99 corsa

Horusire

Having a look at this car later and wondering what to look for.

And what does the price look like.

Thanks in advance.

Ahh can't link it. It's 900 euro with 121k miles on it. Nct until Jan 2015.

mullingar

99 corsa?

Everything else on the road is better than those.

I'd sooner gouge my eyes out than drive one of those by choice

Horusire

mullingar wrote: »

99 corsa?

Everything else on the road is better than those.

I'd sooner gouge my eyes out than drive one of those by choice

Omg really?? Why?

It's for a first car if that matters

Toyotafanboi

is it a 1.0 or 1.2? the 1.2 is a little more robust. i had a 1.2 corsa b and the only real trouble with it was rust.

the 1.0 is a bit soft i believe. i'd still shop for other options unless the corsa really appeals to you.

Scoobydoo 2

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

is it a 1.0 or 1.2? the 1.2 is a little more robust. i had a 1.2 corsa b and the only real trouble with it was rust.

the 1.0 is a bit soft i believe. i'd still shop for other options unless the corsa really appeals to you.

I would agree with that although a1.0 would be cheaper to tax and insure and run
Also with that mileage look for blue smoke (piston rings or oil seals )
or white smoke ( head gasket ) all bad news
check the oil filler cap for mayo like foam indicating water in the oil
even though short runs can cause this mayo unless I know the owner I would not take a chance on it
But if your happy that its genuine and there's no obvious issues
why not
Try bargain them down a little as 900 is a little steep for a 99

just my 2p worth

Good luck & happy motoring :-)

road_high

Never heard they were particularly pleasurable to drive or own. Very weedy performance

visual

road_high wrote: »

Never heard they were particularly pleasurable to drive or own. Very weedy performance

Same preformance as other 1 litre cars like micra etc...

wonski

I drove both 1.0 and 1.2.

1.2 is nippy enough, 1.0 - dangerously slow. Never owned one, or would want one, but should be fine as a first car.

OP - look at the Fiesta 1.25 - much nicer setup, good suspension and much more comfortable. If you are happy with the Corsa - nothing wrong with them. Make sure the electric power steering is working properly, cost a fortune to repair.

bazz26

€900 is fairly hefty money for a 15 year old Corsa.

colm_mcm

I can't see how people buy those hateful little things

road_high

I think any similar aged Clio, Fiesta, Micra or any Japanese car will be a lot nicer to own. Even a Punto which has been well minded as they are decent performers. This is GM at their penny-pinching worst.

jodaw

Go for it OP, dont listen to the naysayers, but maybe look for the newer model.

I've had a 1L 01 Corsa C for the last year and put 20K miles on it. Not one single issue and i am getting 58mpg average over them 20K miles.

Already have the 2L turbos, 3l inline 6's and i've had as much fun trying to strangle as many mpg's as possible out of it.

200tax,200insurance and really easy to service yourself. Get the 4l oil from halfords and an oil change will come in under 20.

Seriously easy on the pocket. They need to be driven 80kph and under.

Mine is the worse colour green ever but happy as anything with it. I was considering buying a Range Rover but could not bring myself to do it. I will stick with the corsa another year and take a holiday of a lifetime with the money i would be saving on maintenance.

Good tip also. Look at the amount of them still driving around the place after 15 years. Good sign that they are not as bad a car a people would have you believe. In fact IMO they will be still driving around the place when some new cars are long since scrap metal.

jodaw

Scoobydoo 2 wrote: »

check the oil filler cap for mayo like foam indicating water in the oil

Also this is not necessarily so. Sometimes condensation can accumulate inside the crankcase, especially in winter. This can put mayo on the oil filler cap but in reality there is not an issue the head gasket.

JohnBoy26

Those corsa are a pile of scrap, avoid. get an old daihatsu sirion or Micra if you need a 1 liter and money is tight. Both are reliable with the sirion being pretty much unbreakable. They are a little unrefined however but still a far better car than a corsa.

road_high

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Those corsa are a pile of scrap, avoid. get an old daihatsu sirion or Micra if you need a 1 liter and money is tight. Both are reliable with the sirion being pretty much unbreakable. They are a little unrefined however but still a far better car than a corsa.

Those little Daihatsu's were unsung hero's. They're a modern enough (for the time) design, top notch Japanese build and relability, frugal, decent safety kit and spec. And lively performance.

jodaw

road_high wrote: »

Those little Daihatsu's were unsung hero's. They're a modern enough (for the time) design, top notch Japanese build and relability, frugal, decent safety kit and spec. And lively performance.

Problem with some of the Daihatsu's is that parts can be hard to source and expensive.

road_high

jodaw wrote: »

Problem with some of the Daihatsu's is that parts can be hard to source and expensive.

Can you get parts from Toyota dealers for them? Or the ex Daihatsu dealers around the country.

jodaw

road_high wrote: »

Can you get parts from Toyota dealers for them? Or the ex Daihatsu dealers around the country.

Not sure, but remember looking at one the newer Charade's and the guy was mentioning 600 euro for new exhaust parts.

The OP was asking about a first car. Something like a Micra or a Corsa would be perfect. I was just giving my experience of the Corsa C and that i have not had any issues at all.

Toyotafanboi

jodaw wrote: »

Go for it OP, dont listen to the naysayers, but maybe look for the newer model.

I've had a 1L 01 Corsa C for the last year and put 20K miles on it. Not one single issue and i am getting 58mpg average over them 20K miles.

Already have the 2L turbos, 3l inline 6's and i've had as much fun trying to strangle as many mpg's as possible out of it.

200tax,200insurance and really easy to service yourself. Get the 4l oil from halfords and an oil change will come in under 20.

Seriously easy on the pocket. They need to be driven 80kph and under.

Mine is the worse colour green ever but happy as anything with it. I was considering buying a Range Rover but could not bring myself to do it. I will stick with the corsa another year and take a holiday of a lifetime with the money i would be saving on maintenance.

Good tip also. Look at the amount of them still driving around the place after 15 years. Good sign that they are not as bad a car a people would have you believe. In fact IMO they will be still driving around the place when some new cars are long since scrap metal.

we're not "naysaying", it's the truth. they aren't the best. yours is a corsa c not a corsa b using the z10 not the x10 1.0 engine that would be found in a 99, and although they have a lot in common are far from the same.

the running costs you quote could be achieved in any 1.0/ 1.2 small hatch car and tbh i find it hard to believe you got insurance for €200 flat.

58mpg achieved by sticking to 80km/h also sounds horrible for many reasons.

the fact remains, if i had €900 and wanted a small starter car, i wouldn't go near a corsa when there are so many better options.

CaSCaDe711

OP, I'd probably opt for a Japanese car instead (Toyota, Nissan, Mistubishi, Honda, Mazda, Suzuki, Daihatsu, Isuzu etc), especially if in the same year, as they were much more reliable.

JohnBoy26

jodaw wrote: »

Problem with some of the Daihatsu's is that parts can be hard to source and expensive.

There is no problem getting any consumables for them at any motor factors. Headlamps and the likes are more difficult to source but they are still relatively easy to source at a breakers.

visual

Corsa B is cheap to run cheap to repair and cheap to maintain. Easy to work on and because they have no frills reliable little car.

1.0 litre is no sports car but it does the job
last time I looked it up it was as good if not better in acceleration than most of the other 1 litre cars. The exception was toyota yaris it was quicker and better car but they cost a lot more.

only thing I have against it is no ABS

The 3 cylinder engine is as reliable as any other engine but it is a little noisy.
Worn timing chain will sound rattly when reving engine. ( avoid if it sounds bad as it will eat into your budget if you get it replaced)

Oil presure switchs can leak oil its simple fix 7 euro part. 10 min job to change.

Other problems are rear wheel bearings again very cheap fix 12.50 euro per bearing. If faulty you'll hear a hum above 40 from back of car.

Because of their age avoid any with bluish smoke from exhaust when reving engine.

If you can bring Mechanic with you to give car the once over.

Good tip is look first your self if your happy and convince its the car for you arrange to come back with mechanic. Only after mechanic gives you thumbs up then make an offer on car.

JohnBoy26

visual wrote: »

Corsa B is cheap to run cheap to repair and cheap to maintain. Easy to work on and because they have no frills reliable little car.

1.0 litre is no sports car but it does the job
last time I looked it up it was as good if not better in acceleration than most of the other 1 litre cars. The exception was toyota yaris it was quicker and better car but they cost a lot more.

only thing I have against it is no ABS

The 3 cylinder engine is as reliable as any other engine but it is a little noisy.
Worn timing chain will sound rattly when reving engine. ( avoid if it sounds bad as it will eat into your budget if you get it replaced)

Oil presure switchs can leak oil its simple fix 7 euro part. 10 min job to change.

Other problems are rear wheel bearings again very cheap fix 12.50 euro per bearing. If faulty you'll hear a hum above 40 from back of car.

Because of their age avoid any with bluish smoke from exhaust when reving engine.

If you can bring Mechanic with you to give car the once over.

Good tip is look first your self if your happy and convince its the car for you arrange to come back with mechanic. Only after mechanic gives you thumbs up then make an offer on car.

The exhaust also has a habit of cracking quiet regularly on the 1 liters due to the engine being so unrefined, causing the exhaust to vibrate and eventually crack. Terrible yokes.

jodaw

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

the running costs you quote could be achieved in any 1.0/ 1.2 small hatch car and tbh i find it hard to believe you got insurance for €200 flat.

58mpg achieved by sticking to 80km/h also sounds horrible for many reasons.

Yep 200 but thats will full claims and bare bones insurance.

Curious as the why you would advise against 80Km/h driving apart from the too low rev's argument? 1L engine doing about 2,600 rpm at 80km/h. I feel 100km/h hurt the MPG too much. Lately i'm an MPG freak with rock hard tryes and the latest one is keeping the fuel in the tank low rather than brimming it.

With economical driving i can get 63mpg for a full tank relatively soon after a service.

As others have said maybe there are other options. I think for the money he should be able to get a Corsa C rather than a B. But there are many options and other choices are good also.

One of the things i love with the older cars is that you can always beat the manufacturers claimed Mpg. Nowadays their claims are ridiculous.

Toyotafanboi

jodaw wrote: »

Yep 200 but thats will full claims and bare bones insurance.

Curious as the why you would advise against 80Km/h driving apart from the too low rev's argument? 1L engine doing about 2,600 rpm at 80km/h. I feel 100km/h hurt the MPG too much. Lately i'm an MPG freak with rock hard tryes and the latest one is keeping the fuel in the tank low rather than brimming it.

With economical driving i can get 63mpg for a full tank relatively soon after a service.

As others have said maybe there are other options. I think for the money he should be able to get a Corsa C rather than a B. But there are many options and other choices are good also.

because if you are the person who is doing a steady 80km/h on single lane 100km/h stretches then you are endangering us all. for the sake of 4 or 5mpg.

since i've went and bought a slow car, like yourself, i'm lapping up the mpg's and enjoying having more money but i still want to get where i'm going on time and i won't be letting 5mpg stop me, it's a danger. i'm getting exactly 40mpg from my petrol corolla driving it as it needs to be driven, that's enough for any man :pac:

dad had a corsa c, it was like they took everything about the b and tried to make it right. it's an ok at best car. looks and interior wise not even that bad amongst small cars, it's that terribly off beat 3cyl that makes me cry.

Horusire

ThanK's for the replies everyone!

Went and had a look at the car. Asked when the timing belt had been changed.. guy said it hadn't been.. With 121k miles I thought it was well overdue so left it with him.

He was also adamant with the 900 price tag.

Will take your recommendations and continue looking

visual

Horusire wrote: »

ThanK's for the replies everyone!

Went and had a look at the car. Asked when the timing belt had been changed.. guy said it hadn't been.. With 121k miles I thought it was well overdue so left it with him.

He was also adamant with the 900 price tag.

Will take your recommendations and continue looking

probably a bit late but there is no timing belt on these it is a timing chain and it doesn't have a interval for change. It is changed only when it becomes noisy and needs replacement.

Horusire

visual wrote: »

probably a bit late but there is no timing belt on these it is a timing chain and it doesn't have a interval for change. It is changed only when it becomes noisy and needs replacement.

Hahaha that makes sense. Two idiots might as well have been staring into a ditch! But there is definitely this yoke that looks exactly like a timing belt.. or what I think a timing belt looks like.. as I mentioned staring into a ditch etc..

bazz26

That was probably just the alternator/fan belt you were looking at.

Horusire

Haha but it hadn't been replaced and that's the main thing

Ah sure I've learnt something new today!

visual

keep looking something will pop up and don't fall into the trap that if you don't move fast you'll miss out as everyday there is a load more cars for sale.

When you have found a car you want to buy and ready to hand over the money stop and get a mechanic to give it the once over. Expect to pay anywhere between 50 and 100 euro. you don't need AA or anything like that just someone who know cars well and what to watch out for.

CaSCaDe711

Hi OP, just wondering did you get a motor yet?

MadYaker

He is banned so we'll never know I'm afraid.