There still are cars that live forever (Vauxhall Corsa Comfort 1.0i 12v 5-door)

Member Name: EJOC

Product:	Vauxhall Corsa Comfort 1.0i 12v 5-door
Date:	01/03/09 (194 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap to buy in second hand. Great durability

Disadvantages: The plastic used inside the car is not of top nitch quality

The Vauxhall Corsa is a very popular car that is currently on its 5th or 6th generation and continues to please it owners. In this review, I'm going to describe the third generation (also known as Corsa "C"), Vauxhall Corsa 1.0i 12v from 2001.

First of all, let me inform you of the history of the Vauxhall (Or Opel if you're not in the UK) Corsa before the Corsa "C" arrived.


*****CORSA "A"*******

The first generation of the Corsa appeared in 1982 throughout Europe and only appeared in the UK a little bit latter and was known as the Vauxhall Nova.

These cars where known as the Corsa "A" and were built in General Motors's factory in Zaragoza, Spain and exported to the U.K.

The Corsa "A" (Nova), was designed to replace the Vauxhall Kadett which was a very popular model due to its durability but was starting to see its sales falling because the Kadett models were too outdated compared to the likes of the Renault 5 or the Ford Fiesta.

The Corsa "A", as its antecessors, touted fantastic durability, good mechanical construction and cheap price. Several motor versions were made available which ranged from an economical three cylinder, 1 liter engine to a powerful 1.6L engine with 99hp (100ps) which could reach 120 mph.

All Corsa's are front wheel drive cars even the Corsa "A". This allowed these cars to curve better which is essential for small cars meant for driving in cities, such as the Corsa.

The Corsa "A" received a small update in 1990 but only in 1993 it was replaced by the Corsa "B".


*****CORSA "B"*******

The Corsa B was introduced in 1993 and was completely different from the Corsa "A". The Corsa "B"'s design was filled with curves and the car increased a few centimeters in height and length. The new Corsa had optional power steering and airbags, new engines and completely different materials. The UK version of the Corsa "B" was also built in Zaragoza and reached the British market in 1994.

The Corsa "B" was also known for its durability and for its economical engines but some poor mechanical designing led to ineffective engines and gearboxes which, in turn, led to weak dynamic behavior.


*****CORSA "C"*******

Finally, the Corsa "C".
The Corsa "C" was introduced in 2000 and was also constructed in Zaragoza, Spain or in Argentina; however, the first models right hand drive cars reached the UK in mid 2002.

In this version, Vauxhall was not willing to commit the mistakes of the Corsa "B". New engines were introduced which more horsepower, higher binaries and lower consumption. These new engines were labeled Ecotec engines, due to their very low consumption and good performance.

The engine in the 1.0 version presented above, is a 1 liter engine with 58 hp and goes from 0-62 mph in 18 seconds. The car has very good acceleration due to the very short initial gears which maintains the engine's revs up until third or fourth gear is placed. The Corsa "C" also received new suspensions which are substantially harder than those of the Corsa "B". This means that the car curves a lot better but everybody in the car will feel every hole or bump in the road.

The maximum speed of the Corsa "C" 1.0 is 105 mph (approximately 170 kph) which is more than enough for a car of this size.

The interior of the car is of good quality and most of the controls are quite simple to find and to use. The rounded design of the car permits that the spacing between front and back seats are generous and the boot is quite large and the space is well organized.

The extra's are also quite attractive since the Corsa "C" comes with EPS (Electronic power steering), ABS, airbags for the driver and front seat passenger, electric front windows, etc. Optional extra's include a sun roof, a radio with CD player and alarm.

The other good aspect of this car is fuel economy since, even in cities, the Corsa "C" will use up between 5 and 6.5 liters per 100Kms.

On a more negative side, I believe the gas tank is quite small (With about £35 it is possible to fill up a Vauxhall Corsa "C") and the plastic used for the dashboard seems very cheap.


*****Overall opinion*******

Overall, a very inexpensive car which is still a great purchase (considering that second hand cars are considerably cheaper than brand new cars and that the Corsa's do tend to live many years). I'm very satisfied with my Corsa and I believe that I'll replace it with another Corsa (Of probably another generation).

Summary: Overall, A fantastic car to own

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