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[MaxV6]

I have spotted a 2002 Corsa , accident repaired,  for a very attractive price,  as a PX to clear....   

i've asked, by email,  but other than stating that it's been repaired, and has just sailed through an MOT,  (i don't trust that either, as i have no idea of the independence or quality of the MOT tester, we all know SOME dealers own testers will pass almost anything.....  )     the dealer has claimed no detailed knowledge of the repair  category,   or specifics, 

now, that lot sets alarm bells ringing.....  and my first instinct is to avoid like the plague (and such instincts are usually right)

i'm loosely aware some of you guys have the facility to look stuff up that isn;t necessarily otherwise easy to find.....  and i'm cheekily wondering if someone could check this out for me?

if anyone is able to help, I'll PM them the reg no...






while on the subject,  i've expanded the budget a bit up to a nominal figure around  £1250 for the car.....  assuming i can get insurance under £1500

so if you know of an alternative small engine , cheap assed auto for sale.....   let me know....



thanks chaps.... 

[jyr001]

If I could pursuade my wife to part with our Corsa Auto I'd be happy for you to take a look at it. It's old (95 on an M plate) but we've had it since new and it only has 32k miles on it. It has aged but it's not at all bad. The problem is wifey is sentimentally attached to it - even though she wont drive it any more - and none of the kids are interested either. Eventually she will disintegrate into a pile of rust or fail her MOT miserably and then she'll have to go (the car not the wife).  Mind you, perhaps it'd be cheaper to get rid of her indoors instead. There's a thought.

[MaxV6]

lol.....      i know what that's like,  i was sentimentally attached to my 3.0 v6 Sintra for far too long.....     


i'm currently looking at wandering up to birmingham later today to view this 2002, 44K mile Corsa 1.4 auto "comfort" ..... 


frankly a little nervous.......   i've had variable success spotting good and bad stuff and estimating repair costs over the last few years....

got Parker's guides  spec list and buyers guide check list for the model....       


i guess we'll see..... 


i'm prepared to walk away, but i'll have a pushy 18 year old daughter in tow......  desperate to get a car THIS weekend..... 

 she may not forgive me .....   but i do not want to buy a dog..... 

[jyr001]

When I broached the subject of my daughter taking on our Corsa a couple of years ago she recoiled in horror ('cos it was an auto) and after making enquiries about insurance (its a CDX) I wasn't too unhappy. It's difficult to see how kids can get started nowadays unless they're hanging off mum or dads policy. Happy hunting and remember its often cheaper to walk away it's just so damn time consuming.

[Murph]

I have a '99 Corsa 1.4 16v CDX auto on my drive I'm looking to be shot of.

Needs a gearbox though, and the drivers door could do with being replaces as it has been bent down sometime in it's past and is weakened.

I bought it knowing it needed a new engine, bought a 65k lump on ebay, fitted a new vam belt kit and got it in the car.... only to find the bloody box is fragged!

[MaxV6]

i'd get shot for taking on a project car on her behalf Muprh.....    especially as i'm , how shall i put it....  " less than radically motivated to crawl around in the cold with spanners" 


(i understand the theory well enough, and i used to enjoy it in my youth,  before a spinal injury's long term effects disinclined me to be doing such things.....   )


saw the 02 plate,  spotted a number of issues,  like,   bugger all coolant , only came up in to the very bottom of the expansion tank when i released the pressure cap,  several fault codes stored , revealed by the pedal trick,  and engine management light on full time.....    needed a new offside front headlight, as there's serious pitting and loss of mirror surface,  not to mention a bulb out,   how it supposedly got an MOT the day before i'm not sure,  and on the brief test drive, definite signs of shocks being way past their best.....       came away without purchase, then went and saw an 03 plate,  but it's an easytronic, and i've seen enough of them up as spares or repair to know better...... 


got more to see tomorrow..... 

lining up a bunch of them around Hemel , St Albans,  and so on....

[Murph]

I can understand that - my back's shot too.

That bugger's gonna be gone by summer's end though!!!!

[Andy B]

.... 
but it's an easytronic, and i've seen enough of them up as spares or repair to know better...... 

 .......

There does seem to be a lot of them.

Anyone know what the main problems are with these 'boxes? 

[Marks DTM Calib]

.... 
but it's an easytronic, and i've seen enough of them up as spares or repair to know better...... 

 .......

There does seem to be a lot of them.

Anyone know what the main problems are with these 'boxes? 

There isnt one realy, seen a few clogged valve blocks but thats about it.

The biggest issue with them is the lack of understanding of them in the trade.

[Andy B]

.....
There isnt one realy, seen a few clogged valve blocks but thats about it.

The biggest issue with them is the lack of understanding of them in the trade.

Ta.  We might very well be in the same situation re looking for a car for my daughter. I've seen a few Easytronics for sale as 'spares or repair' ............ might be worth a look. 

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Mrs Opti currently drives an immaculate 53 plate Corsa 1.2 SXI.

I bought it for her in September 2011.......18,000 miles only.......full MOT and tax.....£1200.

[Martian]

It's difficult to see how kids can get started nowadays unless they're hanging off mum or dads policy.

Even then some of the prices quoted are nothing short of daylight robbery.

My daughter has been talking about taking her test recently, but the cost of the lessons (£25 a go) are somewhat prohibitive for her at the moment with 2 kids and a weekly wage coming in that is only just above minimum wage.

I then had the brainwave (most logical really) idea of teaching her how to drive using our own car, so contacted our insurance company to see how much it would be to add a 25 year old provisional licence holder to our current policy. We (the missus & I) are both middle aged and have had our licences since we were old enough to drive and our policy currently costs £280 per annum for a 1998 BMW 318 iS with fully comprehensive cover, which is a reasonable price these days I guess.

Obviously I knew they weren't going to add her as a named driver for the usual "nominal amount" that (say) a middle aged driver would be charged, but I was glad I was sitting down when they gave me the price........they wanted another £1243 to add her to the policy 

Needless to say it doesn't surprise me in the slightest when the telly adverts tell me there are 2 milion cars on the road without insurance, although if the tinkers know how many cars aren't insured then why don't they go out and tow the bloody things away so that myself (and all the other legal road users) don't have to listen to crap about the uninsured driver being the reason that insurance is so expensive!!
 

[Martian]

Mrs Opti currently drives an immaculate 53 plate Corsa 1.2 SXI.

I bought it for her in September 2011.......18,000 miles only.......full MOT and tax.....£1200.

It's quite a good "feelgood" factor when you find cars like that.

Our most recent purchase was a result, a one owner from new 1998 BMW 318 iS with full BMW service history and only 44K on the clock and we got it for £600 including a years MOT. It's not immaculate by any stretch of the imagination as it has a handful of "shopping trolley" dents on the OSF wing and drivers door, but they aren't noticeable unless you really start to look closely.
My first thought when I saw the mileage was that the car had been given a haircut, but key components (eg, brake pedal, steering wheel, drivers armrests, etc) show no tell tale signs of wear at all and there is also simply too much paperwork to verify the mileage.

I have had to spend a few quid on various suspension components (mainly bushes) since we bought it, but the only reason for that is because the vehicle simply wasn't used regularly enough by the original owner and the rubber simply dried out & cracked. It goes to Leicester & back (250 mile round trip) on £35 worth of petrol at 70mph all the way, and it's as smooth & quiet as you will get from pretty much any car when driving.

Until we get like Japan (throw the car away at 10 years old) cars like that will be "once in a blue moon" types of find, but well worth keeping once you have found it.

[Andy B]

............they wanted another £1243 to add her to the policy 

Needless to say it doesn't surprise me in the slightest when the telly adverts tell me there are 2 milion cars on the road without insurance,  .....

makes the £100 fine when/if they get caught a worth while risk! 

[MaxV6]

so, this is not going well...


today encompassed 1 S reg dog that claimed to once have been a Corsa  ,  1 already sold clit,  1 beautiful looking Y reg corsa 1.4 comfort....    everything worked,  it drives straight and true.....  for about a mile.....   then the oil light came on....


(i suspect, as it's been stood for a couple of months, and not particularly well serviced beforehand,  a solidification of sludge,  dislodged and now at least partially  blocking the oil pump pick up,   on the basis that it initially started fine, and was quiet and  smooth,  till i gave it a bit of beans....  then the oil light came on,  and i coaxed it the half mile back to the dealer...    checked the oil,  was about half way up the dipstick,   topped it up with a bit of GTX ,  started , again no oil light,  until he went up the road a bit and then gave it some beans going up hill,  and bingo,  oil light flashed, then flashed again, then came on and stayed on....  )


agreed to at least look at it again once it's been flushed through a couple of times.... 


on top of yesterday's disappointment with the 02 plate and 03 plate,   i now have a grumpy teenager ,  a grumpy missus,  and generally would like a ticket to mars please.,...



jeeez,    wish i could afford to insure her an omega....