Buying my Coupe has left my wife and I with a couple of interesting issues, namely
1) She says she'd be far too scared to drive it ever (she passed her test 9 years ago, and hasn't driven a car since. Keeps meaning to start again, but hasn't done so yet)
2) I'm not having a great deal of luck selling the Alfa (and again, she's less than enthusiastic to make that her first car
Combined with several occasions recently where it has become clear that her starting to drive herself would be very beneficial, this has led to 'The Plan'.
Being a pretty generous chap (and modest to boot!) I have told her that she can have the Alfa to use as a part x-er for whatever, more sedate, car she decides she would like.
So to the 2001 Corsa 1.2i which we saw last night in a local independant dealer, for £3,695. Seems pretty perfect for her, has the all-important PAS, and a CD-player which she was very much hoping for. She likes the look of the car, and the colour. Am due to have the salesman round to look at the Alfa on Saturday morning, hopefully to offer a respectable amount in return.
So, basically, what I'm asking is:
Does anyone have any experience of this model car, and what can you tell me about it.
Are there other models she should also be considering? (Bear in mind, the Jazz and new shape Fiesta only came out in 02, and are beyond the amount of money she's willing to pay out.)
|
if it were me id hold out for the newest yaris you can afford or new model micra
cd player is pretty cheap addition to base yaris
|
|
Micra can be discounted as possibly one of the most horrendous looking cars on the road today, Yaris is a good call though, and may be a possibility. Cheers.
|
|
|
|
Y reg punto or later? The mark 2 versions have 4 star ncap rating. I don't know how the corsas fair.
If you want to venture down towards Stoke then there are a couple of fiat dealers worth trying - marsons & platts. The latter also do alfas so you might find they give a better trade in. They are also doing brand spanking new pandas for £4999 and a few good 0% offers which might also appeal to your mrs. With the plate change coming up in a few weeks I'd imagine dealers will be keener to sell you a 53 plater rather than a second hand car.
Mangoletsi are to the north of you but I'd be wary of them *cough*
teabelly
|
|
|
|
You could get a very good Micra for that money. More relaible. I agree PAS is a must, but I have always been amazed how individuals lust after a CD player when buying a secondhand car. Young lads in particular seem to make this the prime reason for purchase, ignoring the gearbox and engine. I have just fitted one of those £90 Halfords Sony CD/radios. It is simple, easy to fit, great sound, and at that money very reasonable. Don't worry about the CD, they were once expensive they are now cheaper and better.
|
Good point about the CD, and we certainly won't be basing a purchase on such a thing.
The Micra could be made of solid gold though, and I still wouldn't be able to make myself set foot near it.
I mean, what's with the shape? It's like they've got a smaller cars top, plonked it on a larger cars bottom, then just filled in where it didn't fit properly with gaffer tape.
|
|
Oh, looks like the Yaris is out of the running too. Within our price range there is only the 1.0, which doesn't seem to be very well recommended.
|
|
My local Ford dealer had a new shape 03 Fiesta marked up for £3999, it was the 1.3 in white but there must be a few others about in that of price range.
|
yaris 1.0 is great actually i love em
have a test drive u'll be surprised
much nippier than the 1.0 tag suggests
certainly preferable to a 1.2 corsa in my view
|
|
|
|
It's always worth trying a Ford Ka - they've been around since P-reg so there should be one to suit whatever price you want to pay, within reason. More fun to drive than a Corsa, although this may not be a priority as you used the word 'sedate'!
Some Vauxhalls have their brake pedal much higher than the accelerator: some hate it, some get used to it. I can't remember if the Corsa has this problem as it's some time since I drive one.
|
I have to agree there, i mean if u dont mind havin a small boot & havin just 2 seats in the back then you are laughing, there are so many to choose from!! Just make sure it has been serviced on a regular basis because of the spark plugs gettin stuck in the head unless its a later model (from 03 reg) with the new duratec engine woteva its called!!!! Oh & dont forget the trim condition as paint can flake off the corners around the bumpers which may indicate its been in a prang! i have 1 remember!!!
--
Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)
|
Again, the Ka is definitely something she was considering, but by all accounts the 1.3 engine which is the only one we could get is terrible - outdated, noisy and slow.
From my own experience, I have a friend who had that engine in a Fiesta, and it sounded so bad I literally did not believe that it wasn't a diesel at first.
If we can find one to test-drive though, we'll see what our own impressions are.
|
if you buy a KA make sure all the plugs come out, their most likely issue is welded in plugs, old threads on this
id still go for the yaris but hey its a free country
remember power and acceleration do not tie directly to engine size these days
|
|
I'm not going off engine size, I have read several reviews which have said the 1.0 Yaris is very unsuited for anything othe than town driving.
|
|
and a 1.2 corsa is suitable for motorways?
|
Well, I never mentioned motorways, but the various reviews I've read have had this to say about the Corsa:
"Nippy"
"the 1.2 is the best combination of economy and performance"
and this to say about the Yaris
"The 1.0 requires patience to drive out of town but others are nippy"
"underpowered"
taking two pretty representative quotes for each.
|
If you buy a Ka try and get something after an 03 reg, I think that was when they upgraded the engine and it got quieter and more powerful, you should be able to tell by listening to it.
Blue
|
If thinking about something Ka size how about a Seat Arosa. Driven a few as courtesy cars and were a lot of fun. The 1.0 litres were decent enough, but would go bigger engine.
Most enjoyable was the 1.4 TDi that had for a day.
Small boot and limited rear space though.
|
To be honest, I am trying to steer away from the Ka, I'm not a big fan of small cars. Obviously she's quite keen on small for parking ease etc though.
Keep the suggestions coming chaps, getting plenty to think about here.
|
|
Also worth noting that the Corsa platform is pretty old - much older than the Yaris so ride quality will probably not be as good, reliability of Yaris will probably be far better as will build quality. Corsa is a bit long in the tooth IMHO.
Other obvious options are Clio (iffy build quality/reliability but good road manners), Saxo - pretty basic & build/reliability probably slightly worse than the Clio.
Have a look at the Top Gear survey results for 2003 - pretty useful guide to general ownership
|
Again, thanks for all the advice.
Blue, cheers for that. I doubt we'll be able to stretch to that new a Ka, but it's good to have an approximate date for the change over, and you never know - one may come up.
I am aware of the Corsa's age as a disadvantage, we'll have to see from the test-drive.
JD, if a Yaris comes up as a possibility, I would certainly test-drive one and see for myself before discounting it from someone elses opinion.
If all I cared about was Journos opinions, I doubt my current and last cars would have been a Fiat Coupe and an Alfa 145!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
X reg onward Corsas are wonderful cars, beautifully built, with cheap parts, servicing and insurance. Given that Vauxhall (and Opel) have sold bucket loads, very few appear with problems on this site. The 1.2 engine is quick for its size.
|
|
|
