boot etc. on parking. Handy also to lock all the doors from the inside simply by pushing down the driver's door lock button. One neat factor was that if the ignition key was still in situ it is impossible to lock yourself out of the car. If you tried, the system would unlock the door as it is closed. For a small car... Read review

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