Who says Vauhall makes naff cars?! (Vauxhall Corsa SXi 1.2i 16v 3-door)

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Product:	Vauxhall Corsa SXi 1.2i 16v 3-door
Date:	18/12/03 (942 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great price, Great drivability, Great looking

Disadvantages: n/a, n/a, n/a

The very first car all my friends bought was a vauxhall Corsa Sxi. I can now owned tell you about this car and at the same time let you all in on a little secret, it is fantastic!

Initially i had reservations about Vauxhall as i had heard they were unreliable and badly built, however after a test drive in both the new corsa and the astra I decided that at least the build quality was not true. Both cars felt very well screwed together, no rattles, squeaks or groans. The interiors were made from top quality plastic that looks just that, not like some of these new cars that roll off the production lines, not mentioning any names, some just look like they've been made for a kiddie's toy, really cheap plastic with no saving graces. I can happily report that this is true of all the Corsas I have seen. The interiors are top notch, and on the SXi models you get some fine details. the chrome ringed instrument dials are my favourite. I also love the sporty white dials that come as standard.

I have mentioned the inside, so what about the outside? no problems there either. I love the styling, an aggressive front end, nice flowing lines down the side and a purt bum. Just the ticket for an up coming professional like myself. Also it looks extremely good in black (my chosen colour) even if that does bump the price up a little (about £300 at the time).

On the reliability front I have nothing to report, no problems whatsoever after 2 years.

I mention the astra runs beautifully, the engine even though it is fairly small at 1.2 has bags of torque, and the maximum comes at a low 4500 rpm so this little car is a pocket rocket, it shifts when you want it to. With the max torque at such low revs this provides for very safe and easy overtaking and very pleasant motorway driving, no need to drop a gear to accelerate efficiently.

All in all a wonderful little car that I could recommend to anyone and if they have the same deal as at pr
esent, it is great value. 0% credit for 3 years is fantastic for any car but throw in one years free insurance and 3 years AA cover and you are laughing. Whilst we are on the subject of money I would point out that the running costs seem fairly standard. The insurance group is fairly low for 1.2, a tank of fuel costs about £30 and lasts about 400 miles which I have no complaints about, and lastly the dealer service costs are very reasonable; first service just over £90.

To finish off I would also like to add that the dealers were extremely helpful at every stage of the purchasing procedure and the aftercare cannot be faulted either. The only piece of advice is I would add is don't take the dealers word for the price, he'll give it to you for less than what he first tells you, especially at the end of the month. I got about £850 off the list price with a little haggling.

If you are looking for a small funky run around, give the Corsaa a go, it could be the best thing you ever did.

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